Identifying crew in photos

Resuming with the IDs, I thought this one of a group of stewards during the British Inquiry was a good choice. It was taken later than those pictures we’ve been examining but its quality and lightning conditions make it easier to work with, and I think the IDs for this one haven’t been worked out yet. Besides, it might help with the other photographs as well.
View attachment 48430

#1 - Arthur Lewis
View attachment 48431
Beginning with #1, I first thought of Frederick Ray and William Lucas (the steward), but wasn’t quite convinced. Then I ran across Arthur Lewis (27), and having a look at his personal data, I found he was 5' 10" tall, which stands perfectly for the height of this #1 man.

#2 - Harold Phillimore
View attachment 48432
#2 seems to be fairly easy, as all his facial traits match with Harold Phillimore’s, including that particular frown.

#3 - Jacob Gibbons?
View attachment 48433
With #3 I have some doubts, but I'd make a bet on Jacob Gibbons with some good similarities between both.

#4 - Joseph Chapman
View attachment 48434
To complete the resemblance of our fourth man to Joseph Chapman, just add a moustache on the latter and it works perfectly.

#5 - Henry Reginald Lee
View attachment 48435
Resulting from a first scan for similarities with available profiles, I’d pick Henry Reginald Lee as a quite convincing candidate.

#6 - Walter Williams
View attachment 48436
At first sight this one man may look like the oldest of the group, but apparently no match comes forth from checking the available and known pictures of surviving stewards. So with an estimation of age and height I started guessing among the unpictured men, when I found a couple of stewards photographs, and there was a man with a similar look and also wearing clothes similar to the man in question; without the cap, in this other pictures, his facial features are a bit more appreciated, and then it came to me that he had a high resemblance to steward Walter Williams (28).

#7 - John Hardy
View attachment 48437
Here stands this man with a slight sense of rank over the others but also some ambiguity around his identity as there are a couple crewmen who are similar to him, but I eventually decided a good bet would bet John Hardy.

#8 - James Hyland
View attachment 48438
Without difficulty I’d say this one lad is James Hyland.

#9 - Percy Ball
View attachment 48439
One of the shortest man in this photograph and most likely the youngest of all. Checking through the youngest survivors of the victualing crew, the best bet would be Percy Ball, who was 18 by then.

#10 - Allen Baggott
View attachment 48440
Yet another young lad, for whose identity Allen Baggot suits just right.

#11 - Horace Ross
View attachment 48441
With an unmistakable physiognomy, I’d say this one is the easiest ID for this picture.

#12 - Andrew Simmons
View attachment 48442
Another relatively easy identification here and we have steward Andrew Simmons, 5' 5" in height and whose facial traits and stature match quite right with this twelfth subject.

#13 - Charles Savage
View attachment 48443
Another tall young man here, and 23 years old Charles Savage is the best match without difficulty; being 5' 10½" tall, he coincides with this man’s stature (compare him with Simmons to the left).

#14 - Isaac Widgery?
View attachment 48444
Having found no pictures of this man, I filtered through the remainder unpictured stewards, and my strongest bet would be Isaac Widgery, 37 years old and 5' 10" tall.

#15 - Frank Port
View attachment 48445
And the last fellow is another easy ID, being Frank Port the chosen one, 22 years old and 5' 7½" tall.


Now there’s something interesting to remark, and that’s the fact that all these gentlemen were saved in the starboard after lifeboats, except Phillimore who was rescued from the water by lifeboat 14, and John Hardy, who left in collapsible D, the last boat lowered from Titanic davits.

Also, none of them were called to testify at that one Inquiry.
This is brilliant! Thanks so much!
 
Resuming with the IDs, I thought this one of a group of stewards during the British Inquiry was a good choice. It was taken later than those pictures we’ve been examining but its quality and lightning conditions make it easier to work with, and I think the IDs for this one haven’t been worked out yet. Besides, it might help with the other photographs as well.
View attachment 48430

#1 - Arthur Lewis
View attachment 48431
Beginning with #1, I first thought of Frederick Ray and William Lucas (the steward), but wasn’t quite convinced. Then I ran across Arthur Lewis (27), and having a look at his personal data, I found he was 5' 10" tall, which stands perfectly for the height of this #1 man.

#2 - Harold Phillimore
View attachment 48432
#2 seems to be fairly easy, as all his facial traits match with Harold Phillimore’s, including that particular frown.

#3 - Jacob Gibbons?
View attachment 48433
With #3 I have some doubts, but I'd make a bet on Jacob Gibbons with some good similarities between both.

#4 - Joseph Chapman
View attachment 48434
To complete the resemblance of our fourth man to Joseph Chapman, just add a moustache on the latter and it works perfectly.

#5 - Henry Reginald Lee
View attachment 48435
Resulting from a first scan for similarities with available profiles, I’d pick Henry Reginald Lee as a quite convincing candidate.

