Page 65 - Greystones Archaeological Historical Society

GREYSTONES ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL VOLUME 8

it is [also] the town’s pride.’

78-year old James Ferguson, son of Captain Ferguson, who
was 18 at the time of this disaster, recalled in an interview in The
Sunday Post:

’I read about it in the Sunday Post [the following day] but this
disaster has largely been forgotten despite being one of the
UK’s worst. As it happened in a largely unfashionable part of
the world, it has been neglected, but I think we could have
avoided ferry disasters like the 1987 “Herald of Free
Enterprise” and the 1994 disaster with the “Estonia” if we had
learned from the mistakes. I remember my mum fainting
when she was told that they had found Dad’s body. This time
of year [January] is always difficult. The one solace we have
is that my dad and his crew acted impeccably. The ship’s
radio operator, David Broadfoot, who stayed to send SOS
messages, was posthumously awarded the George Cross.
That’s always made us proud.’

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