Fred Fleet's Grave

[Sandy McLendon]

The grave of 'Titanic' lookout Fred Fleet has had its recently placed memorial wreath removed and replaced with a pair of binoculars and a cruel note:

Pranksters 'desecrate' grave of Titanic lookout... by laying binoculars under headstone and note saying: 'Sorry they're 100 years too late.' | Mail Online

It pains me to think that there is someone out there who thought this was funny.

 

[Bob Godfrey]

The removal of the wreath and the placement of the binoculars are not necessarily connected. And are those (quite expensive) glasses really intended as a joke? Or maybe as a sincere message to Fred that the world understands he was not to blame.

 

[Jake Peterson]

If 1500 people hadn't lost their lives, that would actually be kind of amusing.

Anyway, it was later determined that binoculars are only good for viewing something close up, not initially spotting it.

 

[Sandy McLendon]

My own problem with the prank is that Frederick Fleet is said to have been suffered guilt over the sinking and his own survival when so many perished.

 

[Michael McGuffin]

My own problem with the prank is that Frederick Fleet is said to have been suffered guilt over the sinking and his own survival when so many perished.

I agree, and what a inconsiderate thing to do. Some of you might have noticed some of my posts in the past, but I have always had a big place in my heart for Fred. First even if this person is trying to show some weird sort of respect, to me, thats just like a big slap in the face to Fred. I am sure if he was still alive the binoculars nor even the headstone would be something that Fred would personally choose. If somebody wants to show respect that is fine, but do it in the right way, (placing flowers and wreathes along with just visiting the grave) would be the proper way to show respect. With what I know about Fred's life, with all this Titanic hype going around right now, he would be one that would be as far away as possible from it all.

 

[Adam Went]

I don't understand how anyone thinks the desecration of any grave is a funny business. It is especially bad for Fred though since he certainly did suffer so much for it through his life and ended up committing suicide. The only redeeming factor is that the sort of person or people who would do this is in a very small minority. Luckily the grave itself wasn't damaged by the sounds of it, i've seen people hoon around graveyards in cars before and skid over peoples graves and/or break headstones. Like Jake said, in Fred's case, if it wasn't so serious, it would be slightly amusing.....

 

[RHeld]

It's not amusing, IMO, and whoever did this -also IMO- defines the term "nutbag."

Poor Frederick Fleet ... suffered in life, mocked in death.

 

[VillageJen]

I'm going to go with the theory that it was meant in a spirit of goodwill. More of a "Don't feel bad, sir. You weren't provided the tools of your job."

Somebody went to some effort to do this (not that I think it was a wise thing to do). I'd like to think that it was someone who sympathizes with Fleet, not someone who blames him.

 

[Michael McGuffin]

I'm going to go with the theory that it was meant in a spirit of goodwill. More of a "Don't feel bad, sir. You weren't provided the tools of your job."

Somebody went to some effort to do this (not that I think it was a wise thing to do). I'd like to think that it was someone who sympathizes with Fleet, not someone who blames him.

Probably somebody who knows nothing about Fred's life or a lot of stuff that he had been through. If they really did know Fred they would have known that he wanted nothing to do with Titanic and that he put a lot of blame on himself and I am sure he wouldn't appreciate some random person coming up and putting a set of binoculars with a mocking note on his grave. Again, if somebody wants to show respect you need to do it the right way, (moment of silence, flowers, wreathes.) I would say that this person probably got a few minutes of fame that they were searching for, sadly.......

 

[Sally@Hichens]

What is one person's way of showing respect might not be another's. The man signed off "Luv Francis". How do we know he wasn't a descendant of a friend of Fred's or a member of the family, someone who loved him and felt he was terribly wronged? This might have been a simple way to tell Fred that it wasn't his fault. Please remember it was The Sun newspaper sprawling their usual garbage. I would like to meet the person who laid the binoculars and ask them their side of the story.

 

[Sally@Hichens]

Having looked at some more of the articles I see that wreaths were taken from the plot. If this was done by the person who laid the binoculars then that is bad. Having been to another cemetery close by while tending to a grave I spoke to the groundman there and he said that kids often come and take flowers and tokens from the cemeteries. Perhaps the two are not related.

 

[LittleWaterLily]

To be honest, I was at his grave at 9.30am Saturday morning of the 14th April. There were so many wreaths and flowers, and we placed our own daffodils beside them (one on top of the headstone). And then, underneath all the flowers, were these binoculars. I was speechless. My friend and I couldn't speak for sometime afterwards as we read the note attached to them. It was beautiful, and I felt so deeply touched. It had obviously been there for some time as the note was weathered. What the Sun posted in the newspaper is complete rubbish. In the photo they were white roses (wilted too, I might add) by the grave... and no wreaths. Right. Well, there were no white roses of the weekend of the Titanic 100th anniversary. And Certainly not when these binoculars were placed. The roses were red. I have pictures to prove it. I posted on the Sun's website, but funny enough they did not post my comment. Or my friends. I wonder why? Also, if that picture had been taken recently, and the wreaths stolen, where were my daffodils? Surely a "ghoul" would overlook them?! Idiot trashy paper. What they did was desecration, not what Francis did.

 

[Sally@Hichens]

I can believe what The Sun did. The paper is a rag and a comic and this is tame to what that it is capable of. Thank you for posting your message LittleWaterlilly. Frederick Fleet has a fine stone. Robert Hichens has a pauper's grave - just a patch of soil in a cemetery in Aberdeen. He deserves better. Looks like it will take an awful lot of pushing to get him a stone and get through all the red tape but with the help of a kindly benefactor and a very persistent great granddaughter, it will be done.

 

[VillageJen]

Thank you, LittleWaterLily. I'm glad to learn that this time I wasn't off base to assume the best intentions of someone. It was kind of you to take flowers to Frederick Fleet's grave. Very thoughtful.

 

[LittleWaterLily]

I've been trying to get the truth out there about the article, but The Sun were having none of it! It was the most memorable experience I've ever known. We will remember him.

My friend and I are trying to track down where his wife Eva is buried, but no luck so far.