Just a few days ago I saw a program about the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic on April 14 1912. It focused on how they dealt with the recovery of bodies.
One of the bodies recovered by the recovery ship was that of a 3 year old little boy (the only child to be recovered, I believe), blond, curly hair. As instructed, the recovery team burnt his clothes but kept the shoes as an item that may help identify him upon return to Halifax. He was never identified. The recovery ships crew paid for this little boys funeral in Halifax from the reward money they received from John Jacob Astors son for bringing home his fathers body.
It filled me with great sadness to think that there was nobody in the whole world to claim this small boy. Perhaps all his family went down with the ship. A whole family wiped out. Nobody to miss him or look for him.
I guess, the description of him as a blond, curly haired tot just struck a cord with me...seeing that Patrick was much the same...blond and curly haired. I do hope that he was reunited with his loved one and was moved to hear that the crew helped give him a proper burial.
