Henry Tingle Wilde was born on the 21st of September 1872 in Walton, Liverpool. Henry was the only son of Henry Wilde Senior and Elizabeth Tingle.
Wilde had served on several White Star Line Vessels before joining the Titanic as the Chief Officer. Wilde served on the Medic, like fellow Titanic officer Charles Lightoller, S.S Celtic, S.S Arabic and in 1911 became Chief Lieutenant in the Royal Navy Reserve and was promoted to Chief Officer on the RMS Olympic.
Olympic was virtually identical to her younger sister Titanic, excluding a few minor differences such as the lowered boat deck, to avoid splashing the passengers with sea spray. Wilde served as the Chief Officer on both liners. His position meant that if the Captain was unable to make any decisions for any reason. The responsibility would pass to the Chief Officer.
Wilde’s first voyage with the Olympic was skippered under the command of Captain Edward John Smith. A person who would go on to play a big part on Wilde’s last voyage. It was the same trip that Olympic had accidentally been in a collision with the H.M.S Hawke on September 20th 1911, just a day before Wilde’s 38th birthday.
After the incident with the H.M.S Hawke, the Olympic was skippered under Captain James Herbert Haddock, Haddock had originally been listed as the captain of Titanic but swapped at last minute. Wilde, however, did not sail under the command of Captain Haddock. But amongst the crew was: William Murdoch (1st officer) , Joseph Bell ( Chief Engineer), Herbert McElroy ( Chief Purser) and William O’Loughlin ( Chief Surgeon) all these men would later serve of the Titanic as staff alongside Henry Wilde.
Wilde’s Own Tragedy:
Just two years before Wilde would step on board the RMS Titanic as her Chief Officer, Wilde’s wife Mary Catherine Jones and two twin sons died, the suspected cause of death was Scarlet Fever. Wilde had four children who survived: Harry, Arnold, Nancy and Jane. Wilde’s last address before embarking Titanic is listed as number 24, Gray Road, Walton, Liverpool.
A Change in Staff
Whilst assigning positions on the RMS Titanic in Southampton, Wilde had not been included and instead was to remain Chief Officer on the RMS Olympic and the position of Chief Officer on the Titanic would be undertaken by David Blair. However, the last-minute swap of Captain Haddock being replaced by Captain Smith caused a re-shuffle in staff. Smith swapped Blair and he was posted as Chief Officer on the RMS Olympic. Henry Wilde was promoted to Chief officer on the RMS Titanic.
Titanic Connections
Wilde served as Chief Officer on the RMS Titanic. His accommodation would have been in the officer’s quarters. Their living space could be found on the boat deck just next to the Captain’s bridge. Wilde had a salary of £25 a month. He was responsible for any final checks the Titanic had to go through before sailing on April 10th, 1912. Wilde is famously noted for saying “I still don’t like this ship” in a letter he had posted to his sister at Queenstown.
April 14th, 1912,
Wilde had been on the bridge the night Titanic struck the iceberg. Although, he wasn’t there at 11:40pm he had been passing by the bow section close to where Titanic had hit. He then joined Captain Smith and the ship’s designer Thomas Andrews to discuss the fate of Titanic.
Wilde oversaw uncovering the even numbered boats on the port side an instruction he’d been given by Quartermaster Alfred Olliver. It is known that Wilde had ordered that fifth officer Harold Lowe to take charge of lifeboat 14. It is also recorded that Wilde had asked Lightoller where the firearms were kept and was led to the First Officer’s cabin where the pistols and munition was kept. Wilde did not use his pistol at all. It was fifth officer Lowe who shot his pistol three times at roughly 1:30 am and Lightoller had briefly used his to force two men out of the lifeboats at gunpoint, but he did not shoot. This could have been a potential group of firemen aboard the ship who had tried in vain to board a lifeboat but were promptly driven out by Wilde.
Bruce Ismay
It’s known that Henry Wilde was in charge of loading of collapsible C. the same boat that Managing Director of the White Star Line J. Bruce Ismay had jumped in. it’s often debated that apparently Bruce Ismay had been told to get in the boat by Henry Wilde. However, Wilde was rather strict, and his activities conclude he only allowed Women and Children so this accusation of Ismay being ordered to get in the boat remains a Titanic myth.
Wilde’s last appearance was allegedly on the boat deck where he was seen frantically trying to release collapsible A and B from the roof of the Officer’s quarters. Both collapsible A and B were washed straight off the deck. Wilde did not survive the sinking and his body was never recovered. He does have a headstone in his memory in Kirkdale Cemetery.
As always, I’ll leave a few external links about Henry Wilde
Have a Titanic rest of your day, Millie.
Encyclopaedia Titanica: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/henry-tingle-wilde.html
Liverpool Museum blog: https://blog.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/2018/04/he-was-a-fine-fellow-henry-t-wilde-and-titanic/
National Archives: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/titanic/stories/henry-tingle-wilde.htm
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