In the cathedral city of Lichfield stands the statue of Captain Edward J. Smith, the captain of the Titanic. The statue looks over some distant horizon with its arms folded. Captain Smith looks wise, strong and proud.
Why Lichfield?
But why is his statue in Lichfield at all? A thirty-minute drive from Birmingham, Lichfield is as landlocked as it’s possible to be in England. There is no evidence of a link between Captain Smith and Lichfield. He was born near Stoke-on-Trent. At thirteen, he went to sea, rising through the ranks of several merchant vessels before he started working for the White Star Line. His wife was from Cheshire. When he wasn’t at sea, they lived together in Liverpool, where their only child was born. When White Star moved its base of operations, the family relocated to Southampton.
Lichfield is as far from the sea as it’s possible to be in England.
The Millionaire’s Captain
Rich passengers liked and trusted Smith so much he became known as the “Millionaire’s Captain.” Some people would only cross the Atlantic on ships he captained. When he took command of the Titanic, he described his career as “uneventful” and said he would retire after he returned from New York. The rest is, of course, history. In 1912, Captain Smith went down with his ship. According to his statue, his last words exhorted the Titanic’s crew to do the honourable thing for her passengers: “Be British.”
Embarrassment
To explain why Captain Smith’s statue rests in Lichfield, one theory states that when the statue was sculpted in 1913, the people of Hanley and Stoke didn’t want it. After the Titanic sank, Captain Smith was vilified in the press. A statue of him would be embarrassing. But that is almost certainly urban legend.
Location, Location, Location
The plaque on the grass in front of the statue says Lichfield is halfway between London and Liverpool, Captain Smith’s home for so many years. Some people think the statue is there because the cathedral makes Lichfield the religious heart of Staffordshire. Others think Lichfield was a convenient place for Americans to pay their respects to the souls of the Titanic’s dead.
One more fact. The sculptor of the statue was Lady Kathleen Scott, whose husband, Robert, died trying to reach the South Pole.
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