Harold Lowe: The Titanic Officer Who Chose to Turn Back and Save Lives

Harold Lowe: The Titanic Officer Who Chose to Turn Back and Save Lives

I have been learning about some of the people who were on board the RMS Titanic. I want to tell you a little about Harold Lowe.

He was born on the 21st of November 1882 in North Wales. As a young boy he sadly lost his older brother, who died in a boating accident. You can only imagine the effect this would have had on him. He may well have seen the sea as offering opportunity, but also dangers.

Determined to make his own way in life, he ran away to sea when he was a teenager. He wanted to earn his place. Over the years, he worked on different ships and routes, and he steadily built up his experience. By 1911, when he joined the White Star Line, he had already seen a lot of the world and had proved to be capable. He boarded Titanic in April 1912 as Fifth Officer, this was his first crossing of the Atlantic.

On the night of the 14th of April 1912, everything changed for him and everyone else on board. After being woken after the collision, he very quickly realised the seriousness of the situation. At first, his role was to help load lifeboats, trying to keep some order as the fear and chaos began to grow. At one point, he was even forced to push back some who were trying to rush a boat. He was eventually put in charge of Lifeboat 14.

Lowe made a decision, he gathered the nearby lifeboats together, organised the survivors, and then chose to go back. It was not without risk, by the time he reached the area again, the cold had already sadly taken most lives, but he and his crew managed to pull a small number of people from the water and later rescued others from a swamped collapsible boat. It is often said his was the only lifeboat to deliberately return.

After being picked up by the RMS Carpathia, he like the others were faced with the aftermath. During the inquiries, he spoke plainly and sometimes quite sharply, maybe feeling frustrated at being questioned by people who had not lived through that night.

He continued his career at sea, later serving in the Royal Naval Reserve during the First World War, and eventually retired in 1931. He served his local community and even volunteered during the Second World War, though ill health did eventually slow him down. He died on the 12th of May 1944, at the age of 61, after suffering a stroke, he became the first of Titanic’s surviving officers to pass away.