Sinking of the Steamship Thames

By Jennifer Christie Temple

The Loss of the SS Thames on the short, routine trip from Dublin to London in January, 1841 caused shock across England, not least because only four people survived out of the 65 on board. Even the young Queen Victoria was so moved by the tragedy that she ordered 10 shillings to be paid from the royal purse to the widows of the seamen who were lost. Also, the whole tragedy played out before a horrified public, who watched from the cliff-tops at Penzance in Cornwall, on the English coast, and from the beach of St Mary on the Scilly Isles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer Christie Temple
• Release date: Feb 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215165614

Jennifer Christie Temple

Jennifer Christie Temple grew up in rural Hertfordshire in the 1950’s. The daughter of a traditional woodcutter and forester, her childhood days were spend in woodlands, meadows and country lanes and she learned to love and respect nature and all life.Trained in biology, Jennifer found her work in science unfulfilling and soon turned her attention to writing. She became a successful freelance writer, working for magazines and newspapers across the UK and Ireland. For several years, she wrote a humorous column about city life for The Daily News in Birmingham, where she lived for 25 years.Moving to a village on the border between England and Wales, she now lives in retirement with her husband and a small group of chickens and devotes her time to walking the surrounding hills, her grandchildren and writing poetry.

Book preview

The Loss Thames Steamer

by

Jennifer Christie Temple

Coyright Jennifer Christie Temple 2023

Published by Jennifer Christie Temple Smashwords Edition

Intoduction

The Loss of the SS Thames on the short, routine trip from Dublin to London in January, 1841caused shock across England, not least because only four people survived out of the 65 on board. Also, the whole tragedy played out before a horrified public, who watched from the cliff-tops at Penzance in Cornwall, on the English coast, and from the beach of St Mary on the Scilly Isles.

I was moved to write the following poem because the story of the wreck deserves to be remembered and because my own ancestor, William Yeeles, lost his life in the disaster. The morning of the disaster happened