THE OFFICER who survived the sinking of the Titanic has his commemorative plaque not in the Twickenham street where he lived, but in a nearby cul de sac, and a local resident is hoping the council will restore it to its rightful place.

Peter Butler of Twickenham wrote to the Times about the fact that the plaque commemorating the fact that Commander Charles Lightoller, the officer who survived the sinking of the Titanic, spent the last few years of his life as a resident in the large house on the boatyard at No1 Duck's Walk, Twickenham.

He said: "The plaque should be displayed on that site and not at the end of Riverdale Gardens cul-de-sac.

"Local councils have the power to compulsorily purchase land as well as buildings, therefore, why do not they purchase a small plot, adjacent to the No1 Duck's Walk footpath, on which to be erected the post and plaque for all to see, for it is at present, a good tourist marker?"

The plaque was presented to the Mayor of Richmond upon Thames in July 2002 by the Twickenham Park Residents' Association at the Rag Regatta held at Buccleuch Gardens. Amongst the invited guests were many members of the commander's family who had welcomed the association's interest and helped in creating the plaque. The occasion was also marked by Sundowner's return to Richmond from her base in Ramsgate where she is usually on display at the East Kent Maritime Museum.

It was installed at the junction of Ducks Walk and Riverdale Gardens close to the Sea Cadets' boathouse in February, marking the final chapter in the efforts of local residents to commemorate the exploits of the commander who lived and worked on the boatyard there after the second world war. Number 1, Ducks Walk was formerly a boatyard known as Richmond Slipways and it was here that Commander Lightoller died in 1952.

Apart from being the most senior member of Titanic's crew to survive the disaster, he gained a DSO and bar as a naval officer in the First War, and rescued 127 men from the Dunkirk beaches in 1940 aboard his motor yacht Sundowner.

However, Mr Butler says that the plaque is on the opposite side of the road to that where the commander lived and about two metres away from the site of his house. He said that it should be moved to the right of the Sea Cadets' Boathouse. He added that the siting of the plaque could mislead tourists to think that the commander lived at the end of Riverdale Gardens.

A spokesman for Richmond Council said on the siting of the plaque at Riverdale Gardens: "This site was suggested following no agreement with the owner of number one Duck's Walk to put the plaque on that site. The plaque's location is directly opposite number one Duck's Walk, and is within a few metres of it. If the owner of the property at Duck's Walk agrees to having the plaque on his land, the council would have no objection to this happening."

May 30, 2003 11:00