Titanic victims and survivors from Southampton to be individually honoured with plaques across the city

Civic chiefs are exploring the possibility of installing up to 230 plaques around Southampton in memory of those who lived through or died in the tragedy.

The plaques will honour crew members from Southampton and will be placed on buildings where they lived prior to the ship’s sinking, on April 15, 1912.

The memorials are planned to be black and white in colour, and give details about the crew member who lived in the house.

Civic chiefs are set to consult current property owners to gain permission to install the plaques, which could cost the council between £70 and £80 each.

Council leader Simon Letts said the authority hopes to install the plaques on homes that still exist, as well as new residential properties on the same site.

He said: “I’m pleased we have the opportunity to commemorate these brave and talented men, many of whom went down with the Titanic.

“It is the greatest tragedy in the history of Southampton and it’s right to find an opportunity to commemorate it.

“I hope people will take up the opportunity to have a plaque.”

If all those living in the selected homes accept the council’s proposal, then the project is expected to cost the authority around £18,000.

It will part funded by money from the Mayor’s charity fund, raised while Redbridge councillor Catherine McEwing held office in 2016/17.

The money was due to be spent on the Titanic memorial window, which is planned to be installed at St Mary’s Church.

However, councillor McEwing, pictured, said the British Titanic Society has since raised all of the money for the project.

She said: “We still wanted use the money for something to remember the Titanic and Simon (Letts) suggested the idea of the plaques.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to see some recognition for the staff who lost their lives and survived the tragedy.

“As soon as the ship sunk that’s when their salary stopped and that community in Southampton who lost fathers, sons, brothers and uncles were left devastated as well as having no income coming in.

“There was little recognition for the staff and their families when the tragedy happened.

“I’m thrilled that those people are being recognised.”

Plans are said to still be at an early stage, with Southampton City Council only recently receiving quotes about possible designs.

After the authority has chosen its preferred option, it will then send out letters to the current occupiers of the properties asking if they will allow a plaque to be installed.

Once the council has a definitive answer on the number of plaques, it will then order and install them across the designated properties in Southampton.

The plaques will join other memorials in the city, including the Titanic Memorial Stone, located outside Dock Gate 4, and the Titanic Engineers’ Memorial, at East Park, in highlighting the devastating impact the sinking of the Titanic had on Southampton.

More than 540 people from the city died when The White Star Line ship hit an iceberg and sunk into the Atlantic while on its maiden journey from Southampton to New York.

In total, more than 1,500 passengers and crew died.

Of the ship’s 900-strong crew, 714 gave their addresses as Southampton, and all but three were men. Just 176 returned to the city.

Many crew members lived in the St Mary’s and Northam areas, however there were losses throughout the city. In one street alone, Malmesbury Road, in Shirley, all eight men who went to sea perished.

John Creamer, membership secretary for the British Titanic Society, said: “While we understand Southampton City Council is only in a consultative phase on whether to install plaques to premises once occupied by the ship’s crew, it fully endorses the action, as without lasting and tangible reminders of the city’s past, its history will be lost to future generations.”