No shipwreck has caught the world's imagination as much as the sinking of the Titanic. Last Thursday was the 98th anniversary of the sinking of this White Star luxury liner. At 2am on Monday the 15th April 1912, with nearly two thirds of the journey to New York completed, 1517 people lost their lives on what was deemed the world's first unsinkable liner. All due to a series of stupid incidents, a pair of binoculars which were not given to lookouts Fred Fleet and Reg Lee in the 'Crow's Nest', communication problems between the Bridge and engine room, coupled with the fact, an insufficient number of lifeboats on board to cater for only 1178 of the 2,228 souls on board .

Little did recently married couple, Neal and Eileen McNamee realise when they boarded the large ship, within five days, their dreams and aspirations of a new life in Philadelphia, would flounder in the freezing Atlantic sea, along with their young lives.

Neal McNamee, (27), was born in Ruskey, Convoy, on 29th August, 1884, son of William McNamee,Farm Labourer and Catherine (née Gordon).

Like so many young Donegal people, he took the emigration trail to England to escape the poverty of Ireland. Securing employment as Provisions Manager with Bournemouth and Salisbury based Liptons Tea, where he married Plymouth born, 19 year old Eileen O'Leary.

After a period working for Lipton's, Neal was offered a position at Lipton Ltd in America. Sir Thomas Lipton himself wrote a letter of introduction to his General Manager in New York.

The newlyweds boarded the vessel at Southampton as third class passengers (ticket number 376566, price £16 and two shillings), on the 10th April. Sailing to Cherbourg,with the ship's final port of call Queenstown(Cobh) where the 113 who boarded as steerage class, along with 1404 crew and passengers died in the icy cold seas off Newfoundland's Grand Banks, the majority succumbing to hypothermia.

The young couple also perished in the sinking. Neal was never recovered, only Eileen's body found, wrapped in her brown velvet coat, turquoise and diamond wedding rings, steerage ticket, identity papers and one shilling and elevenpence in her small purse. Eileen was buried at sea on Monday the 22nd April.

A bench with a plaque and a tree still stands in their memory in Winston Churchill Gardens, Salisbury.