Unexpected family fallout from the Titanic disaster

Dan Parkes, a filmmaker known for his 40 years of award-winning work on the Titanic, brings a different story to life in his first book, which explores the legacy of the disaster for the family of Captain Edward Smith – a member of the Nautilus predecessor union MMSA.

The book begins with background about the master himself (including anecdotes that are likely to be new to readers) and a familiar exploration of the sinking, However, the second part is of most interest, as it covers a neglected part of the story.

It focuses on Helen Melville 'Mel' Smith, the captain's daughter, whose accounts of her father were used in the book and film A Night to Remember, which in large part contributed to the Titanic mythos. Despite – or perhaps because of – a life marred by family tragedy, she became an adventuress at the heart of a Bohemian set of spies, the super-rich, artists and politicians.

Mel's first husband was Sydney Russell-Cooke, an MI5 agent and the gay lover of economist John Maynard Keynes who was found shot through the stomach with a hunting rifle at his upmarket London apartment. Russell-Cooke's mysterious death adds a touch of Agatha Christie to a biography that brings the story of Captain Smith to a satisfying conclusion.

This book is the Nautilus Book of the Month for June 2025, and will be sold at a discount in the Nautilus Bookshop throughout the month

Titanic Legacy: The Captain, the Daughter and the Spy
By Dan E. Parkes
Amberley Publishing, £25
ISBN: 978 13981 24356