The Officer Who Could Not Forget: Herbert Pitman of the Titanic
Herbert John Pitman was born on the 20th of November 1877 in the village of Sutton Montis in Somerset, England. He was the son of a farmer, but sadly his father died when Herbert was just three years old, leaving his mother to raise the family alone before she remarried.
At 17, in 1895, Pitman chose to start a life at sea. He trained and then worked his way through the ranks, eventually qualifying as a Master Mariner in August 1906. Over the years, he gained experience across several shipping lines before joining the White Star Line, thia is where his career really began to take shape.
In early 1912, Pitman received orders that he needed to report for duty and join the crew of the RMS Titanic as Third Officer. When the ship departed Southampton on the 10th of April 1912, he was involved in the careful, controlled process of departure. At that point, there must have been a huge amount of pride.
The night of the 14th of April 1912 changed everything. When the Titanic hit the iceberg, Pitman was off duty and resting in his quarters. The impact woke him, though it did not immediately seem to be a huge issue. He later described it as feeling like the ship had come gently to a stop. There was no immediate panic, no sense of the tragedy that was about to unfold.
Once informed of the situation, Pitman was ordered to assist with the lifeboats. He was placed in charge of Lifeboat No. 5. Before he left, Chief Officer William Murdoch shook his hand and wished him luck. Pitman himself did not believe the ship would sink. Like many others, he likely thought this was just a precaution.
As Lifeboat No. 5 was lowered, Pitman followed orders to wait near the ship to take on more passengers. When this failed, and as time passed, the reality of the situation began to become clear. From a distance of only a few hundred yards, he watched the Titanic sink.
The moment that would stay with him for the rest of his life was hearing the cries of those in the freezing water, Pitman suggested rowing back to rescue any survivors. But fear of those in the lifeboat stopped him. They were worried the boat would be overwhelmed and dragged under. Faced with their adamant refusal, he did not return. Later in life, he admitted he carried a huge amount of guilt for not going back.
He was rescued the following morning by the RMS Carpathia and taken to New York, where he gave evidence at the official inquiries into the disaster. He then returned to England and testified once again. It must have been so difficult to have to relive that night over and over and to also find the words for something so traumatic.
Despite everything, Pitman continued his career at sea. He remained with the White Star Line, and later served on ships like the Olympic. A change in policy made him fail a colour vision test, which forced him to move from deck officer duties. He went then to work as a purser.
When the First World War began, Pitman served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He worked aboard troopships, including RMS Teutonic, and was later commissioned as a Lieutenant. He served as a Stores Officer on a destroyer and was eventually promoted to Lieutenant Commander. He was awarded the 1914–15 Star, the Victory Medal, and the Reserve Decoration.
In the 1920s, he moved to a new shipping line and married Mildred “Mimi” Kalman in 1922. She sadly died in 1933.
During the Second World War, Pitman returned to service at sea, working as a purser aboard RMS Mataroa.
He finally retired in 1946 after more than 50 years at sea. He lived in Somerset with family.
Herbert Pitman died on the 7th of December 1961 at the age of 84. By then, he was one of the last surviving officers of the Titanic.
In moments of unimaginable pressure, how do we judge the decisions people make-and could any of us truly know what we would have done in their place?
Image info:
Titanic officer and survivor Herbert Pitman
Date: before 1912
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