Titanic Valour: The Life Of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe

Harold Lowe, Fifth Officer of RMS Titanic, was described by another survivor as ‘the real hero of the Titanic.’ After taking an active role in the evacuation, Lowe took command of a raft of lifeboats, distributing passengers among them so he could return to the wreckage and look for survivors – the only officer to do so. He succeeded in raising a sail, rescued the drenched inhabitants of a sinking lifeboat and towed another boat to safety.

Lowe had a long and fascinating life at sea. The tragic sinking of the Titanic was only the most notorious incident in a career that took him as a fifteen-year-old runaway to the coast of West Africa and into action in Siberia during the Russian Revolution. Titanic historian Inger Sheil has worked closely with Lowe’s family to compile a gripping biography of this heroic Welshman.

Inger Sheil has lived in Sydney, Vienna, New York and London. Graduating from Sydney University, she left a career as a policy adviser to spend five years in the United Kingdom researching Harold Lowe and the deck crew of RMS Titanic. In 2003 Sheil returned to Australia and commenced working at the Australian National Maritime Museum. She has written a number of articles on aspects of Titanic's history. In addition to documentary work and writing she is a keen scuba diver and vintage clothing enthusiast, occasionally lecturing on Art Deco fashion.