A SOUTH Belfast residence has been confirmed as the place where Titanic shipbuilder, Thomas Andrews’ wife passed away.
The two-storey house in Adelaide Park, which now boasts two luxury apartments, was where Mrs Helen Andrews spent her final days. The South Belfast News was given a copy of the death certificate outlining the date, place and cause of the Belfast woman’s death.
Helen Andrews, nee Barbour, was the youngest daughter of John Doherty Barbour and Elizabeth Law Milne of Dunmurry.
She married the creator of Titanic in 1908, aged 21, in Comber and took up residence at Dunallen, which is now home of the Irish Football Association offices.
Helen and Thomas were married four years before he was assigned as chief naval architect on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.
Mr Andrews perished in the disaster but reports from survivors hailed him as a hero who aided others into lifeboats before being seen for a last time in the first class smoking area with no life jacket.
After his death, Helen was left to raise their only daughter Elba in their Windsor Avenue home.
A few years later she met her second husband and went on to have four more children.
Nellie, as she was more commonly known, lived most of her life in England, however after her second husband died she came back to Belfast and lived with her son until she fell ill.
At that point, she was placed into a care home in Adelaide Park where she died of mitral valve complications on August 22, 1966.
She is buried in a private plot in Lambeg Parish churchyard.
