First Officer Murdoch's Nickname If Any

[Shea Sweeney]

Hello everyone! As I read some posts about the Titanic's first officer, a question popped into my head.

What was Murdoch referred to casually?

Of course as we all know, his full name was William McMaster Murdoch.

Now many people on this board refer to him as Will Murdoch. Was this true to life or just a quick way to type it in?

Also, in the bio by Patrick Stenson it is said somewhere Bill Murdoch. This is also the case in ANTR where Lightoller is talking to Sylvia in the beginning as he dresses on the morning of April 10th. He refers to Murdoch as Bill.

In Titanic (1997) just before the highly controversial suicide scene Chief Officer Wilde yells "No Will!". But the 1997 film is not known for its historical accuracy anyway.

So fellow Titanic followers, any thoughts on this subject?

 

[Inger Sheil]

According to Murdoch researchers I've dicussed this with, he was referred to as "Will" or "Willie" - this seems to be based on oral tradition in Dalbeattie and in the Murdoch family. They are fairly certain that he was not referred to as "Bill".

 

[Shea Sweeney]

Cool. Thanks for the answer to my question. Somehow I couldn't as a Titanic buff ever picture First Officer Murdoch as a "Bill" anyway.