Most of us know vaguely that Samuel Plimsoll was born in Bristol (on 11 February 1824, in fact) and is responsible for the famous ‘line’. But behind these bare facts lies a fascinating story, of a corrupt industry which sent mariners to sea in unseaworthy ‘coffin ships’, their doomed crews sacrificed while mercenary shipowners profited from the insurance. Samuel Plimsoll blew the whistle on these scandalous practices, devoting his life to a campaign for reform of the shipping laws – reforms which saved thousands of lives.
We are very pleased to say that Nicolette Jones had agreed to talk to us on this subject. She is a writer, journalist and broadcaster, who in 2006 wrote ‘The Plimsoll Sensation’, a prize-winning account of the campaign which was Book of the Week on Radio 4. The book has just been re-published to mark the bicentenary of Plimsoll’s birth.
The Zoom talk by Nicolette Jones starts at 7.30 and members will be invited by email to join the event.