A Presentation on 'Untold Stories of Lebanese aboard the Titanic'

The Lebanese Canadian Society of BC (WLCU-Vancouver chapter) in collaboration with the World Lebanese Cultural Union-BC Council will host a presentation on April 17, in Vancouver by Dr. Josyann Abisaab to mark the 103rd anniversary of the 125 Lebanese who lost their lives aboard the Titanic.

The RMS Titanic passenger liner sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, U.S.

The sinking resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 passengers and crew, including 154 Lebanese where only 29 have reportedly survived.

The Lebanese on board the Titanic were like many of the voyagers, immigrants who were either returning from a trip home, or on route to America for the first time.

Those who perished took their stories with them and those who survived recorded what they have experienced. However, much about the Lebanese aboard the Titanic remains unknown, especially their full list of names and place of birth.

The WLCU of British Colombia, the Irish-Lebanese Cultural Foundation and the Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC) at Notre Dame University thought that it is fitting to form a steering committee under the banner of the “International Lebanese Titanic Committee” (ILTC) that would try every possible way to identify the Lebanese aboard the Titanic and to unveil their names and story.

The ILTC Committee aims to collect as much information as possible and

appeals to all to share whatever they have on the Lebanese aboard the Titanic be it photos, letters, books, recording, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, names, and the like.

Sources: ulcm.org