#6 - Walter Williams
View attachment 48436
At first sight this one man may look like the oldest of the group, but apparently no match comes forth from checking the available and known pictures of surviving stewards. So with an estimation of age and height I started guessing among the unpictured men, when I found a couple of stewards photographs, and there was a man with a similar look and also wearing clothes similar to the man in question; without the cap, in this other pictures, his facial features are a bit more appreciated, and then it came to me that he had a high resemblance to steward Walter Williams (28).

#7 - John Hardy
View attachment 48437
Here stands this man with a slight sense of rank over the others but also some ambiguity around his identity as there are a couple crewmen who are similar to him, but I eventually decided a good bet would bet John Hardy.

#8 - James Hyland
View attachment 48438
Without difficulty I’d say this one lad is James Hyland.

#9 - Percy Ball
View attachment 48439
One of the shortest man in this photograph and most likely the youngest of all. Checking through the youngest survivors of the victualing crew, the best bet would be Percy Ball, who was 18 by then.

#10 - Allen Baggott
View attachment 48440
Yet another young lad, for whose identity Allen Baggot suits just right.

#11 - Horace Ross
View attachment 48441
With an unmistakable physiognomy, I’d say this one is the easiest ID for this picture.

#12 - Andrew Simmons
View attachment 48442
Another relatively easy identification here and we have steward Andrew Simmons, 5' 5" in height and whose facial traits and stature match quite right with this twelfth subject.

#13 - Charles Savage
View attachment 48443
Another tall young man here, and 23 years old Charles Savage is the best match without difficulty; being 5' 10½" tall, he coincides with this man’s stature (compare him with Simmons to the left).

#14 - Isaac Widgery?
View attachment 48444
Having found no pictures of this man, I filtered through the remainder unpictured stewards, and my strongest bet would be Isaac Widgery, 37 years old and 5' 10" tall.

#15 - Frank Port
View attachment 48445
And the last fellow is another easy ID, being Frank Port the chosen one, 22 years old and 5' 7½" tall.


Now there’s something interesting to remark, and that’s the fact that all these gentlemen were saved in the starboard after lifeboats, except Phillimore who was rescued from the water by lifeboat 14, and John Hardy, who left in collapsible D, the last boat lowered from Titanic davits.

Also, none of them were called to testify at that one Inquiry.

I enjoyed looking at this. I think you have the IDs spot on. The resolution of the photo is incredible. There is another photo taken from almost the same spot which is labelled as being in Plymouth. Notice the ‘Matchless Pears’ (soap) advertisement sign behind which is also just visible in your photo. This photo has poor resolution and a different set of crew. Do you have other photos too?
1587415349991.jpeg
 
I enjoyed looking at this. I think you have the IDs spot on. The resolution of the photo is incredible. There is another photo taken from almost the same spot which is labelled as being in Plymouth. Notice the ‘Matchless Pears’ (soap) advertisement sign behind which is also just visible in your photo. This photo has poor resolution and a different set of crew. Do you have other photos too?
View attachment 48449
Yes, there are just a couple changes in the crewmen portrayed in that one.
I don't remember having another one of this particular group, but there are a couple more photos of the victualling crew during those days.
 
Hi guys. I’m new to this group so I don’t know if this has been asked before, but can anyone identify the young lads in this footage of some Titanic’s surviving crew? One looks very much like Allen Baggott (highlighted) and can the others be identified? Thank you.
BCD01C6E-D49D-43FE-BADD-1B829492FB1D.jpg
E1DEEB37-1CD3-4861-A16B-B2E49BD3BAB5.jpeg

 
Awesome! Are these actual pictures/footage of rescued crew? If so, they are super cool and do you have any more like them? Wow!

Hi Alex,

These are stills from footage of rescued crew on board the Carpathia I believe. There is very few footage like this, so I was hoping these guys could be identified. Just interesting as to why these guys were chosen to be filmed. I’d love to know who these guys are for certain.
 
Well, I have my doubts about those fellows being titanic crew. I've never seen that particular clip Benjamin attached above, but from what I know some shots of that group of young stewards was a fragment of a Gaumont's newsreel, which was entitled "Some of the heroes of the Titanic's crew picked up at sea".
It couldn't be anywhere else other than on board the Carpathia, or they wouldn't have had those lifebelts on.

But then you must remember that those days it would have been difficult to tell of the authenticity of the images displayed at the theatre's news shows, and there was great fascination for images of world events, so they could have literally had any other group of crewmen posing for that shot.
I remember that the complete Titanic newsreel also portrayed QM Sidney Humphreys misidentified as "Hitchens", and also a shot of Captain "Rostrum"!

Anyway, if we assume that this is a real Titanic crew shot, some two or three can be identified without much hesitation and of course with some imagination, namely the third and fourth lads from left to right, being Sidney Daniels (18) and Fred Hartnell (21) respectively. The guy you point out as Baggott is very similar, but there's another shot of this guy with the rest of the group, and paying close attention to him I would tell you he is not Allen Baggott.
 
Well, I have my doubts about those fellows being titanic crew. I've never seen that particular clip Benjamin attached above, but from what I know some shots of that group of young stewards was a fragment of a Gaumont's newsreel, which was entitled "Some of the heroes of the Titanic's crew picked up at sea".
It couldn't be anywhere else other than on board the Carpathia, or they wouldn't have had those lifebelts on.

