RMS Titanic (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Wednesday, June 01, 2011, 15:53 (4992 days ago) @ Roger Griffiths

Hi Roger and thanks for posting, my goodness now that is a Forest link to the past !. There was me only thinking of someone making part of the ship's hardware or somesuch.

A quick Google has shown me the owner aka Chairman of the White Star Line was John Bruce Ismay who caused quite a stir by daring to step into a lifeboat so surviving the sinking.... This was his final White Star business trip to New York to discuss the terms of his leaving the Company, I wonder if anyone has created a theory about his trying to sink the ship for personal gain ?... I hope not.
I must admit quickly reading about him has confused me, I was under the impression (no, not based on Hollywood) that the ship's Captain had been under great pressure from the owners to maintain perhaps reckless high speed despite warnings of ice bergs ahead. However I wonder if this is true re JB, he actually reads like a decent man, but I'm afraid I do have a low regard for the press and their ability to ruin good people. He certainly shunned public positions such as chairman of various companies for the rest of his working life. He was entirely exonerated of any wrongdoing by Commissions both in New York and Britain, and was accompanied at both by Lady Ismay.
Was your mother's aunt still with Lady Ismay then ?

He was from Merseyside, educated at Harrow, heir at 34 years to the $40 million White Star fortune, but still did his five year Marine Apprenticeship !. Outside work his loves were shooting & fishing and he owned a Lodge in Galway during the 20s. Later in life he often rented a lodge at Gleneagles for the season; would these pastimes be a reason perhaps for a lady from Monmouth (Wye fishing ?) to have become involved with the Ismays ?. Following severe illnesses he passed away in 1937 age 74.
Thank heaven for your aunt & your family they cancelled their voyage, no doubt for perfectly good reasons, but it must be a little spooky for your family to have it's own potential plot of yet another Titanic Conspiracy Theory ? (or at least would be if JB Ismay had cancelled too !).
I wonder if your mother's aunt became a local celebrity at all, did the Monnow Paparazzi pick up the story ?.

Lady Florence Ismay was Miss Julia Florence Schieffelin of New York. They were married in 1888. She lived for a considerable time afterwards to Bruce, dying on Jan 1st 1964 her obituary appears below.

"Mrs. Florence Ismay, widow of J. Bruce Ismay, the chairman of the White Star Line at the time of the Titanic disaster in 1912, died at her home today. Her age was 96.
Mrs. Ismay’s husband, who survived the disaster, helped get women and children away from the ship for nearly two hours, escaping in the last lifeboat. He was later criticized for the leaving the Titanic at all, but was exonerated at both the American and British inquiries.

New York Times"