Their faces stare down the decades from another time when the dark cloud of mourning cast a giant shadow across Southampton as, overnight, wives became widows and children left orphans.

From these photographs they look just ordinary, hardworking men anxious to have the opportunity to provide for their families.

However, these seafarers were far from ordinary - these are the faces of crew members of Titanic, survivors from the ill-fated liner that went to the bottom of the Atlantic during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on the fateful night of April, 15, 1912.

If anyone had any doubts about the awful scale of the most famous maritime disaster in history then they only have to look at a new book, entitled The Crew Of The RMS Titanic, the result of years of painstaking research by Brian J Ticehurst from Southampton, recognised as a leading expert on the liner.

The marine historian has gathered together a vast number of names, addresses and facts about the crew from archives and record offices from around the world to produce this definitive work.

There is a terrible fascination about reading the long list of names of those who died and those who survived, to learn of where they lived in Southampton, the job they did on board Titanic and brief, but intriguing, details of their families.

In just a few short hours as Titanic, famously claimed to be "unsinkable'', foundered after striking an iceberg, whole streets in Southampton lost husbands, brothers and sons while mothers had the terrible task of telling their children that their fathers would never be coming home.

The story of Titanic, hailed, then, as the wonder of the age, has never lost its fascination for millions of people around the world and 95 years later interest remains the same, if not stronger, as the day the news of the tragedy was broken to a shocked nation.

Titanic was the superliner of her time, never before had their been such palatial seagoing surroundings, everything on board was the very best quality from the crockery and glassware to luxurious public rooms and the splendour of the first class staterooms.

Southampton lies at the very heart of Titanic's story as the vast majority of the liner's crew of 898 lived in Southampton and only 212 returned to tell the tale.

In another new edition of the internationally respected book, Titanic Voices, recently re-published, the effect the sinking had on Southampton is summeed up perfectly.

"Even by the standards of a seaport used to the ravages of the sea this was a high toll and one which, coupled with the slaughter of the Great War just two years later, left some areas of the town without men and children without fathers,'' says the book.

Brian Ticehurst first became interested in Titanic about 35 years ago and he was astonished to discover the lack of information and knowledge about the passengers and crew that was then available.

"The only crew list that one could refer to was the highly inaccurate one that was published by Lloyds of London in 1912,'' said Brian.

"So as my interest in the subject grew, I decided to concentrate on the crew members and their families.

"Since that time, I have amassed an enormous body of research, not only about the crew and passengers, but on many other aspects of RMS Titanic.''

  • The Crew Of The RMS Titanic by Brian J Ticehurst is published by Southampton City Council and costs £8.95.
  • Titanic Voices edited by Donald Hyslop, Alastair Forsyth and Sheila Jemima is also published by Southampton City Council and costs £25.

YOU can catch a glimpse into the history of Southampton through the Daily Echo website.

Local historian Jake Simpkin has made a DVD exploring the past of the city, and you can watch a short chapter of Southampton Revealed with the Daily Echo every Saturday.

This week's clip features Titanic and can be viewed by clicking