Members Stories

Women and Children First

Brian Potter
2006

This is a chilling title for Stories day and you may wonder what this has to do with our Birkenhead. 

There is no doubt how our suburb got its name: from the 1863 subdivision of a piece of land to the east of Hinemoa St.  That subdivision was named Birkenhead and, like many areas such as Chatswood, St Heliers, the name stuck.  The question is why was that name chosen in the first place.  We are told that it came about because Samuel Cochrane, an early land agent, remarked that it reminded him of Birkenhead being across the water from Liverpool.

That does sound slightly plausible yet Margaret McLure, in her history of Birkenhead, cast doubt on this story – apparently Cochrane was a native of New York and Connell and Ridings, the auctioneers involved in the deal, were from Ireland.

Perhaps there is another reason that goes back to the days when the British Army took their families with them on military expeditions.  This would not have been a pleasant experience for the women and children yet some cities owe part of their prosperity to the arrival of a regiment with a good number of young eligible ladies.  Auckland is one such city for it owes a debt to the 58th Regiment who, between 1845 and 1858, provided a real correction to the male / female balance.  I particularly owe a debt to the 58th for I am a descendent.

But, not untypically, I digress so back to the real story. In 1852 the HMS Birkenhead was taking troops to the Cape Frontier war in South Africa.  The Birkenhead was one of the first iron hulled ships built for the Royal Navy and had been built at John Lairds shipyard in Birkenhead, England, in 1845.  She was rigged as a brigantine and also had two six meter paddle wheels driven by two steam engines.  On 25 February 1852 the Birkenhead left Simons Bay, under the command of Captain Salmond and were travelling at 8.5 knots and hugging the coast, carrying 643 men, women, and children.

At 2am the next morning the Birknhead struck an uncharted rock near Western Cape, with such sudden impact that many soldiers were drowned in their hammocks.  Distress rockets were fired but no help was at hand, Sixty men were assigned to man the pumps while the rest were assembled on deck to await orders.  Of the ships boats only two cutters and a gig could be launched due to poor maintenance. In these were placed all of the women and children and they were rowed away from the wreck for safety.

The remaining soldiers, under orders, did not move even as the ship broke apart.  Eventually some managed to swim ashore, it later being reported that only 193 were survived out of a complement of 643 people.

The disaster was the origin of the phrase “women and children first” which became the standard procedure in marine disasters, while the “Birkenhead Drill” carried out by the soldiers became the epitome of courageous behaviour in hopeless circumstances.

In the 1850’s the ties between Britain and New Zealand were strong so could it be that this disaster contributed to the decision to name our town only 11 years later.