Memorial to remember Crossgar man James whose remains were last found from Titanic tragedy

Memorial to remember Crossgar man James whose remains were last found from Titanic tragedy

13 December 2023

AN information panel and bench are set to be erected in Crossgar commemorating the village’s link with the 1912 Titanic disaster when the most famous ship in the world sunk on its way to New York.

On board was James McGrady (27) from the village whose body was subsequently recovered from the Atlantic ocean.

Tomorrow night, members of Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee are expected to formally agree to remember James McGrady and the village’s link with the disaster.

The move comes after the local authority’s Equality and Good Reference Group met recently to discuss the most appropriate way to acknowledge the legacy of the Titanic and its local impact, with suggestions including an information panel.

It was also agreed that if the need for a commemorative bench was established, it should be in keeping with existing street furniture.

Rowallane councillor Callum Bowsie – who has highlighted the issue – said local people are in support of a Titanic-style bench in the square where there is currently no seating.

The provision of benches and information panels on local authority property falls within the scope of the organisation’s policy on naming council facilities.

At tomorrow night’s council committee meeting, it is expected that in addition to agreeing to mark Crossgar’s link with the Titanic disaster, the local community will be asked to source the funding to pay for it and submit an application to place a bench on council property.

Resource implications for the local authority include the cost of purchasing and designing an appropriate information panel, installation and ongoing maintenance.

James McGrady was on board the famous ship when it hit an iceberg after setting sail from Southampton.

He had signed on to work as one of the about 885 crew members for the ship’s maiden voyage to America, giving his local address as the Platform Tavern, Southampton. 

Due to his seafaring experience, he was given the role of saloon steward.

On April 10, Titanic left Southampton dock, almost colliding with the RMS Oceanic, the ship that James had just previously worked on as a first-class steward earning a monthly wage of £3, 15s — about £360 today.

Stopping off in France and then finally at Cork, the ship began its four-day voyage across the Atlantic. At 11.40pm on April 14, she struck an iceberg and sank in the early hours of the following morning.

Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 died. As a young working-class male crew member, James was evidently among those to die that night in the freezing water.

Seven weeks later, around  May 27, his body was recovered by the Harland & Wolff-built steamship Algerine.

His was the only body to be recovered during the Algerine’s three-week search of the area. 

James’s remains were brought to the nearest port of St John’s in Canada on June 6 where they transferred to the steamship Florizel and returned with other bodies to Halifax, arriving on June 11.

His was the last body of 328 to be recovered during official searches.

On June 12, almost two months after the sinking, James was finally buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax along with 121 other Titanic victims, each of which is memorialised with a small grey granite marker.

In Southampton, there is also a memorial plaque to James inside his last residence at the Platform Tavern, as well as one outside the entrance to the pub.