A Boy Who Remembered the Night Titanic Changed Everything

A Boy Who Remembered the Night Titanic Changed Everything

I have been learning about the lives of those on board the Titanic, and one such story is that of Frank Goldsmith.

He was born on the 19th of December 1902 in Strood, Kent, and grew up in a working family. The family had already lost his younger brother Bertie, not long before 1912. His parents decided to leave England and begin again in America, hoping, as so many were, for a better life. They travelled in third class toward a new future.

Image info:

 Frank Goldsmith, his wife Emily, and their two sons, Frank Jr. and Bertie.

Frank was just nine years old, and spent his days on board exploring and playing with other boys, completely unaware of how quickly things would change. On the night of the 14th of April 1912, his father woke him and his mother up and led them to the lifeboats. There was confusion, urgency, and fear. His father tragically stayed behind. Frank later remembered his last words, simple and reassuring, but filled with finality.

Frank and his mother were rescued. On Carpathia, Frank was made an honorary crew member, drinking their strange initiation mixture. Settling in America, he never fully recovered from that night Even years later, the sound of cheering crowds reminded him of the cries he had heard, showing us just how traumatic that experience had been. As a boy, he held onto hope that his father might still return, a hope that he was slowly forced to let go of. 

He grew up, built a life, he married and had three sons and eventually shared his memories so that others would understand what it was like. 

He was a civilian photographer fir the US Army Air Corp in WW2.

He died in 1982 at the age of 79.

I often think about how a single night can shape an entire life. Do you think memories like his ever really fade, or do they stay with us in ways we may not even realise?

Pompey the Great: From a Roman General to a Tragic Fall from Power

Pompey the Great: From a Roman General to a Tragic Fall from Power

I have been learning about the final years of the Roman Republic, and today I want to tell you a little about Pompey the Great. 

Pompey was born on the 29th of September 106 BC into a wealthy and politically connected Roman family. His father had been a general for the Roman Republic.

Pompeys name first became prominant during the civil wars of the 80s BC, he had supported Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Pompey managed to raise his own army and also proved himself very capable. Sulla recognised his talent, and reportedly called him “Magnus,” meaning “the Great.” 

Pompey built a reputation as one of Rome’s most successful commanders. He managed to clear the Mediterranean of pirates and even defeated some powerful kingdoms, that expanded the Roman influence. These victories brought him huge wealth, along with fame, and loyalty. 

In 60 BC, Pompey entered into an alliance with Julius Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus, an arrangement that later became known as the First Triumvirate. At first, it seemed like a practical solution. Each man needed the others to secure power. But beneath the surface, there would have been tension. 

The balance began to break after Crassus died and Caesar’s power grew. Pompey, who had once been allied with Caesar, found himself more and more aligned with the Senate, who feared Caesar’s influence. 

In 49 BC, Caesar crossed the Rubicon to protect his power and avoid his enemies. He knew thought that it meant war. Pompey, chose to withdraw from Italy and regrouped in the east. It may have been a strategic decision, but could also could have been because of uncertainty. 

At the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, Caesar defeated Pompey’s forces. It was more than a military defeat, it was the collapse of everything Pompey had built. He left for Egypt, hoping for refuge and he perhaps believed that his past power would offer him some protection.

Instead of refuge he was betrayed. When he arrived, he was killed on the orders of those hoping to gain favour with Caesar. 

Do you think Pompey was a victim of the changing times, or did his own choices lead him to that tragic end?

Image info: 

Title: Pompey the Great

Collection: Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Venice 

Donald Blackburn: The Guerrilla Leader Who Fought Three Wars and Shaped Special Forces History

Donald Blackburn: The Guerrilla Leader Who Fought Three Wars and Shaped Special Forces History

As many of you may already know, I have been learning thr amazing people who served in the wars. And today I want to turn my attention to Donald Dunwody Blackburn.

He was born on the 14th of September 1916 in West Palm Beach in Florida, at a time when the world was still recovering from one of the largest global conflicts. He chose a career in the military, being a commissioned officer in 1938 and then entering active service in 1940. It must have been a time of anxiety, knowing the world had entered into another global conflict.

When the Second World War broke out, Blackburn was sent to the Philippines, serving as an advisor to local forces. Everything changed in April 1942 with the fall of Bataan. Rather than surrendering, he made the decision to try and evade capture. He and others disappeared into Luzon and began a long period of guerrilla warfare.

For over three years, Blackburn helped organise and lead resistance forces. These were not just regular troops, but a mixture of soldiers and local fighters, many of whom had their own reasons for resisting the occupation. During this time, he not only fought but also helped in establishing infrastructure such as airfields, roads, schools, and hospitals. 

