Thomas Patrick Dillon is referred to as the “luckiest survivor” of the Titanic.
Thomas Patrick Dillon signed aboard the Titanic on April 6, 1912, as a trimmer, though rated as an able seaman. Trimmers ensured coal was evenly distributed in the ship’s bunkers to heat the massive boilers, a grueling task involving shovels and wheelbarrows in dark, hot conditions. Dillon was performing this duty when the Titanic struck the iceberg and was later ordered to the steerage deck to evacuate. By then, the lifeboats were gone, so he ended up in the water. Unexpectedly, a passing lifeboat plucked him out, and he survived. He later testified before the British Titanic Inquiry about what he witnessed that night. The Liverpool Echo recently reprinted his testimony, which is quite riveting. He continued serving on other ships, never married, and died in 1939, buried at Ford Cemetery, Sefton. His grave remained unmarked for 89 years until a descendant of his sister petitioned for a headstone.
Image: MSN
Source
Holmes, Wesley. “Titanic Crew Member’s Incredible First-hand Account of Survival.” Liverpool Echo, January 11, 2026. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.
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In other news
Rees, Hannah. “I Visited the New Titanic Exhibition in Liverpool and These Three Objects Blew Me Away.” Liverpool Echo, January 10, 2026. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.
The exhibition itself isn’t huge. I managed to get around it in about half an hour. Although there are not a museum’s-worth of artefacts on display, the things it has are pretty incredible. From a letter written onboard the ship to playing cards claimed to have been used by someone during the time the iceberg struck, it’s definitely a must visit for anyone with an interest in the Titanic story.
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Molyneux, Jess, and Wesley Holmes. “Daughter of Titanic Survivor Spent ‘her Whole Life’ Searching for the Truth.” Liverpool Echo, January 6, 2026. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.
A “love child of the Titanic” spent her “whole life” searching for the truth after her mum narrowly escaped the sinking cruise ship with her life. Ellen Mary Walker was born to Kate Florence Philips on January 13 1913, nine months after the doomed vessel went down in the in the North Atlantic Ocean. Her dad, Henry Samuel Morley, died in the disaster. Ellen tirelessly fought all of her adult life to be recognised as Henry’s daughter but died in 2005 without that proof. For more than 20 years, her granddaughter Beverley Lynn Roberts carried out vast research on their family history and links with the Titanic, finally getting the proof her grandmother always wanted. Ellen tirelessly fought all of her adult life to be recognised as Henry’s daughter but died in 2005 with her dream unfulfilled. Finally, in December 2020, Beverley and Duncan Morley, the grandson of Henry’s younger brother Louis Morley, took DNA tests which confirmed that Henry Samuel Morley was indeed Ellen’s father. Beverley said: “We’ve got a plaque up in Worcestershire where one of his shops was in his memory. It was really special for me to do for gran because over the years people kept saying he wasn’t the father and things like that – so I needed to prove that for her.
Suggested Reading
Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.
Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
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