The RMS Titanic sank on the morning of April 15th, 1912. The vessel took nearly 1,500 lives to the bottom of the North Atlantic with her only leaving a near 700 survivors. The last Titanic survivor, Milvina Dean died on March 31st, 2009, which also happened to mark the 97th anniversary of the launching of Titanic. In 2000 a man by the name of William Barnes had made a bold claim that he had been present for the sinking of the Belfast-born liner but, not in the way one might think. Barnes presented the argument that he was the re-incarnated soul of Titanic’s Chief Naval Architect: Thomas Andrews.
Who is William Barnes?
William Barnes, not to be confused with the third class Titanic passenger of the same name, was born in 1953, coincidently, Barnes’ birthday happens to be April 14th, the same night that Titanic collided with the iceberg. From childhood Barnes had always had a fascination with the deceased liner and in an interview with the American channel Mind, Body and Spirit Barnes recalled how he always asked his parents to call him ‘Tommie’ rather than his real name, the name ‘Tommie’ was an affectionate nickname given Titanic’s Designer by many of friends and family. Barnes’ first re-collection of his potential former life came through the medium of dreams. “I would dream of a large peach coloured mass of steel falling of me, or watching people jump overboard a sinking ship.” The nightmares would continue until William was at least 25. Barnes decided that he would seek the help of a psychiatrist. Barnes’ wife had also claimed that she heard her husband arguing with a man by the name of Bruce Ismay in his sleep.
Comparisons with Thomas Andrews
It can be sure that William Barnes had a completely different upbringing than that of Thomas Andrews. Thomas Andrews was born on the 7th February, 1874 in the small village of Comber, Andrade, which is roughly 30 minutes outside of Belfast, to his mother Eliza and father Thomas Andrews Sr. The Andrews family were one of Ireland’s wealthiest families, Thomas’ uncle William Pirrie and his brother John Andrews were both to serve as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, whilst his other brother James would serve as Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. Thomas Andrews, however, took a keen interest in architecture and design, his great grandfather, Captain James Pirrie had a hand in the commission of Belfast Harbour. Thomas’ nautical interests were not too far from a potential career for himself
Is William Barnes really Thomas Andrews?
In 2015, Barnes published a book by the name of Thomas Andrews: A Past Life Memory, this was Barnes’ alleged re-telling of his life as Thomas Andrews. However, many Titanic enthusiasts and historians were quick to scrutinize the book as a piece of nonsense and fiction. So, with that let’s evaluate Barnes’ side of the story.
Thomas Andrews vs Bruce Ismay:
In Barnes’ book there is a heavy focus and commitment to the tension between Thomas Andrews and Managing Director of the White Star Line; Joseph Bruce Ismay. It is no secret that during the construction and voyage of the Titanic that Ismay and Andrews had bumped heads a few times. The most notable was the lifeboat debate which led to the dismissal of Titanic’s original Designer Alexander Carlisle. However, Andrews didn’t play as a big a role in the construction of the vessel as some may think, Andrews was rather an implementer and added things to the ship such as a fountain for the boiler workers who would be working in scorching temperatures. Thomas had indeed taken off from his predecessor and had insisted to add more lifeboats, Ismay and Andrews came to a compromise, that four extra collapsible boats would be added to already existing 16. Barnes’ approach to Andrews’ relationship is perhaps over-dramatized. In Barnes’ book he recalls Thomas Andrews slapping Bruce Ismay after learning that Titanic would founder. In Ismay’s testimony before the American Senate, he is quizzed about his interactions with Andrews. But no where does he confess to having a physical altercation.
Senator SMITH: Did you yourself have opportunity to confer with Mr. Andrews during the voyage from Southampton to the place of this accident?
Mr. ISMAY: No, sir; I did not. Mr. Andrews dined with me one night. We had no conversation, really, in regard to the ship. Indeed, the only plan which Mr. Andrews submitted to me was a plan where he said he thought the writing room and reading room was unnecessarily large, and he said he saw a way of putting a stateroom in the forward end of it. That was a matter which would have been taken up and thoroughly discussed after we got back to England.
The Titanic Cats
It’s no mystery that Titanic was the temporary home of 12 dogs, but did Titanic have any cats? Well, many speculate that before Titanic’s Maiden Voyage the ship had been the temporary home of Jenny the cat. In the spring of 1911, the finishing touches were being made to Titanic. Supposedly a tabby cat by the name of Jenny had made the ship her home, whilst on board she gave birth to a litter of kittens. Some claim that she made the trip over from Belfast and left in Southampton whilst others say Jenny and her kittens disembarked in Belfast.
However, Barnes claims that when Thomas Andrews was watching his own vessel founder before him that he had seen a cat running up one of the wires of the funnel.
An excerpt from:
“His eyes met a cat running up and down the guy wire of funnel NO. 2. One by one she was carrying her kittens in her mouth.”
Although, Barnes claimed to have the cats on the ship, it has been confirmed and proved multiple times that no cats were present for the voyage.
Titanic sinks in a ‘V’ shape:
Another hot area of debate for the past century and a half is the question of how did the Titanic go down? Whilst more primary sources and arguments from survivors and press suggest that Titanic sank in one piece. 7 -year-old passenger Eva Hart was resolute that Titanic had split. It would seem logical as the wreck had been found in two separate pieces. It’s commonly supported that if Titanic had broken up on her plummet to the bottom of the Atlantic, that she would have broken in half between the third and forth funnel due a strain caused by the ship’s double bottom.
Barnes’ account of the ship sinking depicts an image of Titanic splitting in a ‘V’ shape. Logically this seems impossible as Titanic’s bow was sinking downwards therefor pulling the stern up. After the bow detaches itself from the stern it would not go back up to the surface.
So how did Barnes’ come to that conclusion? A drawing surfaced not even a month after the sinking depicting Titanic’s collision and break up. It had originally been speculated that the drawing had been done by 17-year-old survivor Jack Thayer. However, in fact it turned out that the drawing was described by Thayer to a passenger on board the RMS Carpathia by the name of Lewis Skidmore. The reason this drawing is pivotal in discovering if William Barnes really is Thomas Andrews is that the way Barnes describes the ‘v’ shape that Titanic supposedly broke apart in is identical to the way that Skidmore depicted the sinking of the vessel.
Overall, it is a little difficult to prove that Barnes either is or isn’t the re-incarnated soul of Titanic’s chief designer or perhaps it’s simply an obsessive dream of the man who claims to be Thomas Andrews.
As always, I’ll leave a few external links about William Barnes as he’s still an active writer to this day.
Have a Titanic Halloween!
- Millie
Bruce Ismay’s Testimony on the Subject of Thomas Andrews Before the US Senate: https://www.titanicinquiry.org/USInq/AmInq01Ismay01.php
Cats on the Titanic By William Barnes: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iPZbCAAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&hl=nl&pg=PT134&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=cat&f=false
William Barnes’ official website: http://www.williamcbarnes.com/claimingapastlife.html
William Barnes’ interview with Mind, Body and Spirit: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlThVEcP94I
Comments