Scone tribute honours hero of the Titanic

Arad io o ff icer credited with saving lives as the ill- fated Titanic sank on its maiden voyage has been honoured at his former Perthshire home.

Harold Bride – who lived in Scone for a decade – is often named as the first person to use the SOS signal in operational circumstances.

A blue plaque was unveiled in his memory yesterday afternoon at his former home on Mansfield Road , by the Scone and District Historical Society.

The house is now owned by George Stewart, one of the society’s members.

Originally from London, Bride lived in Scone from 1934 until 1944 before moving to the Glasgow area. It is understood he also lived in Dunning, to the south of Perth, for four years.

Scone and District Historical Society chairman Mike Moir believes the town’s connection to the T i tan ic w i l l prove fascinating to locals and visitors.

He said: “Anything to do with the Titanic generates a lot of interest.

“A lot of older people in the area will remember him having lived here but I would guess a lot of people in Scone won’t realise there is a link between Scone and the Titanic.”

The unveiling was initially due to take place in March but was postponed when the UK went into lockdown in response to rising Covid-19 cases across the country.

Born in 1890, Bride was only 22 when he worked onboard the Titanic on its fateful trip across the Atlantic.

Having trained as a Marconi wireless operator, Bride left Southampton for New Yo r k aboard the “indestructible” ship.

He had just begun his shift when Captain Edward Smith announced the vessel had struck an iceberg in the early hours of April 15 1912.

His heroic efforts on the night to relay emergency calls to other ships in the area are said to have saved many passengers and crew members.

Bride survived the terrifying ordeal as the ship slipped under the icy ocean waters, but during the Titanic’s sinking, he was swept overboard and suffered severe frostbite and crushed feet before being rescued.

He scrambled aboard an upturned lifeboat and was saved by crewmen from RMS Carpathia, the ship which arrived in the wake of the tragedy thanks to the radio messages he had sent out.

Despite his injuries, he went back to work on the Ca rpa th ia to transmit survivor lists and personal messages ahead of the ship’s arrival in the United States.

Following the tragedy – in which more than 1,500 people died – Bride made the move to Perthshire to escape the attention he received.

It is be l ieved he continued to work as a wireless operator for the rest of the decade – including during the First World War–before becoming a salesman in Glasgow, where he died, aged 66, of lung cancer in 1956.

Mr Moir said: “He is an important historical figure.

“He, himself, did not like the fame from the Titanic and he wanted to lay low.

“It is an aspect most people don’t know about and it might even bring about more famous connections to Scone.”

RECOGNITION: Mike Moir, left, George Stewart, centre, and Councillor Lewis Simpson with the blue plaque at Stormont House, Scone. Pictures by Kim Cessford.

The plaque dedicated to Harold Bride was unveiled at his former home yesterday.