"St George's Church and Community"

The Unknown Child

courtesy public domain One of the first bodies taken from the sea after the Titanic went down (and the only child) was that of a fair-haired, two year old boy. It was recovered by the cable ship Mackay-Bennett, the first vessel chartered to pick up the bodies. The captain, officers and crew of the vessel, moved to tears by the little body, insisted on sponsoring the child’s funeral.

The service was held at Saint George’s round church in Halifax. The Reverend Canon K.C. Hind conducted the service, which was attended by 75 officers and crew of the Mackay-Bennett. At the end of the service, the little white casket, heaped high with flowers, was carried to the hearse by six sailors an then conveyed to its final resting place in Fairview Cemetery, where it lies beneath a stone purchased by the crew.

The Pålsson family

Photo courtesy of Anne West Later, the child was tentatively identified as Gösta, the youngest of four Swedish children who had embarked at Southapmton with their mother, Alma Pålsson. Alma’s husband, Nels, had emigrated to the United States two years earlier, intending to find work and earn money for his family’s tickets. He sent for them from Chicago. Alma and the four children – Torbog (8), Paul(6), Stina (3) and Gösta (2) – were travelling third class to join him.

After the call came to go on deck with lifebelts on, it took Alma too long to dress the children, so they missed the lifeboats. She had, however, thought to put a mouth organ in her pocket to keep the children in good spirits. We know this because when Alma arrived on deck with the children, she begged another Swede, August Wennerström, to hold the youngest child. August survived, but lost the baby in the sinking.

Alma is also buried at Fairview, within a few meters of her youngest son.

Canon Henry W. Cunningham

courtesy NSARM Canon Henry W. Cunningham was rector of Saint George’s Round Church from 1900 to 1937. In 1912, when news of the sinking of the Titanic reached Halifax, the cable ship Mackay-Bennett was chartered to go to the site to pick up the bodies. Shortly afterwards, the Minia was chartered and set off to relieve the Mackat-Bennett. Canon Cunningham was on board when the Minia set sail with a sad cargo of 150 coffins, 20 tons of ice, a supply of embalming fluid and 10 tons of iron ballast. The ship searched for nine days but only 17 bodies were recovered. Two of them were buried at sea and the rest brought back to Halifax. Canon Cunningham conducted the burials at sea and also said the burial service at the site of the sinking.

courtesy Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Much wreckage was found. Among the items taken aboard the Minia was a first class deckchair. This chair, which is now in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, was given to Canon Cunningham "in appreciation of his work in performing memorials and burial services aboard Minia." Canon Cunnngham also had a cribbage board made by Mr. Parker, the carpenter of the Minia, who made many items from the wreckage.