Three events on the Lizard Peninsula this weekend will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
The luxury liner sank when she struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage, on April 15, 1912. At the time of the disaster, in which 1,500 lives were lost, Titanic was the largest ship afloat anywhere in the world.
Over 50 of the people on board were Cornish men, women and children.
This Saturday (April 14) between 11am and 4pm, an event will take place at Mawgan Recreational Hall, called ‘RMS Titanic, 100 years anniversary of loss.’ It will be opened by Tracy Wilson from Radio Cornwall and has free admission.
The following day there will be free activities and interactive displays for the whole family at the Marconi Centre in Poldhu.
Held between 10am and 4pm, families can discover the importance of Marconi’s wireless radio research to Titanic’s voyage and the saving of over 700 lives.
They were rescued because the passenger ship RMS Carpathia was summoned by wireless and plucked the survivors from the icy waters.
It is also known that on the previous day the Titanic had received a relayed ships’ news bulletin sent from the Marconi experimental station at Poldhu.
On her way to Southampton many messages were sent to another Marconi station along the coast near Lizard Point.
To mark the centenary of the liner’s tragic sinking the Lizard Wireless Centre at Bass Point is also staging an exhibition for the public.
The centre’s volunteer manager David Barlow, with the help of the site volunteers, has assembled a replica of the Titanic’s wireless room.
At the same time, throughout April, radio amateurs are running a modern station alongside the Titanic display and will be in contact with other stations around the world using the original call sign of RMS Carpathia, to honour the dedication of her wireless operator Harold Cottam.
Mr Barlow said: “The atmosphere in this 110-year-old hut is already very intense with the knowledge that Marconi himself was here.
“Operating adjacent to the replica of the Titanic wireless room gives a good idea of the difficulties faced by wireless operators 100 years ago.”
The wireless station, which includes a spark transmitter that can demonstrate the signals as they would have been received on ships hearing the CQD/SOS call sent from the Titanic, is regularly open to the public.
Call 01326 290384 for the times of opening.
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