MARCH 2020

MONDAY 9TH

'SIR WILLIAM ARROL'

SANDRA GILPIN Society Committee Member and Local Historian

While the Arrol Gantry is well known in Belfast - due in large part to the iconic photographs of the Olympic and Titanic under construction in the Harland and Wolff Shipyard - few are aware of its namesake Sir William Arrol (1839-1913). This Scot rose from the humblest beginnings to be a civil engineer of world renown. Bridges built by his firm include the Tay, Forth and Tower, while his innovations and working practices shaped the modern world; some in evidence to this day. Sandra Gilpin has lived in the Comber area all her life - the home town of the Andrews Family and location of the impressive Andrews Memorial Hall. After graduating from QUB with a degree in Scholastic Philosophy she taught children with special education needs and moderate learning difficulties. Her interest in local and family history informs her approach to the Titanic 'story' topics as the backgrounds of those involved in it enhances our understand of their achievements and places it is the wider social, economic, political and cultural life of the time

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RBAI CHRISTCHURCH at 7.30pm sharp (car parking at back of the school - follow across the front car park and around the back of the frontage and then cross the yard to Christchurch - the meeting is upstairs in the library)

Visitors are welcome to any of our events which are free unless otherwise stated - if you wish to join our meeting as a guest, perhaps if you are considering joining our Society, you are most welcome - you can just turn up at the door or if you want why not send us an email letting us know your name and how you heard about our meeting and its content, or alternatively use the feedback form on our contact us page.