More than 1,500 people lost their lives aboard the Titanic nearly 114 years ago. It is a little-known fact that around a dozen of this number were Welsh people.
Many people aboard the Titanic were looking to be a part of a historic voyage, whilst others were simply travelling for business. Many were looking to chase the “American dream” with no intention of returning to the British isles. The Welsh people aboard mostly fell into that latter category.
David John “Dai” Bowen and Les Williams were two Welsh boxers from the Rhondda who had signed a contract to fight on a boxing card in Pennsylvania. They had switched to an £8, third-class ticket aboard the Titanic at the last second after having originally been booked to board The Baltic. Sadly, they would never make it to Pennsylvania.
Whilst it is pretty established (largely because of the hit movie, Titanic) that most of those who perished with the ship were men, just over 120 of the 1,500 lives lost were women and one of them was a Welshwoman by the name of Annie Meek – a 31 year old from Penarth. After her husband abandoned her a few months prior, she decided to leave Cymru for good, signing on to become a nurse in the United States. Sadly, she would never make it.
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Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.