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Titanic Halifax
Titanic Halifax presents the dramatic stories of those who didn’t survive the sinking, and details the efforts made from Halifax to gather and bury the dead. This guidebook includes accounts of the “Unknown Child” controversy, details on Halifax’s role in storing and maintaining Titanic artifacts, and the city’s participation in Titanic, the movie. This pocket guide includes maps and photographs of the city’s many Titanic sites. A perfect companion while discovering the places where Titanic’s ghosts roam.
94 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1999
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July 15, 2023A quick read that gives a brief overview of the Titanic disaster in general, the body recovery efforts, a few victims' stories, and the historical sites in Halifax. Excellent maps of the gravestone layouts.
My copy is from 1998, perhaps the first edition, and it contains some Titanic facts that are known to be inaccurate now, such as where in at least three separate sections, it identifies the "unknown child" as Gosta Paulson. It also makes some claims I'd never heard before, including that the Titanic's hull "shattered like glass" when it struck the iceberg. And it says of victim "James Dawson," "No one could have imagined that his name would be given to a fictional character in an award-winning feature film about Titanic three-quarters of a century later, or that his grave in Halifax would become a mecca for tourists." (It's a reference to the grave of "J. Dawson," which does reportedly attract attention, but we now know the grave belonged to a Joseph Dawson, not James.)
Though there's no index, it feels like it is meant to be used as a reference guide and not necessarily read through all at once. Some information was largely duplicated and/or split up in an unusual way. For instance, "Fairview Cemetery," page 45, has two sentences about John Clarke, musician from the Titanic, who's buried at Mount Olivet Roman Catholic Cemetery. Then "Mount Olivet Cemetery," page 56, has a photo of John Clarke with a paragraph about him. Both instances speak of him being recovered wearing his band uniform. Someone reading about each site in turn as they visit might not mind (or might even appreciate) the repetition, but when reading straight through at home, it felt a bit odd to me.
The parts that actually show historical sites at Halifax, which make up less than half of the book, are especially engaging.
It looks like there's at least a second edition, which hopefully corrects some of the errors and old information in the one I read.
My copy is from 1998, perhaps the first edition, and it contains some Titanic facts that are known to be inaccurate now, such as where in at least three separate sections, it identifies the "unknown child" as Gosta Paulson. It also makes some claims I'd never heard before, including that the Titanic's hull "shattered like glass" when it struck the iceberg. And it says of victim "James Dawson," "No one could have imagined that his name would be given to a fictional character in an award-winning feature film about Titanic three-quarters of a century later, or that his grave in Halifax would become a mecca for tourists." (It's a reference to the grave of "J. Dawson," which does reportedly attract attention, but we now know the grave belonged to a Joseph Dawson, not James.)
Though there's no index, it feels like it is meant to be used as a reference guide and not necessarily read through all at once. Some information was largely duplicated and/or split up in an unusual way. For instance, "Fairview Cemetery," page 45, has two sentences about John Clarke, musician from the Titanic, who's buried at Mount Olivet Roman Catholic Cemetery. Then "Mount Olivet Cemetery," page 56, has a photo of John Clarke with a paragraph about him. Both instances speak of him being recovered wearing his band uniform. Someone reading about each site in turn as they visit might not mind (or might even appreciate) the repetition, but when reading straight through at home, it felt a bit odd to me.
The parts that actually show historical sites at Halifax, which make up less than half of the book, are especially engaging.
It looks like there's at least a second edition, which hopefully corrects some of the errors and old information in the one I read.
January 2, 2021
Easy and wonderful read! If you’re wanting to learn a little bit of history about the Titanic and the town of Halifax - this is the book for you!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews