G'day Andrew -
I'd be very interested in seeing 1912 accounts that have Philimore rescued from the sea. I know that it was later claimed he spent a couple of hours in the water, but perhaps those better versed in crew accounts know of a source contemporary with the disaster?
I had wondered if perhaps he was a candidate for the 'second class steward' who gave several interviews to different newspapers on his return to England on the Lapland. This man, who was among the interviewed crew who didn't give their names, went into great detail about #14 and Harold Lowe's actions. One interesting claim he made was that, after 14 was dropped the last few feet while being lowered to the water, he was thrown out of the lifeboat and was pulled back in.
If not Philimore, one wonders who this man was? Crowe had been held back to give evidence in the States. Morris shared the unnamed crewman's admiration of Lowe, but he was a bath attendant. If not Philimore, is it possible that one of the surviving second class stewards has been 'misallocated' to the wrong lifeboat?
