Just eight minutes outside of Southampton lies the town of Shirley, nowadays the small town is practically indifferent to any other town around the Hampshire area. There isn’t much mention about the Titanic other than the odd plaque here and there, with the only proper memorial being the cemetery which has over sixty headstones associated with the Titanic and an additional one hundred linked to shipwrecks and various other maritime disasters. However, more than 100 years ago this would not be the same story. Shirley was formerly known as ‘Steward’s Town’ due to many of the inhabitants working either on the docks or as stewards on ocean liners. One street which seems to have caught the attention of many historians and enthusiasts, Malmesbury Road was home to six people who went to work on the ill-fated Titanic. None of which were ever come back.
Alfred Samuel Allsop:
Born in Manchester, 1876, Allsop appears living at Burnswick Street, Chorolton in 1881 with his ten other siblings. Sometime after 1881 Allsop relocated to Toxteth, Liverpool. His profession was listed as an electrical engineer, the same post he would serve on Titanic. By 1911 Allsop had re-located to Southampton where he began working on ocean liners. his last ship before boarding Titanic had been the White Star Line vessel: RMS Oceanic. As an electrician Allsop earned £11 a month. Records show that Allsop’s last address was listed as 134 Malmesbury Road, Shirley, Southampton. The junior electrician was just 31 when he left his wife Hilda Barnes and one-year old son, Phillip Alfred. Allsop did not survive the sinking, nor was his body ever recovered.
William James Francis Revell:
Originating from Liverpool, England William Revell worked as a steward on various luxury liners. In 1911, William moved to Southampton. Revell married Blanche Louise Abbott in 1911. His last address before enlisting on Titanic is listed as number 32, Malmesbury Road, Shirley, Southampton. Revell lived with his wife Blanche and nine-month-old-son, Jack Lewis Francis. Malmesbury Road was also home to Revell’s brother in law, Ernest Abbott. Abbott appears to have lived at number 98. Both boarded at Belfast and made the trip on Titanic over to Southampton on April 2nd, 1912. Revell was 32 and worked as a saloon steward. Ernest took on a similar role working as a pantry steward. Unfortunately, neither men survived, and their body was never recovered or identified. However, despite the loss of Revell his brother John carried on the sea-faring career that ran through the family but would have a similar fate to William. John worked on the Cunard vessel SS Transylvania and was lost amongst 400 casualties after the vessel was torpedoed.
Albert White
Albert White singed onto the Titanic on April 6th,1912. Although, Albert gave his age as 21 he was in fact only 18. His age was not the only information he had lied about White signed on using the name R. Morell. White would work, as a coal trimmer, so it’s more than plausible he joined the doomed liner at Belfast. He gave his last address as number 51, Malmesbury Road, Shirley, Southampton. White was lost during the sinking. the trimmer’s information was revealed in April of the same year that Morell’s real name was in fact Albert White.
John Smillie:
John Downing Smillie was born in Bootle, Lancashire on November 30th, 1883. Throughout his childhood and early adolescent years the Smillie family constantly moved between Glasgow and Liverpool. Smillie can be traced to living at 431 Stanley Road in Kirkdale for a short while. John had worked as a boot steward for a period of time and served aboard the Empress of Britain. By 1911 Smillie was living at number 16, Malmesbury Road. Smillie lodged with another member of the Titanic crew, George Evans. On the Titanic Smillie worked as a first-class steward with average wage of £3. The Southampton Steward had been on trip over from Belfast and signed on again at Southampton. Smillie did not survive the sinking, his body was recovered by the CS Mackay Bennett under the label #91. His body was described as still wearing his uniform and a tattoo was found on his left arm.
As always I’ll leave a few external links on Malmesbury Road and the people who lived there. It’s definite that there will be a part two to this as I’ve only covered a handful of residents. Feel free to get in contact or ask any questions
Have a titanic week, Millie.
Malmesbury Road Residents Biographies:
Alfred Allsop: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/alfred-samuel-allsop.html
William Revell : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/william-revell.html
John Smillie : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/john-smillie.html
Albert White:https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/r-morell.html
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