Jack Phillips:
Senior Wireless Operator



Name: John George "Jack" Phillips
Born: 11 April 1887
Died: 15 April 1912
Education: Alcorn State University
Nationality: British
Occupation: Wireless telegraphist

John George Phillips was the senior wireless officer aboard the Titanic. On the evening of April 14th, Phillips had been exceptionally busy clearing a backlog of messages caused by a wireless breakdown. His alleged failure to respond to incoming signals is cited as a principal cause of the disaster, althought this is debatable. When the steamship Mesaba sent an ice alert, he acknowledged it, but it is claimed he failed to pass it on to the bridge. Another from the nearby SS Californian was ignored altogether. After they struck the iceberg, however, Phillips was seen to be doing his utmost to contact other ships for assistance. There are contradictory reports of his death, and his body was never found.

Second Officer Lightoller:
Defends the Accuracy of His Titanic Accounts

Junior wireless operator Harold Bride.

In January 1936, an abridged version of Lightoller's book was serialised in the Dundee "Evening Telegraph" over the course of several days (January 13th - January 15th, 1936). This was followed by two published complaints - firstly from Titanic second wireless operator Harold Bride on the 15th of January 1936, followed by T.J. O'Donnell, the General Secretary of the Association of Wireless and Cable Telegraphists. They complain at the portrayal of the wireless operators failing to deliver a vital wireless message to the bridge and also raise doubts over Lightoller's testimony at the Inquiries. Lightoller himself then defends the accuracy of his book and his eyewitness testimony on January 29, 1936. The letters are reprinted in full here.

The first letter is from junior wireless operator Harold Bride, defending his late colleague Jack Phlllips.

Dundee, The Evening Telegraph, Wednesday January 15, 1936.

Operator's Reply to Commander Lightoller
To the Editor of the Telegraph and Post

Sir,—Referring to your article by Commander Lightoller on the sinking of the Titanic, I would like to add a word of explanation for your readers regarding what he described as "The vital wireless message."

Jack Phillips, the senior telegraphist of the Titanic, was one of the most skilful and experienced operators then in the service of the Marconi Company, hence his appointment to the Titanic, whilst myself as second telegraphist ensured a thoroughly competent wireless station being maintained.

At the Board of Trade inquiry, which is recognised for all purposes as being officially correct, no proof was available that the Mesaba message was ever received aboard the Titanic. Had it been received, I say with all sincerity that Jack Phillips would have realised its importance and immediately communicated it to the bridge, for the mysteries of latitude and longitude were not confined to navigating officers.

If Commander Lightoller knew about the Mesaba message, as he claims, why did he not say so at the Board of Trade inquiry, and not wait until this late day to throw doubts on the efficiency of a very gallant gentleman who died procuring aid for Commander Lightoller and 701 other fortunate survivors?

Jack Phillips would have been the first to disclaim having done anything spectacular or heroic, but his calm efficiency resulted in the survivors being safely landed in New York. Such efficiency does not go with putting urgent ice warnings under paper weights and promptly forgetting them.

I am, &c.,
Harold S. Bride, Mansfield Road, Scone.

Three days later, on January 18th, 1936, T.J. O'Donnell, the General Secretary of the Association of Wireless and Cable Telegraphists, also wrote into the newspaper to complain on behalf of Harold Bride, but misquotes Lightoller, erroneously using a rather inaccurate version of Bride's testimony, instead of Lightoller's, to try and make his point.

“The Night the Titanic Struck"

To the Editor of the Telegraph and Post.

Sir—My attention has been called to the article, "The Night the Titanic Struck,” by Commander Lightoller, which you published on Monday, January 13, 1936, and I have, on behalf of the British Marine Wireless Personnel and those intimately concerned, to protest most vigorously.

Commander Lightoller says in his article :-

The one vital report that came through but which never reached the bridge, was received at 9-40 p.m. from the Mesaba stating “Ice report in Latitude 42N to 41-25N. Long. 49 to Long. 50-30 W. Saw much heavy pack ice, and great number large icebergs. Also field ice. Weather good, clear.

