John Edward Hart: Dubious Hero

The inevitable conclusion of the above is that Hart, for whatever his own reasons, fabricated events before the Parliamentary Inquiry, giving a detailed description of delivering third class passengers to lifeboats that most likely never took place. On the other hand, Hart's description of events immediately after the accident, including the instruction to 'pass the women and children up', is consistent with those of other stewards. The testimony to the Parliamentary Inquiry of the third-class pantryman Albert Pearcey perhaps sheds light as to what may actually have been Hart's role that night. Pearcey testified to a system involving, a small cadre of second and third class stewards, possibly initiated by one of the chief stewards, organized to direct third class passengers, primarily male, coming out of the forward quarters along an alley running much of the length of E Deck aka 'Scotland Yard'). We quote here a section of Pearcey's testimony-an exchange with the Attorney General---at some length:

ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Then when you had done that [help passengers with lifebelts], where did you go?
PEARCEY: I passed all the passengers I could see forward to the Boat Deck.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL: How did you pass them forward to the Boat Deck?
PEARCEY: Through the emergency door.
ATTRONEY-GENERAL: Where was that emergency door to which you are referring?
PEARCEY: The one right forward
ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Where does it lead through?
PEARCEY: Right through the saloon companion.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL: What saloon?
PEARCEY: The first class.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Right through the first class saloon companion?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: That would be on the next deck, would it not, on the upper deck?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Deck E?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Would that be leading into the alleyway?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTRONEY-GENERAL: As the people came along there you passed them through this door, did you?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Where did the people come from?
PEARCEY: They came from forward.

ATTORNEY GENERAL: Were they men or women?
PEARCEY: All men , Sir.

ATTORNEY GENERAL: You passed them up to that door; did you give them any directions?
PEARCEY: Yes, passed the directions right up. There were stewards besides me.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Right up the whole way?
PEARCEY: Right through the saloon to the companion-right through that door right up the saloon companion leading to the top deck.

ATTORNEY GENERAL: And you and others directed them?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: And you and others directed them?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Were there stewards posted at stations all along the way?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: From forward?
PEARCEY: Yes.

ATTORNEY GENERAL: You were carrying out what you were told by the steward---to assist them up to the Boat Deck?
PEARCEY: Yes
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Did a great number of passengers come along that alleyway?
PEARCEY: Yes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Did you remain there until there were no more coming along the alleyway?
PEARCEY: As far as I could see.

ATTORNEY GENERAL: What did you do then?
PEARCEY: I went to the Boat Deck myself.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: What was the time then?
PEARCEY: Between one and half-past. It was nearly half-past one.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: You had nothing to do with the passengers who came from the afterpart of the ship?
PEARCY: No.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: When you found there were no more passengers coming along, you went up to the Boat Deck yourself?
PEARCEY: Yes. I went up to the Boat Deck myself.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Did the other stewards go with you?
PEARCEY; Yes.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: And those who had been stationed there and who had been assisting in the directions?
PEARCEY: Yes (Titanic Project, Brit. Inq., 1999: 10357-10388).

It is highly likely that Hart was one of the cadre of stewards Pearcey was talking about in this testimony; i.e., one of those who went up to the Boat Deck just before 1:30AM, having spent the previous time helping to those coming from the forward third class quarters toward the rear on E Deck. Lifeboat 15 not only contained a high proportion of male passengers, it also seems to have had in it one of the largest contingent of crew members, including stewards, amongst whom, of course, was Hart.[14] As already noted, Lifeboat 15 was launched at around 1:35AM. This is consistent with Pearcey's assertion that the group of stewards he was with left for the Boat Deck just prior to that time.

More direct evidence that Hart was one of the cadre of stewards mentioned by Pearcey , is that Hart himself, in testimony that is more or less ignored by Lord and Butler in rehearsing Hart's account, explicitly states that he also directed passengers along the main alley on E deck. This would have been prior to his putative two trips to the Boat Deck. Paralleling Pearcey's testimony, Hart testified as follows:[15]

HART: After that there was a large number of men coming from the forward part of the ship with their baggage, those that were berthed up forward-single men.
SOLICITOR GENERAL: Third class?
HART: Yes

SOLICITOR GENERAL: This is also on deck E?
HART: Yes.
SOLICITOR GENERAL: That would be down that alleyway?
HART: Yes, down to the afterpart of the ship.

COMMISSIONER: These men coming from the forward part of the ship would come along the alleyway and then go down a companion ladder and get to the dining saloon?
HART: Yes.
COMMISSIONER: On the deck below?
HART: Yes.
SOLICITOR GENERAL: Where was it you saw them?
HART: I saw them where I was placed in my part of the ship, where my people were.
SOLICITOR GENERAL: That is K and M?
HART: Yes, on the main alleyway.
SOLICITOR GENERAL: I think the next thing you will be able to tell us will be the further instructions as to where these people were to go?
HART: I waited about there with my peopleand waited for the chief third class steward, or some other Officer, or somebody in authority to give further orders. Mr. Kieran [third class Chief Steward] came back. He had been to sections S and Q, and R to see that those people also were provided with lifebelts.
SOLICITOR GENERAL: S and Q and R are all in the extreme afterpart of the ship are not they?
HART: That is correct.
SOLICITOR GENERAL: S is on Deck G, R is on deck F, and Q is on deck E, all in the extreme afterpart of the ship?
HART; Yes.
SOLICITOR GENERAL: He had been there to your knowledge?
HART: Yes, he had also his assistant with him, one by name, Sediginary [Sidney Sedunary] (Titanic Project, Brit. Inq., 1999: 9891-9908).

It is striking, that by his own account here, Hart was not himself situated during the time shortly after the accident, at the far extreme rear of the ship, where the third class passengers in his care were quartered. Rather, by his own testimony he was farther forward, nearer to his own quarters in fact.[16] There is a disconnect between this testimony of Hart's and his story of rescuing third class women and children, since the latter journeys presumably issued from the extreme rear of the ship. This lacuna is visible in various exchanges in the Parliamentary Inquiry (e.g., Titanic Project, Brit. Inq., 1999: 10200-10208). Whenever Hart is pressed about details of what it was like and who was in the far rear of the ship, how many passengers there were, who were the stewards working there and so on, he is uncharacteristically vague.

It is not unreasonable to infer, in the end, that Hart never went back to where the third class women and children were congregated. Having done some directing of traffic on Scotland Yard on E Deck, Hart most likely left with a small group of other stewards to the Boat Deck to join an even larger contingent of stewards being loaded into Lifeboat 15. Like most us, Hart was neither a hero nor a villain, or perhaps one might say he was a little of both. Given Pearcey's testimony, Hart probably did help direct third class passengers after the accident, although probably not too many women and children, and, by his own testimony, he did not direct them to the Boat Decks, but rather to the stern.[17] When the chance came to save himself he took it. And when the opportunity came to testify, he fashioned a tale which was uncritically repeated by Walter Lord. The rest, one might say is history.