I went to the Titanic exhibition and was shocked by the role Birmingham played in the ship’s history

Interest in the Titanic has grown over the years, partly due to stories about the tragic events that unfolded on the ‘unsinkable ship’ that fateful night in Newfoundland.

The ill-fated voyage of the luxurious White Star Line cruiser from Belfast to New York was never completed due to the infamous collision with an iceberg, which caused the ship to sink 12,500 feet to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

That of course led to the deaths of 1,500 passengers, in a moment that shocked the world and wrote a chapter in the history books that still captures the public’s attention today.

It was the stories of that night and the mysterious, ghostly presence of the boat on the seabed that led to James Cameron’s hugely successful and critically acclaimed Titanic film, which used actual footage captured from the wreck by the filmmaker’s own submarine voyages to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Visitors to Birmingham’s NEC can now experience the story of the Titanic first-hand thanks to a captivating, educational and emotional exhibition running throughout the summer.

I went to the opening day of the exhibition to hopefully learn more about a moment in history that I have always been fascinated by. What I discovered at the exhibition was so much more than I expected.

I certainly didn’t expect there to be so many West Midlands connections to the world’s most famous nautical disaster. I knew the ship’s anchor was made in Netherton and I’d seen the replica from the same mould. I didn’t expect to see it so vividly on video footage shown on screens from the wreck on the seabed.

I was unaware that the buttons for the crew uniforms were made by Firmin and Son, a company based in St Paul’s Square, Birmingham. It was equally fascinating to learn that the ship’s safes were built and supplied by Thomas Perry and Son, a blacksmiths in Bilston.

The company Bordsley Green, Hoskins and Sewell were contracted to supply the beds and camp beds for the Titanic, a number of which were recovered several years after the ship sank, in good condition and free from corrosion.

Elkington and Co were one of the foremost silversmiths of the 19th century and were the Birmingham company charged with supplying the silverware for the first class guests on board.

Stourbridge glass company Stuart Crystal named White Star Line as one of their valued customers and supplied the glassware for the Titanic.

It was not only the craft industries of Birmingham and the Black Country that were lost in the Pacific Ocean that night.

William Henry, a resident of Erdington, had boarded the Titanic as a third-class passenger to start a new life in New York while living with his uncle in the Big Apple. His body was never recovered.

There was William Edward Hipkiss, director of a company responsible for supplying a weighing machine for the ship’s Turkish bath. As a first-class passenger in cabin C-39, his ticket cost what would be around £7,000 today.

As with William Henry, his body, even though found, was never identified.

The magic of this exhibition lies in the narrative journey it takes you on, from the sheer scale of the Titanic’s construction by the shipping company to the enormous class divide that awaited passengers when the ship made its maiden voyage.

Artifacts salvaged from the sea and even the wreck itself await you as ghostly reminders of the night the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic disappeared beneath a pitch-black starry sky.

Fascinating video presentations can be seen at various points in the exhibition, providing an insight into life on board, stories of survivors and the eerie video images of the wreck as it lies today.

You will learn the history of the crew, the passengers, the controversy and the aftermath of the historic disaster. You can even stand in the crow’s nest and see if you could have seen the iceberg looming on the horizon.

I was shocked to read that the crew on duty in the crow’s nest did not have access to the binoculars they needed because they did not have access to the locker they were in. Instead, they relied on the naked eye against a dangerously black night sky.

Almost as shocking as the discovery that there were not enough lifeboats, this was an aesthetic choice. They did not want a lot of small boats to spoil the look of the ship.

The exhibition is very visual and gives you a good idea of ​​the importance and splendor of the Titanic. You can also put yourself in the shoes of the passengers.

The horrors and reality of the choices people had and didn’t have, and the despair that surrounded their present and future, hit home as you read each story.

It is a great event that people need to experience and really understand and appreciate, because this is an event that will always have a devastating effect on history.

The collection of artefacts from the event has been returned to the UK for the first time since the ship sank in 1912. Acquired by UK-based White Star Heritage, the collection is believed to include the largest known surviving piece of the ship’s grand aft staircase, several fragments of a deck chair and a striking wooden sliding door, thought to have come from the ship’s galley.

These items were all recovered by the SS Minia, a ship sent to recover the remains of the Titanic that floated to the surface after the tragic disaster. Some of the items were displayed in Nova Scotia, Canada, before later ending up in a private collection.

They are in much better condition than many other artifacts because they were recovered from the surface rather than the seabed.

White Star Heritage Director Tom Rudderham commented: “It is so exciting to be able to bring these truly extraordinary relics to the public, particularly to the British public who have probably never seen these items before.

“Given that most of the ship’s remains are on the seabed, it is truly a privilege to have such well-preserved glimpses into the past.”

The exhibition runs until August 24, 2024 at the NEC, more information here