By 1945, his force had become much larger, and they even played a role in supporting the American operations to retake the territory. Blackburn led actions against the strongholds, earning the Silver Star. When Japanese forces surrendered in August 1945, it must have brought huge relief.

After the war, Blackburn continued his military career, he took on teaching, leadership, and international roles, including working with NATO. He became involved in the development of special operations forces.

During the Vietnam War, he played a major role in shaping unconventional warfare. As commander of the highly secretive Studies and Observations Group, he oversaw operations. These were complex, often controversial missions, requiring careful planning and a willingness to take risks. He went on to advise senior military leaders and was involved in planning operations like the attempted rescue at Son Tay. 

He was promoted to brigadier general, and  continued to serve until he retired in 1971. 

He died on the 24th of May 2008 at the age of 91 and was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, a place that holds many who served their country. 

The Courage and Resilience of Edward Joseph Tipper Jr.: From D-Day Wounds to a Life Rebuilt

The Courage and Resilience of Edward Joseph Tipper Jr.: From D-Day Wounds to a Life Rebuilt

I have been learning about another of the remarkable men from Easy Company in Band of Brothers, and today I wanted to share the story of Edward Joseph Tipper Jr.

He was born on the 3rd of August 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, to parents who had immigrated from Ireland. When Edward was very young the family briefly returned to Ireland before settling again in the United States. By the time he finished school in 1939 he was working in a department store, living an ordinary life that must have felt full of possibility.

Everything changed after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Like many young men of his generation, he felt the pull to serve. After being rejected by the Marines because of an overbite, he joined the United States Army and volunteered for the paratroopers. Training at Camp Toccoa was famously brutal, but it also created strong bonds between the men of Easy Company.

On D-Day, Tipper parachuted into Normandy alongside the rest of his company and he soon found himself fighting the Germans. During the battle for Carentan, a mortar explosion left him gravely wounded. His right eye was destroyed and his legs were badly injured. Fellow soldiers carried him to safety.

After spending months in hospitals, he returned home and slowly rebuilt his life. Though he walked with a cane and wore an eyepatch, he went on to earn a master’s degree, and became a teacher. He went on to marry and he became a father.

He died on the 1st of February 2017 at the incredible age of ninety five.

The Titanic Survivor Who Pretended to Be a Baron and Caused Controversy

The Titanic Survivor Who Pretended to Be a Baron and Caused Controversy

I have been looking into the people who were on board the Titanic, and one story stood out. It was the story of Alfred Nourney, a young man whose actions still raise questions today.

He was born on the 26th of February 1892 in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, but he grew up in Germany. By 1912, at the age of just twenty years old, he seemed to want to be seen as something more. He travelled under the false title of “Baron Alfred von Drachstedt.”  In April of 1912, he boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, he was initially a second-class passenger. He effectively upgraded himself after boarding, using his assumed identity.

On the night of the 14th of April 1912, he was playing cards in the first-class smoking room. When the ship hit the iceburg, he briefly checked what was going on but he returned to his game, perhaps not  grasping the danger that was ahead. Soon after, he boarded Lifeboat 7 with very little issue. While others rowed the lifeboat away from Titanic, he reportedly stayed seated, smoking and even firing a pistol. It makes you wonder what he was feeling, was it shock, detachment, or something else entirely.

After he was rescued, his behaviour continued to attract attention, and he decided to slip away from the spotlight, and he returned to Europe. He later married and raising a family.

Do you think he surviving the only way he knew how, or does his behavour reveal something about human nature in moments of crisis?

The Catiline Conspiracy: Ambition, Desperation, and the Fall of the Roman Republic

The Catiline Conspiracy: Ambition, Desperation, and the Fall of the Roman Republic

I have been finding out more about the final years of the Roman Republic, and I wanted to share the story of the Catiline Conspiracy. It is not just the political intrigue, but the desperation, ambition, and fear that surrounded all the people involved.

Lucius Sergius Catilina, was a Roman nobleman who lived during a time when the Republic was already strained. Catiline was born into an old but declining aristocratic family in around 108 BC.  In a society where status mattered, the decline of his family may have influenced his ambitions and maybe even caused resentment.

Catiline attempted to pursue a political career, maybe he was hoping to regain some of the standing that he felt he deserved. But Roman politics was brutal. Elections were strongly contested and accusations of corruption were really common. Catiline ran several times for the office of consul, the most powerful elected position in Rome, but each time ended in failure. One of the men who defeated him in the election of 63 BC was Marcus Tullius Cicero.

These defeats must have felt humiliating. Some of his supporters were men in debt, veterans who had struggled after military service, and aristocrats who believed the political system had pushed them out. 

In 63 BC, tensions had reached a peak.

