Thomas Whiteley

[Kathy W. Padgett]

I am looking for any and all information about a Thomas Whiteley. I think he was a steward, I'm not sure. My maiden name is Whiteley and my father's family is from England. Thank you.

Kathy W. Padgett
Charleston, South Carolina

 

[Walter Jenny Jr.]

I publish a Whiteley family newsletter, and would like to find out what happened to Thomas Whiteley, the Titanic steward who escaped on Collapsible B and was picked up by the Carpathian. He suffered a broken leg and frostbite, and was hospitalized at St. Luke's. He gave several interviews to investigators and reporters. Thank you.
Walter Jenny Jr.
[email protected]

 

[John Curran]

Has it been determined whether Thomas Whiteley, steward, was the same man "Tom" Whiteley who had a short career as an actor and screenwriter? "Tom" claimed a connection to Titanic, can this be proven?

Is there, if fact, any information available on the steward Thomas Whiteley after his lawsuit against the White Star Line in 1914?

Thank you for any information.

John

 

[Jim Kalafus]

>"Tom" claimed a connection to Titanic, can this be proven?

Check out the James Whale film Journey's End. It is revived from time to time. Tom Whiteley has limited screen time but resembles THE Tom Whiteley in his few moments onscreen enough to make this interesting.

I've never been able to find a print of Merely Mary Anne, in which he played a part. It was in the publicity surrounding this film that we first found the actor, Tom Whiteley, linked to the Titanic.

In the "pro" column:

~He somewhat resembles the Titanic survivor.
~His story is factually accurate.
~Thomas Whiteley was obscure enough, even in 1912, to make it unlikely that anyone would find P.R. value in exploiting his name 19 years later.

In the minus column:

~ The resemblance isn't so incredibly strong that you'd sit up going "It's him! It's HIM!" as he appeared onscreen.

~His biggest screen role is MIA.

~The primary sources for the story are his hometown newspaper, and the pressbook for Merely Mary Anne. Hometown papers and pressbooks are not noted for their fidelity to truth.

At the moment, I'd say "Probably Is" but would not bet money on it.

 

[John Curran]

Thank you, Jim.

Would you be willing to share biographical information from his (Tom Whiteley's) story?

Was his hometown in the late 1920's and early 1930's still Manchester, England--- did he ever move permanently to the US while making those films?

Thanks again,

John

 

[John Curran]

Also wondering whether those movies were filmed in Hollywood, CA?

 

[John Curran]

One more question: we know Thomas Whiteley stated his age as 18 in 1912,so he was born either in 1894 or 1893. Is there an exact birthdate known for this man? Thank you, John

 

[John Curran]

Is there any information about whether Thomas Whiteley continued as a White Star Line employee, even as he filed suit against them?

 

[John Curran]

There was a Thomas Whiteley who served as a steward on the Celtic in 1924, born the same year as the Thomas Whiteley who served as steward on Titanic. Considering that Thomas Whiteley filed suit against the White Star Line in 1914 on the grounds that Titanic was unseaworthy, is it likely that he would have remained in the employment of White Star?

Thank you.

 

[Mike Poirier]

Excellent piece of detective work Phil. I enjoyed reading it.

 

[Jim Kalafus]

Me, too. And, best of all, there is likely more to come!

 

[Encyclopedia Titanica]

Thanks guys.

A huge number of loose ends to tie up but a very interesting and intriguing story.

I wanted to pick a person that there seemed to be practically no information about and John Curran piqued my interest with his queries on the board about whether or not Thomas Whiteley was the Hollywood actor. I have to say it is still not quite clear cut...

Titanic > Law suit > The RAF > Broadway >
Hollywood > Deep diving adventures > Lusitania > RAF again... too good to be true???

... and finding reliable and cooperative sources is tricky! No doubt we'll fill in a lot of the gaps as time goes on. If you find out anything let me know!

Phil

 

[Tad G. Fitch]

Very interesting article, looking forward to seeing what else you guys turn up.

 

[George L. Lorton]

It's pretty interesting. I'm an old Hollywood buff and it's pretty neat that there might be this tie between Hollywood and Titanic. Is there any movies Whiteley might of been in.

 

[George L. Lorton]

I looked at Whiteley's Bio and found the Movies Mr Whiteley was in. Or might of been? I was going to write a novel once about a girl who became a star after surviving the Titanic. Corney but fun. Early Hollywood and Titanic being so close in years but I thought it was too unbelievable. This connection is stranger then fiction. Looking forward to the article.