Fascinating tale of the Kilkenny man who survived the sinking of the Titanic

Liam Fitzpatrick, a Kilkenny Titanic survivor, was the subject of the most recent lecture of the Kilkenny Historical Society which took place  in Mullinavat parish hall.

MaryAnn Vaughan delivered the lecture, which drew a large audience to the hall and also online via zoom.

William Cecil Fitzpatrick was born on April 26, 1890, exactly 134 years to the day of the lecture, at William Street, Kilkenny to Robert Fitzpatrick and Mary Gertrude Fitzpatrick (formerly Ryan). Robert and Mary Gertrude were married, in Kilkenny, in September 1895.

Liam was born with a caul, a rare event. A caul is a piece of membrane what covers a newborn’s head and face.
At the beginning of the lecture MaryAnn quoted from The Schools’ Collection of folklore compiled by schoolchildren in the 1930s: ‘If a child is born with a caul it will never be drowned. The captain of a ship would give you 100 for a caul – People here believe that a young fellow called J. Frawley, fell of a high tree. He had a miraculous escape. His mother believes he would have been killed but that he was born with a caul and that he is lucky’. 

In another case a child was quoted: ‘When I was born I had a lucky Caul. It is supposed to be very lucky, to be born with a Caul, which is considered a sure preservation against drowning and therefore prized by sailors’. Newspaper advertisements were also shown highlighting the sale of Cauls and an article from The Ulsterman of 1854 regarding an ‘Amusing Incident’ where a woman ‘had come from a distant part of the country, for the purpose of disposing of a child’s caul to some of the seafaring men’. 

Previous to taking up a position with the ill-fated Titanic, Liam Fitzpatrick had worked on the Oceanic. The Titanic’s manifest was shown to the attendance, showing the entry for ‘C W Fitzpatick’, 21 years old from Kilkenny. The liner’s route, a timetable of events leading up to the sinking at 2.25am, and its contact with the Carpathia were outlined in detail.

Liam Fitzpatrick assisted in the rescue before jumping into the sea, swimming in the icy water until he managed to pull himself unto an upturned Collapsible B. He was later picked up by Boat 12, where second class passenger Lillian Bentham recalled wrapping her fur coat around him.

Speaking about the disaster, Liam recalled: “As one of the lifeboats was being filled with women and children a foreigner tried to jump on the boat. The officer told him to go on deck. He refused, and the officer fired and the man fell dead on deck. The lifeboat was lowered, and the officer kept on firing his revolver till he was level with the water.

“I saw a similar instance on the port side. A passenger tried to claim a seat in one of the boats. The officer told him to leave at once and as he hesitated a revolver shot was fired and he dropped dead in the water. As the liner was dipping I jumped overboard in the icy water, and struck out with every effort I could in order to escape the suction.

“I was picked up by No 12 lifeboat and afterwards taken on board the Carpathia.”

Liam returned to England after the disaster but he never returned to sea. He later worked as a cashier and building contractor’s assistant and resided for a time in Ipswich, Suffolk. In August 1914,he married Elsie May Moody in Hull.

The couple were not married long before he went to service in the Royal Garrison Artillery as a gunner during World War I. Following his return to England, he and his wife would go on to have four children: Patricia May, Robert Cecil, Anthony Evelyn and Anne Moody.

He lived for many years at Cambridge Row, Chapeltown Road, Leeds and in his later years worked for the Leeds Corporation Cleansing Department. He was reluctant to discuss the Titanic disaster but did give the occasional interview and in 1953 was reunited with Carpathia crewman Ernest William Varley.

Liam Fitzpatrick died in Leeds, on July 11, 1964 aged 74 and was buried at the Catholic Cemetery, Killingbeck, Leeds. His widow Elsie died in Surrey on November 5, 1976.

NEXT OUTING
The next South Kilkenny Historical Society event takes place on June 1, with the society’s Coach Trip to Lismore, Co. Waterford. MaryAnn Vaughan, who has strong family links to Lismore, will lead this outing, which includes a visit to Lismore Heritage Centre, Lismore Castle Gardens and a walking tour of Lismore.

The visit will conclude with an evening meal at Foley’s. The coach will leave Main Street, Mullinavat at 9am and return at approximately 10pm. The cost is €70 for members and €75 for those who are not members of the society. Anybody interested in taking part should contact either Brigid Barron, Blossom Hill, Kilmacow, Co. Kilkenny (087 9507295, brigidbarron@hotmail.com); Katherine Grant, Curraghmore, Slieverue, Co. Kilkenny (086 1954616, katherinegrant@gmail.com) ; or Mary Ryan, ‘Gort Glas’, Aglish, Carrigeen, Co. Kilkenny (086 3790655, maryearyan@gmail.com).