 According to accounts from the time, Catiline and a group of supporter had begun plotting an uprising. Their aim was to overthrow the government, cancel all of their debts, and then to seize power. Their plan was to raise forces outside of the city while their allies inside Rome would create chaos, possibly assassinating the leading officials.

Rumours began to spread quickly in Rome’s crowded political world. Cicero, who was serving as consul that year, found out about the plot. In the Senate he delivered a powerful speech accusing Catiline of treason. 

After being denounced, Catiline fled Rome and joined supporters gathering in northern Italy. Several conspirators who had remained in the city were arrested. The Senate ordered their execution without a trial. Even in ancient Rome, this was very uncomfortable, it raised questions about justice and power.

The rebellion ended in early 62 BC. Roman forces confronted Catiline and his supporters near Pistoria in northern Italy. The battle was fierce as you can imagine. Catiline died fighting alongside his men. Ancient writers later said that his body was found far forward among the fallen, this seems to prove that he fought to the very end.

I makes me think about the causes behind events like this. Was Catiline simply a conspirator, or was he a symptom of a Republic already beginning to fracture under inequality and political rivalry?

What do you think-was Catiline driven mainly by personal ambition, or do you believe there were deeper problems in the Roman Republic pushed events toward conspiracy and conflict?

Image info:

Artist: Cesare Maccari 

Title: Cicero denouncing Catilina

Collection: Palazzo Madama, Rome

Marjorie Anne Newell- A Titanic Passenger Who Carried the Memory for a Century.

Marjorie Anne Newell- A Titanic Passenger Who Carried the Memory for a Century.

I have been looking into the lives of the people who were on board the RMS Titanic, and today I want to share the story of Marjorie Anne Newell. 

Marjorie Anne Newell was born on the 12th of February 1889 in Lexington, Massachusetts. She was the youngest daughter of Arthur Webster Newell, a successful Boston banker, and Mary Greeley Newell. She grew up in a comfortable household. Music was a constant part of her life, which gives us an image of a woman that had creativity.

In early 1912, when Marjorie was only twenty-three years old, she travelled with her father and her older sister Madeleine. They travelled across Europe and into the Middle East. They celebrated Marjorie’s birthday in Cairo near the  pyramids, before visiting places like Jaffa, Bethlehem, and Jericho. It must have been an amazing adventure for a her.

Arthur Newell surprised his daughters with first-class tickets home to America on the brand new Titanic. On the 10th of April 1912, they boarded the ship at Cherbourg. Marjorie later remembered how magnificent the ship seemed, it was filled with elegant furniture, carved wood panels, and was hugely luxurious. She and her sister shared a cabin, and the two brought their violins with them, practising music before bed. 

On the afternoon of the 14th of April 1912, the family sat together in deck chairs, talking about their travels and the places they had visited. That evening, Marjorie was dressed in a long gown for dinner and she admired the elegance of all the other passengers. At 11:40 pm that night, everything changed for everyone on board when Titanic hit an iceberg.

Marjorie and her sister were asleep when they were woken up by a strange vibration and loud noise. Their father came to their cabin and told them to dress warmly and go up to the boat deck. At that point, Marjorie did not believe the ship was really sinking. The deck seemed quiet, and the orchestra was still playing.

Arthur Newell led his daughters to Lifeboat No. 6. Although he reportedly believed the ship itself seemed safer than the small boats, he still made sure his daughters were in one. When the lifeboat was lowered, he remained behind. Marjorie remembered seeing him calmly waving goodbye to them, reassuring them that he would follow in another boat.

From about a mile away, Marjorie watched Titanic’s lights, before they suddenly went out. She heard terrible cries from people left in the freezing water, sounds she would never forget. When dawn came the survivors saw the icebergs scattered around them. They were then rescued by the RMS Carpathia.

When Marjorie reached New York on the 18th of April 1912, she still had hope that her father might appear among the survivors. Instead, his name was sadly listed among the missing. Her mother was obviously devastated by the loss, and she asked her daughters never to speak about the disaster again.

For many years Marjorie honoured that wish. She became a music instructor and social worker, eventually marrying Floyd Newton Robb in 1917. Together they had four children, and she even named her son Arthur in memory of her father. Music remained central to her life, and she went on to teach violin and piano at Wells College and she also helped to establish the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

It was only in the 1980s, many years after her mother’s death, did she begin sharing her memories in interviews and talks. The events of 1912 clearly remained vivid in her mind.

When the wreck of Titanic was discovered in 1985, Marjorie said that she thought that the ship should be left undisturbed as a memorial to those who had died. 

Marjorie Anne Newell died peacefully on the 11th of June 1992 at the remarkable age of 103. At the time of her death, she was the last surviving first-class passenger of Titanic. 

How do people carry such powerful memories for an entire lifetime, and what responsibility do we have today to remember the experiences they shared?