Henry Philip Creese

Henry Philip "Harry" Creese ¹ was born in Falmouth, Cornwall, England during the Spring of 1867 and he was later baptised on 19 June that year.

He was the son of Charles John Creese (1827-1920), a coastguard, and Jane Reed (1826-1919) who had married in Stoke Damerel, Devon in 1852. His mother was Cornish whilst his father was a native of Stoke Damerel. They appear to have spent several years living in Co Mayo, Ireland in the coastal town of Westport where Charles Creese was supposedly the coastguard. Several of Henry's siblings were born there. His known siblings were: William (b. 1857) James Reed (b. 1860), Emma (b. 1863), Maryanne (b. 1865) and Hannah (b. 1870).

The family appear on the 1871 census living at an address in Falmouth but apparently moved back to Ireland and spent time living in Belfast and Co Down. Henry served his apprenticeship at Harland & Wolff, garnering a second class engineer's certificate, and went on to serve in various shipping companies, including Head Line Shipping and Ulster Steamship Company before joining White Star Line around 1898. He had also spent time with the Isle of Wight Steam Packet Company and served aboard the steam yacht Maund.

Henry was married in Cardiff, Wales in 1894 to Elizabeth Anne Incledon Napton (b. 1871 in Gwennap, Falmouth, Cornwall, daughter of William Incledon Napton and Eliza Jane Nicholes). The couple would have three children: Dorothy Victoria Annie (1897-1938, later Mrs Andrew Chalmers), Henry William (1899-1905) and Gladys Mary (1903-1983, later Mrs Stanley Greening).

The family appear on the 1901 census living at 46 Emerson Road, Poole, Dorset and Henry was described as a marine engineer. They would move to Southampton within the next few years and show up on the 1911 census at 2 Enfield Grove, Woolston.

When he signed on for Titanic on 6 April 1912, he gave his address in Southampton as 2 Enfield Grove, Woolston. His previous ship had been the Olympic and as a deck engineer he received monthly wages of £10, 10s.

Henry was lost in the sinking. His body, if recovered, was never identified. His widow and two children were later financially assisted by the Titanic Relief Fund as Class C dependents.

His widow was never remarried and remained living in Southampton, later at 54 Janson Road. She died on 8 February 1937. His last surviving child, Gladys, died in Southampton in 1983 aged 80.

Henry is remembered on the Engineers Memorial, East Park, Southampton, the Liverpool Titanic and Engineers memorial, the Glasgow Institute of Marine Engineers memorial and the Institute of Marine Engineers memorial, London. He is named on the family grave at Hollybrook Cemetery, Lordswood, Southampton. The inscription reads:

He also is remembered on the family grave at Falmouth Cemetery, Falmouth, Cornwall. The inscription reads as above, he has a Memorial brick in his name in the Woolston, Southampton, Millennium Garden known as the Feathers in Victoria Road Woolston, which opened in April 2002

He is also remembered on a gravestone in Ford Park Cemetery, Plymouth, Devon, the inscription reads: