Harold Bride--age 16
Harold Bride--age 16
Harold Sidney Bride was born on January 11, 1890 in Hull, England to Arthur and Mary Ann (Lowe) Bride, the youngest of five (3 brother and 1 sister) with quite an age gap between 'the baby' and other siblings. His mother's special name for him was 'Harry' but very few people outside the family ever called him that. The Brides lived in Shortlands, Bromley--a suburb of London. The most widely seen picture of Harold Bride was taken when he was 16. By age 22, he had matured into a handsome young man. Bride had a very quiet childhood, and kept mostly to himself during the school years--very shy. Perhaps because of this shyness, his voice was mellow and soft-spoken but, once he opened up to somebody, his sharp wit and off-kilter sense of humor shown through. After grammar school--when asked what he wanted to do with his life-- Bride announced that he was going to be a wireless operator. Since it was still such a new phenomenom and profession, and proper schooling could be expensive, his parents didn't discourage their son but, at the same time, they didn't have the money to pay for it. Harry was serious about this dream, so he worked in the family business from age 16-20 and saved up his own money--determined to put himself through Telegraphy School.
In 1910, Bride walked into a London post office to inquire about the costs, etc of Telegraphy Schooling. The telegraphist on duty was Harold Cottam. Cottam answered all Bride's questions and--when Bride returned early the next week--the other boy invited him out to lunch with him and they were fast friends from that moment on. Also that same year, Bride scandalized the neighborhood by building an aerial antanae in the garden so he could practice morsing. Harry finished his Marconi Training in July 1911 and received his first appointment at that time. By 1912, Harry had relocated to the Banister's Hotel in London.
Bride recieved a telegram in mid March, 1912 stating his next post was on the Titanic and he needed to report to Belfast for sea trials immediantly. Since Jack Phillips (the senior operator) got the call to Belfast first, one can speculate that he had a hand in the choosing of Bride as his assistant, but it was really just a lucky accident. The two had become friends in late 1911 when their mutual friend, Harold Cottam, introduced them.
On April 14, 1912, hundreds of messages were piled up on the operators' work station. The wireless had broken down late on the 13th and it took both Phillips and Bride 7 hours to find the problem (a faulty circuitry) and fix it. The first ice warning of the day was picked up soon after the apparatus was up and running again and Bride delivered it personally to Captain Smith. Three more ice warnings were recieved that day but none made it to the bridge. Two earlier ice warnings were recieved on the 11th and 12th, and both those were delivered to the bridge. The Marconi Men were under direct orders from the Captain, and he viewed the personal messages of the passengers as more important. They were, after all, "paying customers." It would take hours to clear the passenger traffic, so the ice warnings were received, written down, and forgotten. At 7:30 p.m., Phillips noticed how exhausted Bride was and sent him to bed early. Bride gratefully obeyed. He slept right through the collision, waking on his own accord at 11:55 and decided to relieve Phillips at that time--2 hours before his shift was supposed to begin at 2 a.m.
Bride re-entered the work room from the Marconi Men's sleeping quarters, dressed only in pajamas, and asked Phillips how he was getting on. Phillips had just finished sending a batch of passenger traffic to Cape Race and remarked that he thought something was the matter with the ship. They had stopped for some reason and would more-than-likely have to go back to the Harland and Wolfe shipping yard in Belfast for repairs. The wireless boys swapped a round of good-natured jokes and ribbing before Phillips relinquished the set to Bride and headed to their quarters to undress and go to sleep.
Shortly after midnight, Captain Smith poked his head in the door of the wireless shack and told them about the iceberg and to "get ready to send a call for assistance, but don't send it until I tell you to." Phillips, undressing, overheard this, and burst back into the work room. "What should I send?" he asked when the captain returned 10 minutes later. "The regulation international call for help." was the reply. As Phillips began tapping out CQD, Bride leaned over, tapped him on the shoulder, and joked: "Say, why don't you send SOS? It's the new signal and it may be our last chance to use it." Everyone laughed and the boys continued to swap jokes until they noticed a distinct forward list and fully understood the danger everyone was facing.
Between the first CQD at 12:17 till the end, Bride ran messages to the Captain every five minutes and manned the wireless 3 times while Phillips "checked out the action on deck." When Bride returned from his first trip to the bridge where he informed the captain of the Carpathia's position, Phillips looked up from the set and said: "Get some clothes on, boy." In all the excitement, the junior operator hadn't realized he still wore only his pajamas. He quickly dressed--pulling on a pair of heavy boots, and an extra coat.
As Phillips continued to tap out the distress signal, Bride prepared to abandon ship--collecting their money and busily scribbling down an extra copy of the log so they could each have one. He also draped an overcoat and fastened a lifebelt around Jack since he was too busy to do it for himself. He thought about trying to get him into his boots, but didn't know how he would manage that. At 2:00, a stoker--or someone from below decks--ran in and tried to steal Phillips' lifebelt. A scuffle ensued between the three of them, where Bride knocked the stoker down, then held him while Phillips punched him till the man slumped unconscious in Bride's arms. Phillips turned back to the set for one last attempt to signal help. Later, at the British Inquiry, Bride summed up the stoker-incident by saying "I'm not likely to see him again."
