A Survivor
On 15th April it was the 111th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic - a massive ship that its maker claimed was unsinkable. Today's blog is about a man who survived the sinking and made his home in Australia. WILLIAM JOHN MURDOCK(H) William was born in Great Clifton, Cumberland, England in September 1874, the eldest of eight children to Nathaniel Murdoch, ironworker, and his wife, Annie who originated from Northern Ireland. By the time of his thirteenth birthday the family had returned to Belfast. William became a fireman and went on to marry Catherine Robson, also from Belfast, in February 1901. They had four children but tragically the youngest born in 1907 only lived for a few short months. At the 1911 census, the family were residing at the Belfast address of Catherine's widowed mother, Margaret, and he was described as a labourer. Murdock first signed on to the Titanic on 29th March 1912 for her delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton. William obvious...