Sidney Humphreys

Sidney James Humphreys was born in Wimborne, Dorset on 15 August 1859 to William, a publican, and Elizabeth. Both his parents originated from Wimborne. Sidney had one sister, born the year before him. On 13 November he was baptized. By 1861 the small family had moved to French Street, Southampton and William was working as a ship’s steward.

Sidney followed in his father’s footsteps and went to sea at an early age then, in 1874, he joined the Royal Navy. His first ship was the St Vincent. He went on to serve on *Excellent*, *Rover*, *Euphrates* and *Duke of Wellington* but was invalided out of the service in 1882. For the next ten years it isn’t clear what he did but it’s probable that he joined the merchant service. In 1892, he rejoined the Navy, serving as an Able Seaman on *Trincomalee*.

Sidney left the navy and married Annie Rosetta Snead in Southampton in 1895. They already had two children, Catherine born in 1892 and Frederick, born in 1894, and they went on to have six more, Sidney, Horace, Leslie, Hetty, Arthur and Joan. They lived at various addresses in Shirley and Sidney is described on the 1901 and 1911 census as being a seaman so it is likely he’d rejoined the merchant service.

In 1896 Sidney witnessed a young woman, Minnie Whitehorn, throwing herself into Shirley Pond. Poor Minnie, a domestic servant, was trying to kill herself but Sidney intervened. Without a thought for himself, he dived in and saved her. His efforts were recognised by a medal from the Royal Humane Society.

Annie had just given birth to their youngest daughter when Sidney signed onto *Titanic* as a Quartermaster. He and his family were living at 113 Dukes Road in Southamtpon. Just before he was part of the crew on the sistership, *Olympic*. *Titanic* had seven Quartermasters, each acting as helmsman, in charge of navigating the ship, when on duty.

Sidney wasn’t on duty when the ship hit the iceberg on April 14, at 11:40 P.M. He spent most time on A-Deck , helping to load the lifeboats. He watched the youngest crew members, the Bell Boys, being taken to their posts in the main cabin entry by their leading steward. The fifty lads, some as young as fourteen, were told to stay in the cabin and not get in the way. It’s hard to imagine what the poor boys must have been thinking but they all sat quietly on their benches and did as they were told. When it was clear the ship really was going to sink and the order was given that every man was free to save himself so long as he kept away from the lifeboats, these lads scattered to all parts of the ship. Sidney saw several of them standing around smoking cigarettes and joking with the passengers, as if they didn’t have a care in the world. In fact they seemed quite gleeful to be breaking the rule against smoking while on duty. Not one of them tried to get in a lifeboat and not one was saved.

Sidney took command of lifeboat 11, the sixth to be lowered from the starboard side. Several stewards were ordered into the boat to help the passengers over the railing. It was one of the most heavily loaded lifeboats, with between sixty and eighty people aboard, mostly women and children. Miss Edith Rosenbaum brought a toy, a musical pig, with her and entertained the frightened children with it. Several people later said a baby was thrown in at the last moment without its mother.

There was some difficulty when the boat was launched as the crew were unable to release her from the falls, the ropes and blocks used with davits for lowering the boats. When the boat finally reached the water it was discovered there was no lamp aboard and a sailor lit a piece of rope to use as a signal. The boat was so heavily loaded those manning the oars had difficulty actually rowing. Even so, lifeboat 11 was the sixth or eighth to reach *Carpathia*.

Sidney returned to England and was not called to give evidence at either the American or British Inquiries into the sinking. He carried on working at sea, even throughout World War I. Later, as his health began to fail with age and he developed a heart condition, he worked as a stevedore in Southampton Docks. He died in 1919, aged 60, and was buried in Hollybrook Cemetery in an unmarked grave. Annie died in 1936.