BSFC Art Foundation Student Wins Top Prize in Regional Competition!

Art Foundation student at The Sixth Form College, Jemma Twigg, has won a regional competition to design a sculpture commemorating the first HMS Birkenhead. Jemma has won the top prize of £500 and her design will be manufactured by Cammell-Laird’s young engineers of the future and also the yard that built the ship. The lasting and fitting memorial will be situated on the Wirral waterfront near Woodside overlooking the river Mersey that saw the ship embark on her first sail.

The HMS Birkenhead – named after the town where the boat was built - sank in 1852, while transporting troops in South Africa. There were not enough serviceable lifeboats for all the passengers, and the soldiers famously stood firm, thereby allowing the women and children to board the boats safely, giving rise to the "women and children first" protocol when abandoning ship. This protocol was famously used onboard the HMS Titanic and has been named the “Birkenhead Drill”.

The project was initially started up by Andrew Liston, a Wirral resident and crewman of New Brighton’s Lifeboat Station, who learnt more of the tragedy whilst visiting South Africa. After learning there was no tribute to the HMS Birkenhead here in Wirral he joined forces with memorials officer Peter Lee to have a permanent memorial built to highlight this truly significant and internationally important event. Cammell-Lairds agreed to sponsor the project, providing half of the prize money as well as agreeing to have their apprentices build the final design. The competition was opened up to engage with local designers of the future and all the Merseyside Art Colleges were invited to design a memorial of what the HMS Birkenhead means/stands for.

Andrew Liston and Peter Lee visited The Sixth Form College and announced Jemma as the winner of the competition. Andrew Liston stated “Jemma’s design was selected as it told a real story of the meaning behind the HMS Birkenhead. To me more importantly will be the fact that this internationally famous event that saw the ‘men stand fast and women and children placed first’ will have a home to all in the UK.”

Winning student Jemma said, “"I'm surprised that my design was selected, it is an honour to have my work chosen as a memorial to the HMS Birkenhead". Jemma is a student on The Sixth Form College’s brand new art course, the ABC Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media.

Mike Kilbride, Deputy Principal at The Sixth Form College added, “This is a wonderful achievement for Jemma and I am delighted her work has been recognised in this way. It is also a proud moment for the college to be involved in commemorating an important part of Wirral’s history.”

Jemma’s design will be unveiled early next year.

Cammell Lairds Art Competition