The sinking of the Titanic was one of the worst, singular, non-military disasters to impact Britain, not only in terms of the 1,500 lives lost but also in the number of communities affected. With passengers and crew drawn from around Britain, the brutal reality of the sinking was keenly felt across the country. 500 households alone in Southampton were bereaved in the sinking. So often seen following war and conflict, memorialisation is the act of remembering, of not forgetting. Following the immediate aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic memorial statues, tablets and stones were commissioned, funded by public subscription, and unveiled in public ceremonies attended by often large numbers of people from the local community. These were large outpourings of grief, with the memorials serving as the physical focus for that grief; the first mass act of memorialisation of the twentieth century.