Phillips, the wireless operator on watch who received the message was not to know the extreme urgency of the warning or hat we were at the time actually entering the area given by the Mesaba, and are literally packed with icebergs, field ice and growlers.

He was very busy working wireless messages to and from Cape Race, also with his accounts. The junior operator, Bride, of course, knew noting about this vital warning, being off duty, and turned-in. Later, when standing with others on the upturned boat, Phillips explained when I said that I did not recollect any Mesaba report: “I just put the message under a paper weight at my elbow, just until I squared up what I was doing before sending it to the Bridge.”

We give you hereunder the relevant part of Commander Lightoller's evidence at the Board of Trade's inquiry, presided over by Lord Mersey, which js as follows. If you will look up the official report you will find this:

Brides’ Evidence re. Californian Message.

Commander—This is the only ice message that you can tell us anything about? —It was the only ice message.
As I understand you, from the time you received that message (Californian) until the Titanic sank so far as you are concerned there was no other ice report ?—No.
Did you have any conversation at all with Phillips about ice messages?—No.
Nothing passed between you ?—Nothing at all.
The only ice messages that you heard anything at all about was the ice message from the Californian?-That was the only one.
Now, be very careful. Is it the only one that you have heard anything at all about while you were on the Titanic?—The only one.
The only one you either know of or heard of?—Yes.

Now, if Commander Lightoller knew at that time of the Mesabas message, then he had every opportunity of disclosing the fact.

The, point which I am endeavoring to make will be obvious to all your readers, and I do hope in the interests of the public's conscience and the great regard which they have for the integrity and heroism of the personnel of the British Marine Wireless Service you will give similar publicity to this letter as you have done to “ The Night the Titanic Struck."

T. J. O'Donnell, Genera) Secretary, Association of Wireless and Cable Telegraphists.

Charles Herbert Lightoller

Lightoller replies to both letters of complaint on January 29th, 1936, and defends the accuracy of his account, maintaining that failure to receive the "Mesaba" message was indeed fatal. It is a very specific and unusually accurate statement from Lightoller, clearly referencing the British Inquiry even by page number. If only he had written his book with a similar mindset! In his letter he firstly refutes that he held back evidence on the Mesaba ice warning, re-emphasises its importance, then goes further to show that other messages failed to reach the bridge, and then quotes Bride's testimony where he said he was too busy with accounts to take down the Californian's initial message. He then points out that O'Donnell had misquoted him, the quoted conversation was actually Bride.

THE LOSS OF THE TITANIC

COMMANDER LIGHTOLLER AND THE WIRELESS MESSAGE

To the Editor of the Telegraph and Post.

Sir.—-Your issues of the 15th and 18th January have been forwarded for my notice.

At the outset let me say that I do not wish to open any controversy or attribute the slightest blame to any individual for the Titanic disaster, but the letters published in your paper of the 15th and 18th instant by Harold S. Bride and T. J. O'Donnell general secretary of the Association of Wireless and Cable Telegraphists, seem to challenge the truth of the statements that I have written and you have published.

First may I say that I tried to pay full tribute to the coolness and courage exhibited by the passengers and crew of the Titanic, though their magnificent behaviour was actually beyond all praise. I endeavoured to set forth as clearly as possible my wholly dispassionate and unbiased view of the circumstances surrounding that tragic night, including the events leading up to the loss of that magnificent ship.

I yet maintain, as officer of the watch from 8 to 10 p.m. that night, and in further defence of that splendid officer W. M. Murdoch, who followed me on watch from 10 p.m. to the moment of collision, that had the Mesaba message been received by the bridge, and in reasonable time, the Titanic would not have been lost.

Referring now to Mr Bride's letter in which he says:-

"At the Board of Trade inquiry, which is recognised for all purposes as being officially correct, no proof was available that the Mesaba message was ever received aboard the Titanic... If Commander Lightoller knew about the Mesaba message, as he claims, why did he not say so at the Board of Trade inquiry, and not wait until this late day to throw doubts on the efficiency of a very gallant gentleman who died procuring aid for Commander Lightoller and 701 other fortunate survivors."

