A MOVING ceremony to dedicate the Titanic Memorial window took place at St Mary’s Church.

Led by the Bishop of Winchester, the Right Reverend Tim Dakin, the service was in honour of the hundreds of Southampton residents who perished in the 1912 disaster.

And it took place on the same spot as a memorial service just days after families received the tragic news. In April 1912 the mayor and people of Southampton gathered at the same church in St Mary’s Street to remember their loved ones.

The window was designed by Birmingham based stained glass artist Louise Hemmings – who was part of the congregation yesterday morning - and features an angel rising from the waves with a scroll that says 'crew'. It also features a quotation from the Song of Songs "many waters cannot quench love."

She said: “There is one bubble for every member of the ship who died. It combines modern and traditional techniques – you don’t usually find orbs in traditional windows.”

Also there were families of some of those on board the vessel. John Lewis, great grandson of survivor Arthur Lewis said Arthur would have been “tickled pink” by the window, while Bob Burr, grandson of saloon steward Ewart Burr who died said it was “the icing on the cake.”

Historian Genevieve Bailey said the choice of St Mary's Church is particularly fitting, because clergy had been feeding starving crew members in the weeks running up the ship's departure as part of a relief effort necessitated by a national coal strike which had left workers unpaid.

She said: "St Mary's is central to the culture of seagoing families. The day before Titanic sailed many of the hungry men came to the church and said 'We'll trouble you no more. Tomorrow we're off on the big one.' Little did they know they would trouble them no more - because they would all be dead. And that's what that window is all about."

John Creamer, treasurer of the British Titanic Society was at the service and said the organisation raised £20,000 tpwards the cost of the window, with funds raised by the Society and gifts from donors including Cunard.