The Hampshire Family Historian | Vol.48 No.4 | March 2022

Local Group Programmes

others performed the ‘custom of the sea’ and killed him before the unthinkable act. The survivors were rescued after 23 days but subsequently sentenced to be executed for murder - which was repealed. A memorial stone to Richard was erected in Woolston. Frederick Parker (‘Captain Dan’) was involved in a celebrated rescue in 1951. A ship, SS Flying Enterprise, got into difficulties for two days near Plymouth. Capt Dan used the tug ‘Turmoil’ to rescue the crew when the boat became stranded. Only after repeated attempts, in treacherous conditions, did all crew escape. The ship eventually sank and rumours began about what the cargo may have been – gold, nuclear fuel or coffee? Capt Dan was greeted as a hero in Falmouth. There were several connections with the RMS Titanic. The first (“tenuous”) link involved her ancestors owning the Platform Tavern inn near the docks in 1911. After the disaster, in 1912, one poor soul recovered was listed as living at the inn. He was buried in Nova Scotia. Also, in the 1997 Titanic film, the character Leonardo de Caprio character, Jack, won a ticket playing poker cards in a tavern – which was the Platform. A relative, Sidney Hollaway, who died in the disaster was picked up by the cable ship ‘Mackay Bennett’. It recovered 306 bodies. His body was identified using a description of the ship’s uniform he was wearing on top of his pyjama suit. He had been living in Southampton in 1911. He is also buried in Nova Scotia. Ancestor George Hogg (‘Uncle Alf’) survived the disaster. He was a seaman from Hull who moved to Bitterne and became a Titanic deck crew member. He was actually asleep at the time of impact (23.40h) and was due on watch at midnight. He inspected the lifeboats and was ordered into the first one launched, helping survivors onto another ship, the Carpathia. In a later inquest, which Alf contributed to, it emerged that ‘night glasses’ (binoculars) had not been issued to crew - they were locked in a cupboard which contributed to the iceberg not being seen. Alf continued to work for the Whitestar Line bringing home exotic animals like a monkey and a parrot! Kay’s maternal grandfather, Reg Urquart, was an engineer who worked with tanks at Bovington. He became a fitter but then went to sea. Kay was able to use ‘Seaman’s Tickets’ to piece together a list of Reg’s trips. He went to the Mediterranean, Suez and Bombay and the Far East. He often brought back exotic items. He swapped companies moving closer to home, working on smaller boats and ferries. (January) ‘Women at Work’ Janet Few Janet is the president of the Family History Federation and a renowned speaker who we were fortunate to have join us once again. Her presentation described the changes in employment opportunities for women in more recent times. Men were historically seen as breadwinners for families and went out to earn a living, often working on the land. For centuries most women were considered to be (only!) housewives and Janet listed the many duties - and behaviours - this position was deemed to include. For some women, prostitution had always been a way of earning income and she noted the difference in status between being a royal mistress and a ‘local friendly lady’. For younger women ‘live-in work’ became very popular. Many people were employed in service as

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