AN “unacknowledged hero” of the Titanic disaster is to be honoured with a new memorial plaque.

Joseph Bell, born in Farlam, near Brampton, was the chief engineer on the RMS Titanic.

Aged 51 when he died at his post in the Titanic’s engine room, Joseph Bell - along with his fellow engineers - were killed as they tried desperately to keep the ship’s pumps and dynamos working.

Now the Cumbrian’s sacrifice is being honoured anew with a memorial plaque and information point.

Barrie Hodgson, a distant relative of the Titanic hero, has spearheaded the project alongside several others dedicated to promoting the memory of Joseph Bell.

“The new visitor information point is in the process of being done - it’ll be there in the next few weeks,” said Barrie, who lives in Cheshire.

“We’ve raised funds to improve the memorial - the only memorial in Cumbria, sadly, that’s dedicated to him, in Farlam.”

“We set up a memorial fund, and we had sponsors for it. We had Chris Bonnington and the Bishop of Carlisle attached to the sponsorship of the appeal fund.

“We have made good the memorial itself, we’ve created a footpath leading up to the memorial, and improved the ground at the foot of the memorial. We’ve also put signposts up.”

Barrie has also written a new leaflet detailing the life and death of Joseph Bell, which is due to be distributed across Cumbria in the next few weeks.

In addition to the newly-written leaflet, Barrie has also written a short biography of Joseph Bell in partnership with the current occupant of the Titanic hero’s family home, Ann Freer.

“I came to make a connection with Ann because my middle name is Bell - I’m Barrie Bell Hodgson,” explained Barrie.

“I was researching my own background. I found that in fact my predecessors lived nearby to Joseph Bell.

“They were poor relations. Through that connection we researched Joseph Bell, and we wrote a biography together.”

Barrie also maintains a website about Joseph Bell’s life.

“He was an unacknowledged hero for a long time”, said Barrie. “I thought it was sad that he was such a hero, and together with his fellow engineers he saved so many lives when the Titanic went down, I thought he deserved some attention.”