Any idea which officer this is?

[Ryan Burns]

This is a crazy long shot and I'm sure it's impossible at this point, but do we have any idea who this officer is? There's probably a scientific way to make a good guess since we could probably find out how tall this individual is by measuring him according to his surroundings and since we generally know how tall each officer was because of their surviving records.

@Ioannis Georgiou

 

[Bob Godfrey]

Probably a passenger. Check out this existing thread on the subject: Photos of Wilde

 

[Ryan Burns]

Eh, that really looks like an officer's cap to me.

 

[Christophe Puttemans]

My immediate reaction would be Captain Smith, although I wonder what he's doing there if it's him.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

The 1st photo had been claimed to show Captain Smith another guy come up with pilot Bowyer. It is none of them or any other (bridge) Officer. By the time the photograph was taken Titanic was steaming down the Solent and every Officer was at his position (Smith an Bowyer both on the bridge).

The 2nd photo show Lightoller and Murdoch on the starboard forward E Deck door during the stop at Queenstown on April 11th.

 

[Ryan Burns]

I think it if it were Smith that Browne would have written a caption stating that it was the Captain. I highly doubt that Browne knew who any of the other officers were.

 

[Ryan Burns]

The 1st photo had been claimed to show Captain Smith another guy come up with pilot Bowyer. It is none of them or any other (bridge) Officer. By the time the photograph was taken Titanic was steaming down the Solent and every Officer was at his position (Smith an Bowyer both on the bridge).

Definitely looks like an officer's cap, but as you say, why would any bridge officer be walking down A deck at that time. Perhaps Major Butt? That cap just doesn't look civilian to me. Maybe a purser?

I don't guess it's impossible that a junior officer could have been dispatched on some task. Is he walking aft or forward?

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

The junior officers had also their stations and would not walk on A Deck.
The pursers were dealing with the passengers.

Whoever that person is he is walking aft on the port side.

 

[Ryan Burns]

Do we know what the original caption was in the photo album?

 

[Dave Gittins]

The original caption doesn't identify the person. It says the ship in sight is Tagus, which was making for the Needles, while Titanic heads towards the eastern channel and Portsmouth. Another photo shows Major Butt in the distance, wearing a hat and long coat, so it may be him seen walking away in the first photo.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Another photo shows Major Butt in the distance, wearing a hat and long coat, so it may be him seen walking away in the first photo.

I had the same guess when helping out with the ID for some of the photos for the book "Titanic in Photographs" but if I remember right the clothing did not really match.

 

[Ryan Burns]

I had the same guess when helping out with the ID for some of the photos for the book "Titanic in Photographs" but if I remember right the clothing did not really match.

Indeed it doesn't match. Butt seems to be wearing a cape/cloak, not a full length coat.

It seems the consensus is that it's a passenger, but I just don't get that vibe at all from his appearance. Civilian caps of the time weren't rigid on the crown like that, they were more plush.

 

[Kareen Healey]

Here is the photo in matter with something written under it. It came from "Oceanus, the International Magazine of Mariner Science and Policy", Vol 28, 4, Winter 1985-1986. There's a special edition about Titanic and the photo is libelled. By the way : for those who could be interested, the magazine is free to download and is very interesting. I recommend it for those who like Titanic' stories made by researches.

 

[Dave Gittins]

The one thing that's certain is that it isn't Captain Smith, for reasons already explained.

 

[Regina MacMahon]

Ive read sommethere its Smith, but who knows...

 

[Christophe Puttemans]

I would have said "Captain Smith" as well, until I was informed Captain Smith remained on the bridge and simply cannot have been walking aft on A Deck at the moment.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

I think it would depend on the date and time the picture was taken. There doesn't seem to be any activity going on and the ship seems to be deserted.
Captain Smith could have just been taking a walk around the ship , inspecting the ship when be wasn't required on the bridge.

 

[Dave Gittins]

We know the date was 10 April 1912. The time was around 2-00pm, as Titanic crossed the eastern end of the Solent. Titanic was in confined waters and Captain Smith was with the pilot on the bridge.

Quite a number of passengers can be seen in photos wearing long coats and hats. April in England is not warm.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

It seems most people do not bother to read previous comments.

 

[Dave Gittins]

I found a clincher. There's a well-known photo of Captain Smith and Purser McElroy, taken at Queenstown. Captain Smith's coat just reaches his knees. The person in Browne's photo has a coat that reaches well below his knees.