Figure 1.--This iconic photograph is the famous view of a newsboy hawking newspapers repoting on the RMS Titanic' tragedy outside the headquarters of the White Star Line Company on Cockspur Street near Trafalgar Square in London. It was the day after the tragedy (April 16, 1912). The 20th century began with such great optimism. Science and thechnology yoked to capitalism had fundamentally changed Europe and North America. Large numbers of ordinary people for the first time in history were able to lead comfortabale lives. Tgere seemed to be no limit to how technology could improve daily life. The 'Titanic' disaster was the first great shock of the 20th century. It showed that were limits to technology. It was followed 2-years later by World War I in which the new technologies were turned loose for destructive purposes. The newspaper boy in the photograph is Ned Parfett. He and his brothers joined the army in World War I.

This iconic photograph is the famous view of a newsboy hawking newspapers repoting on the 'RMS Titanic' tragedy outside the headquarters of the White Star Line Company on Cockspur Street near Trafalgar Square in London. It was the day after the tragedy (April 16, 1912). The 20th century began with such great optimism. Science and thechnology yoked to capitalism had fundamentally changed Europe and North America. Large numbers of ordinary people for the first time in history were able to lead comfortabale lives. Tgere seemed to be no limit to how technology could improve daily life. The Titanic disaster was the first great shock of the 20th century. It showed that were limits to technology. It was followed 2-years later by World War I in which the new technologies were turned loose for destructive purposes. The newspaper boy in the photograph is Ned Parfett. He and his brothers joined the army in World War I.

Titamic Disaster

The British luxury passenger liner RMS Titanic was a marvel of engineering to serve the lucrative North Atlantic trade between Europe and America. Titanic was not only the largest oceanliner at the time, but also the most luxurious. Everyone wanted to be on the maiden voyage of the great ship. It was so large that the media proclaimed it to be unsinkable. It was designed to be unsinkable with 16 watertight compartments. It was 269 meters long and 28 meters wide at its widest point. Harland and Wolff built the Titanic. Both rich people and virtuqally pennyless European migrants crossed the Atlantic in these great liners--only in different classes. Titanic departed Southampton bound for New York. The captain and company wanted to set a record crossing time. Thus Titanic slammed into a iceberg at high spped, ripping a gash in her side (April 14, 1912). She sank just before midnight. Tragically only 1,200 lifeboat spaces were available to save the 2,200 passengers and crew members. About 1,500 passengers including ship personnel perished in the frigid water, including both the rich band famous as well as the immigrants in steeerage. The American millionaires Benjamin Guggenheim, Isodor Straus and John Astor were among the men who died. Europe was optimistic at the turn-of-the 20th century. Technnological advances convinced many that nothing was beyond man's abilities. Civilization had reached a new stage in which technology could solve all problems. Wars were seen as a phenomenon of the past. Europe was seen as too economically inter-connected and the weapons too terrible for another major war. The Titanic disaster (1912) was the first shock of the century, highlighting the limits of technology.

Ned Parfett (1896-1918)

Ned Parfett was the newspaper boy in the icionuic Titanic disaster photograph. Notice that younger boys did not sell nespapers as was still common in America during 1912. Ned was born in 1896 and died in 1918. He was about 15 years old when when this photograph was taken of him selling newspapers about the Titanic disaster was taken. Ned had three brothers. They lived at Cornwall Road, Waterloo. Ned and his brothers enlisted in the Army during World War II. Ned enlisted in 1916. He became a dispatch rider. One brother served in Dardanelles campaign of 1915. He survived the war. Another brother served in the battle of the Somme in 1916. He survived the war as did Ned's third brother. Only Ned was killed in action. He died October 29, 1918. He was in the quartermaster's store when it was hit by a shell. Tragically it was only 2 weeks bedore the Armistic which ended the War. Ned is buried in the British war cemetery at Verchain-Maugr� in France. He was awarded the Military Medal.

Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web chronological pages:
[Return to the Main chronology page]
[The medieval era] [The 15th century] [The 16th Century] [The 17th century] [Early 18th century] [Mid-18th century] [Late-18th century]
[The 1800s] [The 1810s] [The 1820s] [The 1830s] [The 1840s] [The 1850s] [The 1860s] [The 1870s] [The 1880s] [The 1890s]

Created: 6:22 PM 1/3/2011
Last updated: 6:22 PM 1/3/2011