A news story last week about the sale of a cigar box that once belonged to Edward John Smith, the Potteries-born captain of the ill-fated Titanic, reminded me that a few months ago I’d taken part in a discussion on 6 Towns Radio about the upcoming anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and what – if anything – Stoke-on-Trent should be doing about it.
Like most people from the Potteries, I know a little about Captain Smith, however it was my interest in economic regeneration and the popular culture of Stoke-on-Trent that led to me being asked to take part in the debate, so naturally I made the most of the opportunity to carry out a little research into Edward John Smith. I also admit that, having traced some of my ancestry, I was harbouring a notion that I might have a personal connection to the Titanic, my maiden name being Smith with ancestors from Hanley like Captain Smith.
The bits most people seem to know about Edward John Smith, besides the Titanic link, is that his statue resides not in Stoke-on-Trent, but Lichfield, usually accredited to Hanley not wanting the statue originally. However, a bit of digging uncovers that Capt Smith has actually had a bit of a raw deal. Common sense would suggest that you don’t just get given the captaincy of a ship like the Titanic if you struggled with a rowing boat in Hanley Park, so it should really be no surprise that Edward Smith was considered competent and well-liked by the White Star Line, and served with distinction in the Boer War, commanding troopships to the Cape. Although it is public record that he had had one or two mishaps as a Captain, again I doubt that a large commercial enterprise would have entrusted their star liner to someone who was considered unsafe.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the construction of the Titanic itself and the events leading up to the 15th April, Captain Smith went down with his ship and was obviously considered by many to be worthy of a statue. And not just any statue, but one sculpted by Lady Kathleen Scott, the widow of another famous man, Captain Robert Falcon Scott of Antartic fame. The statue was funded by donations and erected in 1914, a mere two years after Captain Smith’s death. A number of suggestions are given for why it ended up in Lichfield, including that Lichfield is the capital of the diocese and also that it is a prettier town than Hanley, and therefore more appealling to the generous benefactors who funded the statue. Whatever the reasoning, the life size bronze statue is now a centre piece of Lichfield’s Beacon Park and part of a recent multi-million pound investment in the park.
I suspect that Lichfield are unlikely to hand back Captain Smith and as a result, our perceived embarrassment means we lost a statue with links of national and international historical importance. The only local memorial to Captain Smith is a brass plaque in Hanley Town Hall. But what can Stoke-on-Trent do now to commemorate our links with the Titanic as we approach the 100 years anniversary of the sinking? I’ve blogged before about a Park of the Potteries, and for me, some memorial to Captain Smith and RMS Titanic would fit perfectly here – and add something different. I don’t think we can possibly emulate the amazing Titanic exhibitions put on at places like the Maritime Museums in Liverpool and Southampton, but we can use the link to add something to a greater idea specifically about the Potteries – and it doesn’t have to be a statue either, which for me is the beauty of such an idea. Iconic images such as the ‘flat’ Spitfire on Reginald Mitchell Way sometimes have far more impact and stick in the mind longer.
Unfortunately, my Park of the Potteries idea remains just that – an idea, albeit one that I suspect I will continue to work on for the next few years, gathering research of how other cities have used visual art to stimulate their economy. However, I do hope that the Potteries link to the Titanic is celebrated in someway, not least because we have so much to offer as a city, but just need to make the most of the opportunities we have.
Footnote:
Although my research focused on Captain Smith, I did uncover two further local links to the Titanic, those of Leonard Hodgkinson, who was the 4th Senior Engineer on board, born in Stoke-on-Trent, and who died at his post, and also Father Thomas Byles, a Roman Catholic priest born in Shelton, who spent his last few hours on board the Titanic helping women and children into lifeboats and giving comfort and absolution to those destined to die alongside him on the ship.
So far, I have yet to uncover a link between Captain Edward John Smith and my own Smith family from Hanley, however found this website from the biographer of Capt Smith very useful indeed.
Very interesting read, had no idea the captain of the Titanic was from this area!
And I personally quite like your idea of the Park of the Potteries -perhaps like an outdoor museum you can picnic in! Although I can imagine the “We could have saved x, y, and z with this money” response it might receive. Or would it be a ward budget thing? Definitely an idea worth time
Thanks for your comment – my initial idea was that the Park of the Potteries would be in one of the smaller parks in the City (so no cost to establish) and then interested parties would be able to have their statues, sculptures, visual interpretations there (so again minimal cost as they would not be paid for by the Council). Years ago, statues were paid for by public subscription and that was the basis the Lemmy and Slash statues were to be funded, which is what originally started me thinking about it.
As you can tell, economic regeneration through popular culture really interests me, and I have a few other blogs on the same subject that I am just itching to get written in the next few months. There is a feeling amongst some people that visual art has no economic benefit, however if you look at the facts, it’s actually quite eye opening, and I believe it is possible to do without costing lots of money, which has got to be worth looking at!
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