11 Sussex people who were on the Titanic when it hit an iceberg and went down

Two survivors were suffragettes Miss Elsie Edith Bowerman and her mother Mrs Edith Martha Bowerman Chibnall. Miss Bowerman, 22, and Mrs Chibnall, 48, were both both first class passengers with £55 tickets and they joined the ship at Southampton.

As the boat began to sink, they boarded Titanic lifeboat 6, the second boat lowered on the port side. According to Peter Engberg-Klarström, writing on Encyclopedia Titanica: "Not many people seemed willing to step into the lifeboats at this stage and only women were allowed in, the men having to stay behind.

"Some ladies were, however, persuaded to enter; Mrs Rothschild (who very likely carried a small dog with her into the boat), Mrs. Smith, Mrs Chibnall and her daughter, Miss Bowerman and others stepped in, finally. Mrs Margaret Brown stated she was more or less thrown into it when it was about to be lowered away.

"Major Peuchen, who was allowed in because there were too few sailors around, said there were 20 women in it when they rowed away. Quartermaster Robert Hichens was put in charge and he seemed slightly terrified.

"Some ladies in the boat accused him of being a coward and/or drunk and there seems to have been some tension in the boat when rowing away. One young man was found in the boat and some believed him to be a stowaway, others claimed the Captain had ordered him in.

"In all, there were probably a maximum of 24 people in the boat when lowered away. Later in the night, they encountered boat 16 and took a fireman from that boat to help with the rowing."

Elsie was an only child and her father, William Bowerman, died on May 3, 1896, when she was five. She and her mother Edith were active members of Mrs Pankhurst's Women's Social and Political Union.

Edith went on to marry Alfred Chilbnall and they had a home in Thakeham, while Elsie was living in St Leonards-on-Sea.

Edith died in in St Leonards-on-Sea on October 8, 1953. Elsie then moved to Cowbeech, near Hailsham, and died there on December 18, 1973. All three are buried together at Hastings Cemetery.

A total of 1,496 people are believed to have died when the Titanic went down. Most died of exposure in the freezing water of the North Atlantic because there were not enough lifeboats.

Among them was the Ford family, travelling third class from Southampton with a family ticket costing £34 7s 6d.

Mrs Margaret Ann Watson Ford, 54, was a farmer and she had four children with her, including seven-year-old Miss Robina Maggie Ford. Her daughter Miss Dollina Margaret Ford, 20, was a servant, son Mr Edward Watson Ford, 18, was a blacksmith and son Mr William Neal Thomas Ford, 14, was a messenger.

Margaret was married to hay worker Edward Ford in Hadlow Down in June 1890 and they had a home in Mark Cross, Rotherfield, but it is said he later deserted the family. It is believed Margaret was travelling to America with her children to join her daughter Frances, who had emigrated in 1911. Their bodies were never recovered.

Mrs Marian Meanwell, 62, was a milliner with a third class passenger ticket costing £8 1s and she joined the ship at Southampton. Her last known residence was in Eastbourne and she was travelling to New York, where her recently-widowed daughter Margaret lived.

Other Sussex victims included 34-year-old Mr William Morley. He was a carpenter / joiner with a third class passenger ticket costing £8 1s and he joined the ship at Southampton. His parents were from Fernhurst and he was born in Stoughton but the family moved to Hampshire when he was a boy.

His father later ran the George & Dragon Inn in Halfway Bridge, Lodsworth. William emigrated to Hawaii in 1906 but returned to visit his family in Lodsworth in 1912. He boarded the Titanic at Southampton to return home. His body was never identified but he is remembered on the family grave in Petworth.

Mr David Reeves, 36, was born in Slinfold. The family later moved to Billingshurst. He married Emily Reeves in Rudgwick in 1901 but she died four years later at the age of 25. He was boarding in Brighton before he joined the Titanic at Southampton with a second class passenger ticket costing £10, 10s to travel to Cleveland, Ohio, to see his brother-in-law.

Mr Charles Joseph Shorney lived with his family in Heron's Ghyll as a boy. He went on to travel the world as a gentleman's valet.

He saw a future in New York, where he became engaged, and decided to set up a taxi business there. Charles returned home on the White Star liner Oceanic but the weather was so bad, it took the ship nine days to complete its voyage and as a result.

He said he would not travel with White Star on the return trip to New York as a result, however he was persuaded by a travel agent at Thomas Cook to sail on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. His body was never identified.

For more information, visit www.encyclopedia-titanica.org