At 2 a.m., the Captain released them under the "every man for himself" law and said "you can go now, boys. You've done your job well." Despite the release, they remained at their post--Phillips still tapping out the CQD even though the power to the wireless was gone. Bride had to shake him into awareness. They left the wireless shack, stepping over the body of the unconscious stoker, and emerged onto the rapidly flooding deck. The boys noticed a group of men trying to lower and launch the Collapsible boats latched to the roof of the officers' quarters but "having a rather rough time at it." They climbed up and assisted in pushing B off, which landed upside-down. Then, everyone scrambled for the boat deck again. Bride got down first, and looked up for Phillips. Jack was still standing on the roof and this is the last time the junior wireless operator saw him alive. Bride had a grip on one of the oar locks of the upset raft when a giant wave caused by the bow dipping under washed him and nearly everyone else working on the Collapsibles overboard.
After being washed off the sinking ship, Bride found himself underneath the overturned Collapsible B, gasping for breath in the air pocket and bumping his head on the seats. The water was 28 degrees that night and he was stuck under the boat for "what seemed a lifetime." Finally, the junior wireless operator took a huge gulp of air, dived, and clamored aboard the overturned B. There was just enough space for him to roll on; being the "last man they invited on board." 28 men would climb on top of the Collapsible that night. Among them, Second Officer Charles Lightoller and Jack Thayer. Young Thayer, only 17 years old, was sitting right behind Bride on the upset raft and they held on to each other's jackets so as not to slip off. When the men on Collapsible B started to dispair and loose hope of rescue, Bride called out over and over: "The Carpathia is coming. I gave her our position. There is no mistake. We should see her lights at 4 or a little after."
As the Second Officer, Lightoller naturally took charge of the boat and, at daybreak, made everyone stand up and "surf" to counteract the waves of the early morning hours. Until then, the men sat, kneeled or lay on the raft. Bride--whose feet and legs up to the knees had been submerged in the water all night and jammed up against the cork fender--couldn't stand so just pulled his legs out of the water as best he could.
The Carpathia's rockets were sighted at 3:30 and, when she finally came into view, cheering arose from all the scattered lifeboats. The crew in Boat 13 had sung 'Pull For The Shore Sailor' the entire night and they renewed it with gusto as they pulled for the rescue ship. The men on Collapsible B, silent for most of the night, all began to chatter excitedly. Still, their boat was in sorry shape and it was doubtful that they'd ever make it to the Carpathia. Second Officer Lightoller withdrew his officer's whistle and blew it to alert the nearby right-side-up boats that they were in trouble. Two--Boats 4 and 12--turned around and rescued the men on Collapsible B. Jack Thayer and a few others lifted Bride from B to 12 since he was "in a bad way," having completely lost the ability to walk since his feet were so frost-bitten. Jack Thayer had also made it a point to keep a tight hold on Bride the last half-hour so he would not slip off the raft into the icy, dark water.
Harold Bride's strength held out till he reached the deck of the Carpathia. As he was walking the length of Boat 12 to reach the rope ladder, he turned his head as he passed a dead man--Jack Phillips. Bride continued, still too numb from shock and cold to register that image right away. Once on deck, he fainted and was carried to the infirmary to treat his frostbitten and crushed feet. Bride awoke once to see a woman leaning over him, fanning back his hair, and felt people prying off his boots to get at his feet. Later on, when he agreed to help transmit the list of survivors' names and other traffic, Bride had to be carried to the wireless room of the Carpathia. The two Harolds (Bride and Harold Cottam--the Carpathia's Marconi man) worked almost non-stop tapping out the names of survivors. Bride didn't even know the ship had docked in New York till Mr. Marconi himself entered the wireless shack and said "There's no point to that now, son." He looked up and said, "Sir, Phillips is gone."
Bride was taken to hospital for further treatment of his injuries and--when called to testify at the US Inquiry--had to be wheeled in in an invalid's chair. Senator William Alden Smith grilled him mercilessly about his behavior after the sinking. The two Harolds had refused to reply to any messages that came in and only transmitted the survivors list. Even a request from the president was ignored. They were following "captain's orders" of only transmitting disaster related messages. Senator Smith accused them of withholding information for personal gain. Both wireless boys denied it, but Bride did receive $1000 for his exclusive story to the New York Times and Cottam $750. Considering they usually made less than $30 a month, that was some serious cash. Bride--fastly becoming upset with his treatment by Smith--proclaimed that "by the end of this everyone will know the truth." After making several return appearances at the US Inquiry, the 2 Harolds finally were allowed to go home. (For more information on the 2 Harolds' exploits in NY and Washington D.C., please see the Harold Cottam page.)
In honor of his bravery during the Titanic disaster, the Marconi Company presented Bride with a gold watch. The inscription read: In recognition of having done his duty, and done it bravely.
On March 16, 1912, two weeks before reporting for sea trials, Harold Bride became engaged to Mabel Ludlow. The next morning, he regreted the decision but didn't break it off. Ever since she discovered that his next post would be on Titanic, she nagged and nagged about getting engaged till he finally caved in and proposed. She wanted braging rights and the chance to sound important when she told whoever what her fiancee did. Now, on returning home to England, Bride was positive that marriage to Mabel wasn't what he wanted but still didn't do anything about the situation. Poor Harry didn't have the highest opinion of himself and may have recovered physically from the disaster but not emotionally. He thought he would never find anyone else so continued the unhappy engagement to Mabel. He delayed the inevitable through the British Inquiry but the engagement was severed on September 25, 1912. Harold Bride had met someone else that very same day and that gave him the courage he needed to break it off with Mabel. The new girl? Miss Lucy Downie.
At the end of 1912, Harry and Lucy traveled to Godalming to pay tribute to Jack Phillips. The large scale memorial hadn't been built yet, but they went into the church he attended to see the brass name plate.
During the first world war, Bride held a post on the Mona's Isle. On April 10, 1920, Lucy and Harry married. It was a very small ceremony with only family and close friends in attendance.
In 1922, the Bride family were living 70 miles outside of London, where Harry was the operator aboard the Cross-Channel Ferry. Their first child, Lucy ("Lulu"), had been born the previous year and Lucy quit teaching to raise the start of their hopefully growing family. Later in 1922, they decided to pick up stakes and move to Ayrshire, Scotland where they lived in quiet anonymony. There were two reasons for the sudden disapearce. . .(1)Harry's father, Arthur, had recently died and (2)The 10th anniversary of the sinking was far too close and he didn't want to be in the lime-light again. Bride became a traveling salesman and two other children were born in Scotland--John ("Jack")in 1924 and Jeanette in 1929. The friendship with the Cottams continued through letters and everyone's memories. In his free time, Harry tinkered with antenae and operated his own radio.
After the initial Inquiries into the disaster, Harry rarely spoke of his involvement with Titanic. Everyone knew, they just never asked. The kids knew of the disaster and that "Dad" was involved, but also sensed the soreness of the topic and instinctively knew not to bring it up.
Harry died in 1956 at the age of 66. Lucy died in 1973 at the age of 83.
Additional Pictures:
Harry at 16. (His grammar school graduation shot.)
Sources:
You are #
Lucy Downie was born and raised in Stranraer, Ayrshire, Scotland. At the time of the disaster, she was 22 and had moved from her native Scotland to London for a teaching position. She had been following the Titanic disaster avidly through the papers and saving all the clippings. Lucy and Harry met by chance on the street when she reconized him from the newspaper pictures and introduced herself. The attraction was instantanious on both sides--love at first sight, really--and every instant they could spend together, they did. Bride was working as a telegraphist in a London post office at the time and now, with meeting Lucy, going back out to sea was the farthest thing from his mind.
*do no remove any pictures without the webmaster's permission*
Sketch of Harry manning the wireless set of the Carpathia (Drawn by Jim Spears of the Times?)
Being carried off the Carpathia~~April 18, 1912
Sitting in a wheelchair. April 18, 1912.
Testifying~~April 20, 1912. Mr. Marconi is smiling in the foreground
Testifying~~April 20, 1912.Cottam is standing to Harry's right
After testimony~~April 20, 1912.
Home at last~~May 18, 1912. His dad is also in the picture.
Arriving in London for the British Inquiry
Craig Kelly as Harold Bride in 'Titanic'
Walter Lord A Night To Remember
" " The Night Lives On
Tom Kuntz (editor) The Titanic US Inquiry Transcripts
Wyn Craig Wade Titanic: End of a Dream
Eaton & Haas Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy
Kathryn Goddard Meyer (Jarvis grand-daughter)
Bill Copland (Downie relative)
Colin Downie (Downie relative)
David O. Norris (researcher and private investigator)
Scott Anderson (researcher)
George Sinclair (Harold Bride's great-nephew)
Contributing L/F Writer: Aurora Brynn. � 1998
I'm asking nicely to please, please, please respect my copyrights. A great deal of information here is unpublished and I am determined to keep it unique to this site. If you are in violation of my copyright, I will find out and action will be taken. Please, I want you to enjoy the full story of Harold Bride's life, but don't plagerize and claim it as your own. That is just morally (and legally) wrong. I would also like to thank Bill Copland and Colin Downie for sharing Downie info and the picture of Lucy Downie Bride. Under no circumstance are any pictures or information to be removed from this site without the express permission of me, the web master.
The wireless shack won:
to drop by the wireless shack.
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Phillips, Bride and Cottam Timeline
Comments by Martin Moran
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