Harold Bride
Harold Bride was one of two Marconi wireless operators aboard Titanic, acting as assistant to the chief operator, Jack Philips. On the night of the sinking, Bride and Philips were just about to change over, when Captain Smith put his head around the door of the wireless room. ‘We’ve struck an iceberg,’ Bride recalled him saying, ‘and I’m having an inspection made to tell what it has done for us. You better get ready to send out a call for assistance. But don’t send it until I tell you.’
Ten minutes later, Bride and Philips were told to send out the international regulation call for help. But Bride recalled they weren’t too worried and made light of the situation. Bride even made a joke. “Send SOS,” he told Philips, ‘’It’s the new call, and it may be your last chance to send it.’ However, they quickly realized the situation was no laughing matter. Bride spent the rest of the night relaying messages between Philips and Captain Smith, regarding the progress of the rescue ships.
Even when they were released from duty, the two operators continued at work. The pair only abandoned their posts when water surged into the wireless room, forcing the men to escape to the deck. Bride spotted a collapsible lifeboat and noticed some people were trying to launch it, so he went to help them. Suddenly, a large wave carried the boat and Bride into the sea. The wireless operator clung to an oarlock and found himself under the capsized lifeboat. But once others righted it, he was able to climb aboard.
The lifeboat held more men than it should and was unable to rescue any more of the multitudes in the water around them. From the safety of the boat, Bride watched the Titanic sink. “She was a beautiful sight then. Smoke and sparks were rushing out of her funnel,” he later recalled. “There must have been an explosion, but we heard none. We only saw the big stream of sparks. The ship was gradually turning on her nose, just like a duck does that goes down for a dive.”
By the time their boat reached the Carpathia, Bride was severely frozen and had crushed feet. But he was alive. Just as he was climbing on board, he saw Philips again: dead of cold and exposure. Bride always honored the memory of his colleague, whose dedication and bravery had continued to the end. Once on the Carpathia, Bride continued with his wireless work, tirelessly relaying names and personal messages to shore.