Harold Bride, the surviving telegrapher of the Titanic

The story of the sinking of the Titanic marked a milestone in its time and in the years that followed, so much so that we still review over and over again how it happened, and different theories have emerged over time about how the Titanic sank. Without a doubt, it was a historical event that left marks on the lives of many and on humanity. This story also affected the lives of many men, including the life of Harold Bride, which had a before and after the sinking of the Titanic, just as the world had a before and after the arrival of Christ. Do you want to know the incredible story of the telegrapher who was aboard this ship? At we have compiled the details of his life, come with us to discover them!

Harold Bride, the surviving telegrapher of the Titanic

There are many mysteries of the Titanic that are still unsolved, how this ship sank remains an intrigue for many. After all, this ship was considered indestructible. That is why it is important to review the stories of those who found themselves in the middle of this tragic accident and, despite everything, managed to survive. The story of Harold Bride is one of those, this young telegrapher worked on this imposing ship during the voyage that would bury it at the bottom of the sea. Let’s dig a little deeper into the story of this telegrapher who survived the tragedy.

1. The life of Harold Bride

Harold Bride was born in London on January 11, 1890, 22 years before the Titanic set sail. Harold was the youngest of three children and, after trying a lot, he ended up dropping out of school. However, he was not lost in the world: young Harold, after leaving school, dedicated himself to working to pay for his telegraph studies, which he managed to complete by 1911. A year later he would embark on the Titanic.

Although he was only 22 years old when the great ship sailed, Harold had already worked on 5 other ships before taking on the duties of telegrapher on the Titanic.. Therefore, it was not his first time on a boat, nor his first experience out at sea. However, this would be one of the most important of all. Although Harold is not one of the curiosities of the movie Titanic, his performance was essential during the accident, and his quick action helped save more people.

Although he is the best known today, Harold Bride was not the only telegrapher aboard this great ship. In fact, His position was that of second telegrapher, and he worked under the orders of Jack Phillips. Although both were experienced telegraphers, at least to some extent, both received instructions and a special course in Belfast before the ship sailed, which helped save many of the Titanic’s passengers.

2. The tragedy told by a survivor

Harold Bride, as a surviving telegrapher of the Titanic, was one of the main witnesses in investigations into the disaster. The press tried to question his actions by resenting him because he had not attended to his questions while he was in Carpathia. Harold said his priority had always been the survivors and not the press. Finally, he was considered one of the heroes of the Titanic. Only during the First World War did he embark again to work as a telegrapher. When the war ended he retired with his wife and children to Scotland where he worked as a salesman, although he maintained an amateur radio station in his home until his death in 1956.

Fortunately, His story about how the Titanic sank was immortalized in time.or, and today we can still turn to it to enlighten us about what happened that tragic night when this great ship hit an iceberg. Let’s hear Harold Bride’s words about that fateful night:

«I was conscious of waking up and hearing Phillips sending Cape Race. I read what he was sending. It was a traffic issue. I remembered how tired I was and got out of bed to relieve it. I didn’t even feel the shock. I hardly knew what had happened until after the captain left us. There was no shaking.
I was standing by Phillips telling him to go to bed when the captain put his head in the cockpit.

«We’ve hit an iceberg,» the captain said. «I am doing an inspection to tell what he has done for us. You better prepare to send a support call. But don’t send it until I tell you.»
The captain left and in ten minutes, I must estimate the time, he returned. We could hear terrible confusion outside, but there was nothing to indicate there was any problem. The wireless connection worked perfectly.

“Send out the call for assistance,” the captain said, barely peeking his head out of the door. «What call should I send?» Phillips asked. «International regulation asks for help. That’s all».

Then the captain left. Phillips began shipping CQDs. He quickly deflected it and we were joking while he did it. We all grew up in light of the disaster. We joked like that while he signaled for about five minutes. Then the captain returned.

«What are you sending?» he asked.

“CQD,” Phillips responded.

The humor of the situation appealed to me. I interrupted with a little comment that made us all laugh, including the captain.
“Send SOS,” I said. «It’s the new call, and it may be your last chance to send it».

Phillips with a laugh changed the signal to SOS.

This is the story of the exact moment in which they sent the alarm signal. As the story reads, Harold was asleep at the time it all started. He woke up, convulsed, confused, stunned, without understanding anything. When he found Phillips, he found him tired, overwhelmed. The captain ordered them to remain alert and prepare to call for help. After 10 minutes the captain returned and asked to send the signal to any ship that was nearby.

In the midst of the rush, perhaps as a way to relieve the tension or as a way to evade what was so present to them, Harold Bride thought of making a joke.: Until then the traditional alarm signal was CQD, but not so long ago a new code had emerged and that was an excellent opportunity to use it: SOS. «It’s the new call, and it may be your last chance to send it.» They didn’t know how close to the truth that sentence was, but they would soon find out.

3. The odyssey

«When I returned from a trip, I noticed that they were putting women and children in lifeboats. I noticed that the list forward was increasing. Phillips told me the wireless connection was getting weaker. The captain came and told us that our engine rooms were taking on water and that the dynamos might not last much longer. We send that word to the Carpathia.

«I went up on deck and looked around. The water was quite close to the deck of the ship. There was a great stir aft, and how poor Phillips continued I do not know. He was a brave man. I learned to love him that night and suddenly felt great awe seeing him standing there glued to his work while everyone else was furious. I will never forget Phillips’ work during the last fifteen minutes.

«I looked outside. The ship’s deck was flooded. Phillips held on to send and send. He held on for about ten minutes, or maybe fifteen minutes after the captain had released him. The water was entering our cabin.

«While I was working, something happened that I hate to talk about. I was back in my room, getting the money from Phillips for him, and When I looked out the door I saw a stoker, or someone from the lower decks, leaning over Phillips from behind.. Phillips was too busy to notice what the man was doing. «The man was taking the life preserver off Phillips’ back.»

What followed was a fight for Phillips’ life. Both the stoker and Harold Bride and Phillips knew that the life of whoever had the life preserver would last, and that the other would perish. The fight was, therefore, bloody, but between the two men they managed to dissuade the stranger. Now with the vest, they both headed towards one of the last boats. By then, you could still feel the hustle and bustle on the boat, as well as those phrases from the movie Titanic that we would later learn: the boats were running out, but there were still plenty of people on the boat. It is in those moments when one notices how irremediable the tragedy is.

Then Harold went in search of a boat. The last time he saw Phillips, he was running along the stern. He didn’t know that he wouldn’t see him again, his friend wouldn’t make it. Finding a boat was another of his great battles: Harold Bride would fall into the sea and would have to fight against the tide and other people to get a place on a lifeboat.. In the confusion, he would end up breaking one foot and freezing the other. To save him, the sailors on the boat that came to the rescue would have to lift him up. Luckily, fortunately, thanks to fate, if you will, Harold would come out of this alive and, beyond this, he would even continue serving as a telegrapher for the Carpathia, the boat that had come to the rescue.

The story of Harold Bride, as well as that of Violet Jessop, the Titanic’s chambermaid, is one of the wildest and strongest accounts of this event, as well as one of the most illustrative of what happened that tragic night. After that night, Harold would not work on a ship again until the outbreak of World War II.

What did you think of the story of Harold Bride? Did you know the vision of the Titanic telegrapher? And do you know any other stories about the Titanic that you want to share? Leave us your opinion in the comments, we will be looking forward to reading you!