Plaque unveiled for last Titanic crew member

Sidney Daniels was only able to talk about the disaster in his later years, his daughter said

A plaque to commemorate the last surviving crew member of the Titanic has been unveiled.

Sidney Daniels was an 18-year-old third class steward when the ship tragically sank after hitting an iceberg on 14 April 1912, killing more than 1,500 crew and passengers.

The 89-year-old, from Portmsouth, died in 1983.

Reacting to the blue plaque commissioned by Portsmouth City Council, his daughter Jean Legg said it was "a great honour for him" and described his tale of survival as "unique".

Jean Legg attended the unveiling in Portsmouth along with local dignitaries

She said her father did not share much about the Titanic and it was only as he got older that he was able to discuss it.

Sharing his story, she said by the time he ushered people up on to the deck there was only one collapsible lifeboat remaining.

"There was a small group trying to free it but because it was so cold the ropes were frozen...," Mrs Legg said.

Her father had a penknife which they were able to use to cut the ropes.

Once free, it landed upside down, slid off the ship and floated away "so nobody got on it", she said.

Mrs Legg remembers how her father told her that he jumped in the water and began swimming.

She said: "After swimming for a while he came upon the collapsible lifeboat, which was still upside down. By then there were more than 24 men clinging to the underside and he got a space on there and that was how he survived."

Mr Daniels was a steward on the Titanic

Despite his harrowing experience, Mrs Legg said her father "went straight back to sea as soon as he could".

He worked on one of the Titanic's sister ships the RMS Olympic, which typically ran from Southampton to New York - the same route as the fallen vessel.

"He loved the sea," Mrs Legg said.

The veteran also served as a Royal Engineer in World War One.

'Leave it in peace'

When asked what her father would think about the plaque, she said: "I think he would be totally overwhelmed, he would have been very honoured but I think he would have been embarrassed."

It is 40 years since the wreckage of the Titanic was discovered.

Reacting to the countless documentaries and movies about the ship, Mrs Legg said: "I feel from the beginning it was a resting place for so many souls who lost their lives but it has been discovered and it has been explored.

"I think that they should just leave it in peace now."