Hallo Jesse -
I'm a little uncertain about how much detail to go into here - I have done many years worth of research on the points you outline, and have a near completed, fairly lengthy manuscript for a biography. I'm somewhat unwilling to divulge too much on Lowe's post-Titanic career, for example, as I do not wish to impinge on my own publication. However, I'd be happy to cast an eye over your completed piece if you like and provide suggestions. I'll just make some general comments here.
You're correct, Ernie - Harold Lowe grew up around small craft and the sometimes challenging conditions of the Mawddach and Porthmadog Bay. Two of his brothers worked as boatmen at various times in their lives, and one lost his life in that occupation. One of the earliest anecdotes about Lowe I've been able to trace to its source concerns a boat related incident.
Most negative constructions and interpretations regarding Lowe's conduct and actions can be traced to Daisy Minahan's affidavit, Charlotte Collyer's article, and his statement regarding 'Italians' (which he later withdrew). There were also remarks he made to Margaret Brown about making 'nabobs' take their chances with the 'good men' (which I believe tie into his other reported comments about making sure there was no 'dirty play' at the lifeboats). Minahan, of course, copped some of Lowe's more emphatic language - and Lowe's seamanly invective could be very strong indeed (and remained so his entire life). Collyer's account and its problematic elements has been discussed in detail elsewhere on the board. What I find unusual about his remark re Italians is not that he made it (it was fairly typical of comments from crew and passengers regarding non-Anglo-Saxons/Celts), but rather that he withdrew it. It is an exchange often taken out of the context of its age, and many commentators are unaware, for example, of the high regard Lowe had for the Chinese.
Against these accounts (and Collyer seems to have rather admired Lowe - certainly her daughter did), there is a huge volume of contemporary positive accounts about Lowe and his actions. What has surprised me is the strength of the admiration from those who encountered him during the evacuation and afterwards - as soon as the
Carpathia docked, stories began appearing from those whom he had helped rescue. Even the newspapers noted how emphatic the admiration was - a steward arriving back with the crew in Plymouth was keen to tell the waiting journalists about Lowe's actions and his admiration for him. A leading stoker spoke enthusiastically about the fifth officer in what was called a 'burst of genuine feeling' by the journalist. Another crewman from the victualling department testified that 'Our officer did the finest action he could have done.'
Among the passengers, Selena Rogers told one paper that Lowe could not be praised enough, and to another said that she and 'fifty-four other women' owed their lives to him. Clear Cameron said something similar to a newspaper - 'We people who were saved in the last four boats owe our lives to him' and even opined that he was the only officer who did any work.
When Minahan's comments were published, there were those more than willing to defend him. Gracie had no doubt that he was 'intemperate in his language only' and 'in all other respects a first-class officer.' Sarah Compton remembered him as personifying the best traditions of the British Seaman. Rhoda Abbott (who felt that 'had it not been for Officer Lowe, I would have been drowned') stated emphatically that 'It would have been impossible for an officer to show more courtesy and many of the criticisms that have been made against this man are very unjust.' Another woman who had known him since childhood came forward to voice her indignation at the charges of him drinking and his blasphemy. It was, she pointed out, well known among his acquintances that he was an abstainer and always had been, and that whatever the truth of his blasphemy it was 'trivial' compared to the 'positive knowledge of his courage and services' as had been demonstrated at the inquiry. This woman had reason to feel strongly about Lowe - according to her, he had saved her brother's life when they were both children. At least one newspaper editorial was scathing about Minahan's criticisms, and this view was shared strongly by one of Senator Smith's offsiders who came to know and admire Lowe greatly during the inquiry. His involvement with those giving evidence convinced him that Lowe was the great hero of the disaster.
There were many dozens of people under Lowe's charge during and after the sinking, and multiple eyewitness accounts - it is inevitable that there should be a range of sometimes conflicting viewpoints on how events unfolded. Further, as Randy suggests, Lowe was a strong personality. He was also, as someone who knew him described him to me, a
very rough diamond. It was inevitable that some of his words in particular would leave him vulnerable to negative interpretations, and this has continued to the present day. Even in 1912, the literary lions of the day (George Bernard Shaw and Arthur Conan Doyle) engaged in debate over his exchange with Ismay and its implications.
As the responses above indicate, his actions were not flawless. Had he the benefit of a fraction of the post-event knowledge that we do, he might have gone about some things differently - up to and including his use of 'language', which, according to Margaret Brown, was the one thing in his conversation with her he said he regretted. He was to also state that he wished he had been able to save more lives, and it was the opinion of his son that HGL wished he had returned sooner.
It's interesting to note that a contemporary observer, closely connected with the inquiry, marvelled how completely unaffected Lowe was by all the praise meted out to him. This ties in with other evidence - when Rene Harris tried to press him to take a reward (on two different occasions), he refused to accept and stated that he had only done his duty. When Selena Rogers wrote to thank him, he mentioned in his response that he thought that she and some of the others who wrote to him had been rather too glowing in their praise (while recognising that these responses came from the heart). One periodical reported on the possibility that he was sent out on the Australian run after the disaster to get him away from all the lionising.
The above is by no means an exhaustive overview of all those who had something to say about Harold Lowe after the disaster. I've left out or skirted around some of the more interesting accounts, as I'm hoping to eventually publish my work on this area in its entirety. As I said before, what is perhaps surprising is just how deep and emphatic the admiration for Lowe ran. Take, for example, the case of Rene Harris. She gave a detailed interview after the disaster in which she described his actions during the sinking, and how he had encouraged those under his charge during their time in the boats. She was among those who sent him gifts after he returned to the UK - in her case, the presentation items were an expensive set of nautical equipment, with each item inscribed to 'the Real Hero of the Titanic'. In 1932 she was to write of him again, and how she would like him to know that through all the years he had stood out in her memory as one of the finest men she had ever been privileged to meet.
