Hi everyone
I am sure you are all aware that Sunday 15 April 2012 marks the 100 year anniversary of the tragic sinking of the magnicent Titanic. Over the past week memorial services have taken place across the UK as people have joined together to remember the tragic lost of 1500 people on that fateful night. In addition two elegant modern cruise ships are making a commemorative voyage on a Titantic memorial cruise – one sailing from Southampton, UK, and one from New
York – with a plan to meet in the lonely North Atlantic. Two commemorative services in honour of the disaster’s victims will be held at the site of the final resting place of RMS Titanic.
On Saturday, April 14, 2012, beginning at 11:40 pm, the first memorial service will mark 100 years exactly since Titanic hit the iceberg; the second service, at 2:20 am, Sunday, April 15, marks the time at which the pride of the White Star Line went finally beneath the waves.
Titanic, a marvel of modern engineering, the ship they said was unsinkable sank on her maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg in the most infamous disaster of all time. A warning that mankind may be advanced but was not indestructible, the Titanic story has been retold many times. Titanic was the world’s biggest cruise liner of the day. Luxurious and very stylish, she was built in Belfast’s Harland and Wolff Shipyard. When the Titanic was launched from Belfast, the city was known across the world as an industrial powerhouse. It had the largest shipyard, the largest ropeworks and was a major exporter of linen and tobacco products. Indeed the world’s highest grossing film ever (until 2010) was Titanic; the Titanic disaster will be forever etched in the minds of people the world over as intriguing stories about the ship and her passengers continue to fascinate people 100 years after the ship’s fateful demise.
Last October as part of their Unit of Work on significant events in the 20th century Year 10 pupils completed a detailed enquiry into the trag
edy. They completed their research and presented their findings to their class addressing questions such as why did it sink and who was to blame? After Easter pupils will be able view a display created by Year 10 on the tragedy in M5 which will include their interpretations of the event – diary accounts, newspaper reports and poems. As part of their display pupils will also consider how the most famous ship to sink is being used to refloat Northern Ireland’s flagging economy. Marking the centenary of Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage, Belfast is finally coming to terms with its connection to the liner with a £97 million visitor centre called Titanic Belfast that pays tribute both to those who built her and those who lost their lives on her. This leisure and visitor complex has been buil
t on the banks of the river where the Titanic was constructed and it is hoped that it will attract 50,000 extra tourists a year.
Year 10 pupils will have the wonderful opportunity to visit Belfast on Thursday 10 May where they will get a 1 hour boat tour of the Harbour and shipyard. They will then take part in a workshop called ‘The Unsinkable Titanic’ as part of the Lagan Legacy Heritage Project on board the Belfast Barge which is permanently moored behind the Waterfront Hall.
You can visit the folllowing website to find out some more about what their trip will entail:
http://www.laganlegacy.com/learning/view_the_past
Looking forward to it!
Mrs Reid
he spectacular Spanish Armada being sent to England in 1588 – its task to overthrow our ‘heretic Queen’.
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