Henry Wilde |
|
---|---|
Biological Information | |
Full name |
Henry Tingle Wilde |
Gender |
Male |
Born |
21 September 1872 |
Death |
15 April 1912 (age 39) |
Cause |
Perished on Titanic |
Background Information | |
Family |
Elizabeth Tingle of Loxley (mother) |
Romances |
Mary Catherine Jones (wife) |
Hometown |
Walton, Liverpool |
Religion |
Christian |
Titanic Statistics | |
Boarded |
Southampton, England |
Destination |
New York, U.S.A |
Occupation |
Chief Officer |
Class |
Titanic Crew |
Fate |
Died of Hypothermia |
Production | |
Classification |
Historical character |
Portrayal |
Chief Officer Henry Tingle Wilde was born at the Loxley Congregational Chapel in Bradfield, Yorkshire on 24 October 1872. He was the son of Henry Wilde, an insurance surveyor from Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire. His mother was Elizabeth Tingle of Loxley, Bradfield. Henry went to sea in his teens. He apprenticed with Messrs. James Chambers & Co., Liverpool. His apprenticeship began on 23 October 1889, onboard the 1835-ton Greystoke Castle, and concluded four years later on 22 October 1893. From there, he served as third mate aboard the Greystoke Castle, and then moved on to third mate of the 1374-ton Hornsby Castle. His first steamship posting was aboard the S.S. Brunswick in 1895, where he served initially as third mate, then as second mate. In 1896, he transferred to the S.S. Europa and served aboard her as second mate. In July 1897, he joined the White Star Line.
Starting as a junior officer, Wilde rose steadily through the ranks while serving on several White Star ships. These included the Covic, Cufic, Tauric, and Delphic. Tragedy struck in December 1910 when Wilde's wife and twin sons Archie and Richard died. In August 1911, Wilde became Chief Officer of Titanic's sister, the RMS Olympic, where he served under Titanic's future and ill-fated captain, Edward Smith.
Appearance[]
Wilde was first seen after the collision with the iceberg, he checks the condition of the ship with Thomas Andrews, Edward Smith and John Hutchinson. He is later seen in Chart Room where he stands next to Murdoch. Wilde leads the uncovering of the boats and explains to Thomas Andrews that no one will come outside to be loaded because it's "too damn cold and noisy". He also stands next to Lightoller when Second officer ask Captain Smith if he can start fill boats with women and children. In the loading of the boats, Wilde is the officer in charge of the lowering of the boat Rose DeWitt Bukater gets into (he's the officer waving his arms in slow motion). Wilde is also the officer loading with Murdoch when the final plunge begins and Murdoch shoots Thomas Ryan and another passenger — and then himself. Wilde shouts, "No, Will!", but was too late. Caledon Hockley then approaches Wilde with the child in his arms and Wilde lets him through.
As the water rushes up on to the last two boats, Wilde screams for the crew to cut the falls on Collapsible Lifeboat A. He can be seen holding his pistol butt first.
In the water, Wilde floats on a deck chair and blows his whistle calling to "Return the boats!".
He died shortly after from hypothermia, clutching a deck chair near Jack and Rose. Rose takes his whistle and uses it to bring attention to herself, as Lowe's lifeboat is nearby. Overall, he was a heroic sailor who put others above himself, a polar opposite of Cal, who scrambled and lied to save his own skin. He posthumously saved Rose's life, for if he did not own a whistle there would have no way for Rose to alert Lifeboat 14, and she would have arguably drowned or died of hypothermia as well.
External links[]
Henry Wilde on Wikipedia
- Henry Wilde at Titanic Wiki
- Henry Wilde at Find a Grave