In answer I will quote direct from:-

"Report of a formal investigation into the circumstances attending the foundering, on 15th April, of the British steamship Titanic, of Liverpool, after striking ice in or near latitude 41 deg. 46 min. N longitude 50 deg. 14 min. W., North Atlantic Ocean, whereby loss of life ensued. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of His Majesty." On Page 27 the Wreck Commissioner's (Lord Mersey) report reads :-

There was a fifth message received in the Marconi room of the "Titanic" at 9.40 p.m. This was from a steamer called the "Mesaba." It was in the following terms: -

'From 'Mesaba' to 'Titanic' and all east-bound ships. Ice report in lat. 42° N. to 41° 25' N., long. 49° to long. 50° 30' W. Saw much heavy pack ice and great number large icebergs. Also field ice. Weather good, clear.' This message (Lord Mersey continues) clearly indicated the presence of ice in the immediate vicinity of the "Titanic," and if it had reached the bridge would perhaps have affected the navigation of the vessel. Unfortunately, it does not appear to have been delivered to the Master or to any of the officers. The Marconi operator was very busy from 8 o'clock onward transmitting messages via Cape Race for passengers on board the "Titanic," and the probability is that he failed to grasp the significance and importance of the message, and put it aside until he should be less busy. It was never acknowledged by Captain Smith, and I am satisfied that it was not received by him. "

I am inclined to think that this statement by Lord Mersey disposes of the accusation that I withheld essential evidence at the inquiry or that the Mesaba message was not received on board the Titanic.

Furthermore.- I will supplement Lord Mersey's conclusion that this message "would perhaps have affected the navigation of the vessel." by stating categoriqally that the officer in charge of that ship and those hundreds of lives who received that dire warning and who did not at once take the necessary precautions would then have been guilty of downright criminal negligence and deserving the most rigorous punishment.

As to the charge of withholding either "essential evidence " or my conviction regarding the terrible importance of the Mesaba's message, allow me to give again my opinion as stated before Lord Mersey and in answer to Sir Robert Finlay's question to me:—

You have heard the “Mesaba” message, of course? - Yes.
Is that a message which, if the Captain or any officer had got, he could have failed to communicate to his colleagues? - I think had that message been delivered, even to the Captain, he would immediately have brought the message out personally to the bridge; he would not even have sent it out, and he would have seen it was communicated to all the senior officers, as well as distinctly marked on the chart. It was of the utmost importance.
And of a somewhat startling character? - Extremely so.

I may mention here that the Mesaba's message was not the only ice report that failed to reach the bridge, and though not actually reporting ice in our course there seems to be little excuse for its failure to reach responsible hands—-and those hands are the Captain's or those of the officer on the bridge, who is in sole charge of the sbip during his watch and responsible for her safety.

Such a message was passed through the Titanic by the German steamer Amerika to the hydrographic office in Washington reporting icebergs, to which the Commissioner refers in the following words:-

"Being a message affecting navigation it should, in the ordinary course, have been taken to the bridge. So far as can be ascertained it was never heard of by anyone on board the Titanic outside the Marconi room."

The Amerika message, however did not convey the vital significance of that contained in the Mesaba report.

