Harold Lowe

Commander **Harold Godfrey Lowe** RD RNR (21 November 1882 – 12 May 1944) was the Fifth Officer of the RMS *Titanic*.

Harold Lowe was born in Eglwys Rhos, Caernarfonshire, North Wales on 21 November 1882, the third of eight children, born to George and Harriet Lowe. His father had ambitions for him to be apprentice to a successful Liverpool businessman, but Harold Lowe was determined to go to sea. At 14, he ran away from his home in Barmouth where he had attended school and joined the merchant navy, serving along the West African Coast. Lowe started as a Ship's Boy aboard the Welsh coastal schooners as he worked to attain his certifications. In 1906, he passed his certification and gained his second mate's certificate, then in 1908, he attained his first mate's certificate. By the time he started with the White Star Line, in 1911, he had gained his Master's certificate and, in his own words, "experience with pretty well every ship afloat – the different classes of ships afloat – from the schooner to the square-rigged sailing vessel, and from that to steamships, and of all sizes." He served as third officer on White Star's the *Belgic* and the *Tropic* before being transferred to the *Titanic* as Fifth Officer in 1912. Despite his numerous years at sea, however, the maiden voyage of the *Titanic* was to be his first transatlantic crossing.

### Aboard the *Titanic*

Like the ship's other junior officers, Lowe reported to White Star's Liverpool offices at nine o'clock in the morning on 26 March 1912, and travelled to board the *Titanic* at Belfast the following day. On sailing day (10 April), Lowe assisted (among other things) in the lowering of two of the starboard lifeboats to satisfy the Board of Trade that the *Titanic* met safety regulations. When the *Titanic* departed Southampton at noon, Lowe was on the bridge, relaying messages to various parts of the ship by telephone.

### The sinking

On 14 April 1912, the night of the sinking, Lowe had been relieved at 8.00 PM by Sixth Officer Moody and was asleep in his quarters when the ship hit the iceberg at 11.40 PM. He remained asleep through the collision and did not wake up until as much as half an hour had passed; as he explained later, "We officers do not have any too much sleep, and therefore when we sleep, we die." When Lowe finally awakened and realised the situation, he immediately got dressed, grabbed his revolver, and went to work. Third Officer Pitman charged him with loading lifeboat No. 5. Around 1.30 AM, Lowe engaged in a conversation with Sixth Officer Moody: While launching lifeboat Nos. 14 and 16 on the port side of the ship, the two junior officers felt that this group of boats needed to have an officer with them. Moody insisted that Lowe should get onto lifeboat No. 14 and that he would get on another one. By the time lifeboat 14 was being launched, things were beginning to get precarious on the boat deck as the majority of passengers began to realise that the giant ship was foundering. As lifeboat 14 was descending, Lowe used his revolver to fire three shots into the air in order to frighten away a group of men attempting to leap into the lifeboat.

### Inquiries

The *Titanic* survivors arrived at Pier 54 in New York on 18 April. Lowe was soon called upon to testify in the American inquiry into the sinking. He boarded the *Adriatic* on 2 May to return to England, where he participated in the British inquiry. Lowe's testimony in the American Senate Hearing was direct, often to the point of being flippant; when asked what an iceberg was composed of, Lowe responded, "Ice, I suppose, sir." Lowe also came under some fire for racist remarks. He had to apologise twice for using the word "Italian" as a sort of synonym for "coward."

### Later life and death

Upon his return to his home town of Barmouth 1,300 people attended a reception held in his honour at the Picture Pavilion. He was presented with a commemorative gold watch, with the inscription *"Presented to Harold Godfrey Lowe, 5th officer R.M.S. Titanic by his friends in Barmouth and elsewhere in recognition and appreciation of his gallant services at the foundering of the Titanic 15th April 1912."*

In September 1913, Harold married Ellen Marion Whitehouse, and they had two children, Florence Josephine and Harold William. He served in the Royal Naval Reserve during the First World War, attaining the rank of Commander before retiring to Deganwy with his family. He died of hypertension on 12 May 1944 at the age of 61 and was buried at the Llandrillo-yn-Rhos church in Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales.

## Legacy

Officer Lowe was portrayed by Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd in the 1997 blockbuster movie *Titanic*. The film depicted Lowe rescuing first-class passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) from the freezing ocean after finding her floating on a door. He was portrayed by Kavan Smith in the 1996 miniseries. He was played by Ifan Meredith in the 2012 Titanic TV miniseries

In 2004, a menu of the first meal ever served aboard the *Titanic*, which Lowe had sent to his fiancée when the ship was docked in Ireland, sold for £51,000, breaking the record for auctioned *Titanic* memorabilia at that time.

A slate plaque in Officer Lowe's memory was hung on the centennial anniversary of *Titanic's* sinking in Barmouth, Gwynedd, Wales after a long campaign by local school girl, Maddy Matthews. Memorializing Officer Lowe's service, the plaque is inscribed in both Welsh and English, with pictures of Lowe and the *Titanic*. It reads: "In Commemoration of local hero 5th Officer Harold Godfrey Lowe who left Barmouth aged 14 to go to sea. He played a heroic role in the rescue of survivors during the sinking of RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912." The plaque was unveiled by his grandson, Captain John Lowe and Maddy Matthews.

A small blue plaque marks Lowe's final home in Deganwy, Conwy, Wales where Officer Lowe lived until his death in 1944.