The most famous face of the Titanic disaster belongs to a newsboy nobody thought to name – taken by a photographer nobody credited, either
The fame of Ned Parfett's photo has outlived him by over a century
A century has passed since the RMS Titanic met its tragic end in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg during its inaugural journey, resulting in over 1,500 lives being lost. However, this catastrophic event continues to captivate our collective memory, with even this widely distributed photograph of a young newsboy selling a newspaper announcing the disaster being instantly recognizable to many.
Yet, the identity of this boy standing outside the White Star Line's offices on Cockspur Street, adjacent to Trafalgar Square in London, holding a placard that read "Titanic Disaster, Great Loss of Life," remains largely unknown.
For most of the 20th century, he was merely recognized as "the newsboy." His actual name was Edward John Parfett, affectionately known as Ned. Tragically, this would not be the only time in his life that he would be linked to unfortunate events. Edward, born in 1896 to an Irish Catholic family, began his career in construction before an injury forced him into newspaper selling.
At around 15 or 16 years old, he captured the attention of a photographer when the Titanic photograph was taken, one of four brothers from Cornwall Road, Waterloo, who all eventually enlisted for the First World War.
Ned joined the Royal Artillery in 1916, initially serving as a dispatch rider and later transitioning to reconnaissance duties on the frontlines. This dangerous and exposed work suited him well, as he was skilled at it. His bravery was recognized when he was mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Military Medal for gallantry. An officer later noted that Parfett had accompanied him on numerous occasions through severe shelling, always placing the greatest confidence in him.
Among the four Parfett brothers who served, three returned home. However, Ned did not. He was killed on October 29, 1918, less than two weeks before the war's end, when a shell struck the quartermaster's stores where he was gathering fresh clothes ahead of leave. If he had survived just two more weeks, he would have been returning to England. He is now laid to rest at the British war cemetery in Verchain-Maugré in northern France.
The image of Ned selling the newspaper, taken at Oceanic House, which is now a Tex-Mex restaurant, effectively conveyed the shock and grief of the moment far better than any headline. Unfortunately, Ned was never identified in the picture caption and, for decades, remained an anonymous figure despite the photo's continued circulation.
It was only in the late Nineties, through the efforts of researchers and Ned's descendants, including his great-nephew Dominic Walsh, that he was finally identified. Ned, who had been mentioned in dispatches and decorated for bravery, and died in a war just a few years after the Titanic sank, remains a face that outlived its name.
Written by urgent.news from Digital Camera World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
