Shipwreck, Sharks and Survival: Harold Higgs and the Sinking of the Carnarvon Castle, 1907 – Helen Murray
4 November 2026 @ 2:30 PM
The Norwich author’s talk marks the 120th Anniversary of the vessel setting sail on its final voyage
In November 1906, a 16-year-old from Norwich called Harold Higgs, signed up for the adventure of a lifetime. He joined the merchant navy as an apprentice aboard the grand sailing vessel Carnarvon Castle, tasked with carrying a general cargo to far-off Australia. What should have been a routine first voyage turned into a nightmare of fire, shipwreck and a desperate battle to survive.
A thousand miles from the nearest land, disaster struck: flames engulfed the ship and forced the crew to abandon her. Harold was among the twenty-six men and boys, who along with their Captain, took to two open boats, with only the provisions they could snatch before the vessel went down. Within days, the boats became separated. For those adrift, the ordeal had only just begun.
For twenty-four days, Harold and the other men endured blistering heat, storms, starvation and the torment of thirst. Enormous waves smashed the boats as sharks circled hungrily beneath. The men began to lose hope as one by one they fell ill, but amid despair, the will to survive carried them onward.
In this talk, based on the new non-fiction book, the story captures not only the dangers of early 20th-century seafaring but also the resilience of the survivors in the face of great adversity.
November 2026 is the 120th anniversary of the Carnarvon Castle setting sail on its final voyage.
Helen Murray is a Norwich born author, and public speaker with special interests in Victorian England, and local history. She graduated in History at The University of East Anglia in 2001and has over two decades of experience in the heritage sector working at times for The National Trust and Norfolk Museums Service. She is the winner of the Olga Sinclair Prize 2023 and the Past Search Prize for non-fiction in 2020 and 2021. Her first book, Newhaven Court: Love, Tragedy, Heroism & Intrigue, about a grand home in Cromer, was published in 2022 (The History Press), and Fishermen, Bathers and Beach Folk (Poppyland Publishing) in 2024.
Non-members are welcome – tickets are £5.00 and are available from the Maltings Box Office.