BURLS, John, Ed. by. Nine Generations. A History of the Andrews Family, Millers of Comber. From the Manuscript of Sydney Andrews. With coloured and black and white plates. (Signed by the Author)

Published by Isaac Andrews & Sons Ltd., 1958. pp. 170, 22 (plates). Pictorial papered boards. Signed by Sydney Andrews on titlepage, with hiscompliment slip loosely inserted. A very good copy in lightly frayed dust jacket.
The second son of Thomas of Ardara was Thomas Junior of Titanic fame, born in 1873. He always had an ambition to build ships, and when he left school in 1889 joined Harland & Wolff where his uncle was Managing Director. He was a very conscientious worker and learnt thoroughly all aspects of work in the shipyard. By 1905 he was Chief of Design and in 1907 Managing Director. He helped build many ocean liners for the ‘White Star Line’, including the Celtic, Baltic, Adriatic, Oceanic, Olympic and, of course, Titanic. Everybody knows the story of the Titanic, the largest ship in the world, and how she was supposed to be unsinkable. Yet on her maiden voyage, on the night of 14-15th April 1912, she sank off the coast of Newfoundland after hitting an iceberg. Over 1,500 people lost their lives, including Thomas Andrews who went down with the ship. There are many stories of his bravery and concern for others as the ship foundered. Comber was in a state of shock. It was decided that some form of memorial would be appropriate. And so the Andrews Memorial Hall was built.

Nine Generations is the history of a well-known Ulster family, the Andrews, millers in Ireland since the early eighteenth century. It tells of the struggles of the family business to survive, and ultimately thrive, in a country frequently tormented by war, by famine, and by religious persecution and political oppression. Historians will like the book, for the history of Ireland, of milling, and of the firm are all a part of it; whilst sociologists will find much about living conditions and business methods from the seventeenth century onwards.

L1 1E (2 copies)