But then you must remember that those days it would have been difficult to tell of the authenticity of the images displayed at the theatre's news shows, and there was great fascination for images of world events, so they could have literally had any other group of crewmen posing for that shot.
I remember that the complete Titanic newsreel also portrayed QM Sidney Humphreys misidentified as "Hitchens", and also a shot of Captain "Rostrum"!

Anyway, if we assume that this is a real Titanic crew shot, some two or three can be identified without much hesitation and of course with some imagination, namely the third and fourth lads from left to right, being Sidney Daniels (18) and Fred Hartnell (21) respectively. The guy you point out as Baggott is very similar, but there's another shot of this guy with the rest of the group, and paying close attention to him I would tell you he is not Allen Baggott.

Many thanks for this! These are early days for me in terms of research so your insightful knowledge is fantastic. There is another clip of the same guys shot from another angle, but this shorter clip is in the British Pathé Archives, so I assumed it would have some authenticity.

Of course photography was in its infancy and often grainy so people do look different in various pictures so it’s a case of matching facial features, hairlines etc. It’s a tough task, but if anyone can try and put a name to anyone else in this clip or photos it would be amazing.

Again, thank you for helping in identifying two!
 
1589101342002.jpg


1589101377053.jpg


1589101400734.jpg



1 - Probably Wilfred Seward, maybe Arthur McMicken?
1589101726045.jpg
1589101782322.jpg

2 - Edenser Edward Wheelton
1589101861070.jpg

3 - Albert Thomas
1589101873541.jpg

4 - Probably Frank Terril
1589101903319.jpg

5 - Frederick Crafter
1589101918298.jpg

6 - Fred Hartnell
1589101933284.jpg

7 - Probably Sidney Daniels
1589101986267.jpg

8 - unknown
9 - unknown
10 - Walter John Williams?
1589102029883.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 1589101745771.jpg
    1589101745771.jpg
    14.7 KB · Views: 184
Hi Michael,

Many, many thanks for this, this has been most helpful. That is some seriously impressive research! I am new to the group and am still very much an amateur in this, but I Thank You again for replying to this thread.

8 and 9 are still mysteries, although I did initially think that 8 was Allen Baggott, as in certain parts of the video he looks slightly different but I now know this isn’t the case.

At least I have some very clear clarification on these guys. You are fantastic!

Ben.
 
Hello Benjamin,

Thank you for your friendly answer. Allen Baggott is a very good guess, even though I think he looks more like 9 (nose and chin).

You can also see 9 and 10 in a picture with 2nd class survivor Sidney Collett.

Michael

1589190314514.jpg
 
Hi Michael,

This is wonderful. It’s only recently that I’ve really wanted to look at inidentifed crew members, and I have come to the right place!

Would you have any idea as to who 8 and 9 were at all? Would they have been Titanic crew or crew from the Carpathia maybe? It’s seems very difficult to be able to identify 8 - he is the one I’m most intrigued about. In the footage they are filmed from different angles and this guy seems a bit of a character. I’m desperate to know who he is! Maybe we’ll find out sooner or later.

But again, your help has been more than helpful. Thank you!

Ben.
 
Hello Ben,

I have been always irritated that the crew members in the footage look so cheerful. Frank Terrill even lost a brother in the sinking and still looks overjoyed. This shows once again that some survivors were very traumatized and other were highly unimpressed. In the footage we see many different people and some of them are certainly crew members of the Carpathia or reporters from New York. I marked these 10 people because I am sure that they are Titanic survivors.

8 and 9 wear typical clothes worn by stewards, kitchen hands and cooks on many ships during this time.

9 wears white trousers, a white jacket, black shoes and a White Star Line cap. This outfit was also worn by many crew members in Queenstown.

8 wears dark trousers and a white jacket. He also wears a kind of bandage around his head. I could not find any reports of crew members with such a head injury. Probably he wanted to dramatized his rescue.

There are some members of the victualling crew, of which there are no known photos or body discriptions. 8 seems to be a young man, so I have checked out all the men who might be 8. These men are:

- Frank Herbert Morris (28), Bathroom Steward, saved in lifeboat 14
- Reginald Hardwick (21), Kitchen Porter, saved in lifeboat 13
- George Frederick Crow (26), Saloon Steward, saved in lifeboat 14
- Fred Toms (29), Saloon Steward, saved in lifeboat 15
- Benjamin James Thomas (30), Saloon Steward, saved in lifeboat 15
- John Stewart (28), Verandah Steward, saved in lifeboat 15
- Percy Edward Keen (30), Saloon Steward, saved in lifeboat 15

Percy Edward Keen was a friend of Edenser Edward Wheelton (2). He is known to have been 5' 5' tall (1,65 m) and he had brown hair.

Michael
 

Attachments

  • hqdefault.jpg
    hqdefault.jpg
    42.7 KB · Views: 176
Last edited:
Back
Top