Titanic 100th Anniversary: Survivor stories [competition]

Titanic survivors - Louis and Lola (taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2535973345/)

Do you have an ancestor who was on board the Titanic?

April 15, 2012 marks 100 years since the Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank into the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean.

This disaster claimed 1,514 lives and is one of the deadliest maritime peacetime incidents on record.

The Titanic was on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City and was considered ‘the grandest ship in the world’. It held 2,435 passengers and 892 crew members. Luxurious accommodation and facilities were available for its first class passengers to enjoy.

Whilst the collision caused the sinking, the death toll was compounded by a lack of lifeboats. There were enough lifeboats to save only 1,178 passengers, and many of the lifeboats were launched without their full quota.

As we approach the anniversary of this major event, we think it’s important to preserve the stories that have affected so many families. We would like to hear your Titanic stories which we may share on this blog as a tribute on April 15 and we’ll be offering one submission a copy of the book Lost Voices from the Titanic – kindly donated by the author Dr Nick Barratt – which features rare eyewitness accounts of the events of the night of April 15, 1912. (Watch out for a guest blog post by Dr Nick Barratt about the Titanic disaster later this week.)

Did you lose relatives in this tragedy? Did your relatives survive? Did you discover a link between your relatives and this event through your family history research?

Please email stories@myheritage.com if you’d like your story to be showcased and for your chance to win a copy of this fascinating book.