Regarding the last paragraph where Mr Bride says:—

"Such efficiency does not go with putting urgent ice warnings under paper weights and promptly forgetting them."

may I again quote from the official evidence regarding another ice message this time from the Californian:-

Sir Robert Finlay—You knew it was an ice message? - Yes.
I think you stated to the Attorney-General that you were engaged in adding up your accounts? - Yes.
And then you went on adding up your accounts, and paid no attention to this message? - No.
Then some time afterwards, I forget whether you gave us the time, you happened to hear it repeated? - Yes, that is correct.
Then you had not written it down when you heard it the first time? - No.
You knew it was a message to the “Titanic”? - Yes.
Reporting ice? - Yes.
You did not write it down? - No.
You took no notice of it at all, but went on adding up your accounts? - Yes.
Then, if you had not happened to hear that message repeated to another ship nothing would ever have been heard of that message? - Yes, it would.
Well, forgive me. It gave the latitude and longitude. You had written nothing down when the message first came? - No.
Do you suggest that without writing anything down, and being busy with accounts, you can trust yourself to carry in your head the latitude and longitude which had been given in the message? - No, I had read the text of the message, which mentioned three large bergs. I had not got the latitude and longitude, and I should have called the “Californian” if she had not transmitted it at a very short period afterwards, and asked her for the latitude and longitude.
The latitude and longitude you could not have carried in your head? - No.
The only way of getting that message would have been to call the “Californian” afterwards to get the latitude and longitude? - Yes.
You happened to hear it repeated, did you say, a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes afterwards? - Yes.
Are you sure about the time? - Yes.
Had you finished your accounts by that time? - No.
Were you still on your accounts? - Yes.

Referring to Mr Phillips (Senior Operator, who Jater died from exposure) and his explanation to me regarding the failure of the Mesaba message to reach the bridge,' namely, that he was busy with his accounts. Mr Bride's evidence reads as follows:—

Sir Robert Finlay- You know Phillips was engaged in communicating with Cape Race right on from half-past 8 to 10 minutes before the collision? - Apparently so, yes.
Well, have you any doubt about it? - No. I do not think so. I am judging by the amount of work that was got through. He was engaged during these hours from half-past 8 to 10 minutes before the collision in communicating with Cape Race these trade and private messages? - Yes.

And it was at 9.40 p.m.. according to Lord Mersey's finding, that the fateful Mesaba message was received by the Titanic.

Now, may I take just a little of your valuable space. sir. to refer to Mr O'Donnell who, in his letter of the 18th, writes:—

We give you hereunder the relevant part of Commander Lightoller's evidence at the Board of Trade's inquiry, presided over by Lord Mersey, which is as follows. If you will look up the official report you will find this:

Brides’ Evidence re. Californian Message.

Commander—This is the only ice message that you can tell us anything about? —It was the only ice message" &c.

This caption "Commander" should have read "The Commissioner" (meaning Lord Mersey) and follows with questions asked and answers given by Bride (not myself).

In actual fact the correct rendering of the evidence Mr O'DonneIl refers to is as follows:-

(The Commissioner.) I want to ask this witness (Bride) another question. (To the Witness.) The only ice message that you heard anything at all about was the ice message from the “Californian”? - That was the only one.
Now, be very careful. Is it the only one that you heard anything at all about while you were on the “Titanic”? - The only one.
Had you any conversation with Phillips about ice messages? - I cannot recall any.
Can you recall any conversation with Phillips in which he mentioned an ice message having been received by him? - No.
Then, so far as you know from your own knowledge, or from conversation which you had with anybody on board the ship, there was no ice message received, except the “Californian’s”? - As far as I am concerned, that was the only one.
The only one you either know of or heard of? - Yes.

In conclusion, and in what I hope may prove to be the last I shall ever write of that unforgettable tragedy, may I say. I regret that either Mr Bride or Mr O'Donnell should have found it necessary to make these statements or question known, facts.

I fully realise that some things would have been best left unsaid, therefore let me assure these gentlemen that in replying and quoting from the formal evidence I am trying to correct wrong impressions only.

I blame no one and justify no one. Captain Smith, Murdoch, and Phillips played their parts as men living up to the highest traditions of the sea, and all three finally made the great sacrifice.

Let no man question but that they acted up to their very highest ideals in that supreme tragedy—the loss of the Titanic. I am etc.,

C. H, Lightoller Commander R.N.R. (Ret.) Cockfosters, Herts.


Note: Thanks to Dr Paul Lee for the reproductions of the Dundee Evening Standard newspaper.

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