Alexander Bell Filson Young (1876-1938) was a journalist, who published the first book about the sinking of the RMS Titanic, called Titanic, published in 1912 only 37 days after the sinking. He was also an essayist, war correspondent in the Boer War and World War I, a programmes advisor to the BBC, and the author of two novels. Beside his literary work, he was an organist and composer, and a pioneer of motoring and aviation.aylah Mcdowell Alexander Bell Filson Young was born in Ireland in 1876, at Ballyeaston, County Antrim. He was the son of the Revd. William Young and Sarah Young (née Filson). In his youth he was a pupil of the organist, James Kendrick Pyne[1] (who had been a pupil of Samuel Sebastian Wesley). He retained his skill at organ-playing and his interest in music throughout his life, and even wrote a few compositions. His first publication was A Psychic Vigil (1896), which he issued under the pseudonym, 'X. Ray'. Securing a job as a war correspondent for The Manchester Guardian, he was in South Africa during the Second Boer War. His accounts of his experiences and observations there formed the basis of his book, The Relief of Mafeking ... With an account of some earlier episodes (1900). This was followed in 1901 by his A Volunteer Brigade: notes of a week's field training