Titanic: Liverpool Lives

This full-length cotton apron, with lace-trimmed top, was worn by survivor Laura Francatelli on the night of the Titanic disaster. Francatelli was a personal maid and social secretary to the fashion designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon. She was travelling First Class with her employer and Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon, baronet, a champion fencer who represented Britain in the 1908 Olympics.

Miss Francatelli and the Duff Gordons were among the first to escape from Titanic. They boarded Lifeboat No 1 which had just two male passengers and seven crewmen, although it was built to hold many more people. On board the rescue ship Carpathia, Sir Cosmo asked Miss Francatelli to write out £5 cheques to each of the seamen who were in the lifeboat. This led to allegations of bribery. However, the British inquiry stated that the nature of the Duff Gordons’ departure from Titanic was “within the acceptable bounds of civilised behaviour”. 

These two gold watches belonged to the Liverpool couple Thomas and Ada Hewitt, who exchanged them as gifts on their wedding day in September 1902. As well as the date of the wedding, cuvettes of both watches contain engraved inscriptions ‘From Tom to Ada’ and ‘From Ada to Tom’. 

Thomas was one of the Liverpool crew who lost their lives when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. It is said that Thomas Hewitt had his watch with him on board Titanic, but managed to safely pass it to a stewardess who survived and returned it to Ada. In 1999 both watches were given to the Maritime Museum by the couple’s grandsons.

This wooden and black leather jewellery case, 1912, recovered from the debris field around the Titanic wreck site. The leather top has been gilded with the initials 'R.L.B.' (only traces of the B remain).  

This probably refers to American First Class passenger Mr Richard Leonard Beckwith, who survived the sinking. This jewellery box originally contained the five tie pins in this collection.

John Henry Hesketh, aged 33, was the Junior Second Engineer on board Titanic. Born in Liverpool, he lived with his parents in Kirkdale and had been apprenticed as an engineer when he was 14. 

He joined White Star Line as a Sixth Engineer, working on board various ships before signing on to Titanic in 1912. He had served aboard Titanic’s sister ship Olympic prior to the fateful maiden voyage. He was the youngest Second Engineer working for White Star Line. 

Ernest St Clair was born in Waterloo, Liverpool and after leaving school decided on a life at sea. He worked on Lusitania before joining the crew of Carpathia as a waiter. In April 1912, Carpathia was sailing from New York back to Liverpool when the ship received Titanic's distress call.

All of the Titanic’s 705 survivors and 13 lifeboats that left the stricken ship were picked up by the Carpathia, which was carrying 700 passengers herself. The lifejacket pictured here, was worn by one of the survivors of the Titanic.