*Note: Not to be confused with Pantryman Edward Harris.
Edward John Harris was a fireman on Titanic.
Edward John Harris was born in Southampton in late 1883 to Charles Fitzgerald Harris, a bricklayer and Eliza Jane Wheeler. He had eleven siblings, including twin sisters. Two of them, Alice and William Charles, where born before him. Throughout his childhood he lived on Ivy Road in South Stoneham.
By 1901, the family had moved to Northcote Road in Portswood. Edward and one of his brothers were working as bricklayers labourers, possibly with their father.
By 1911 the family were living in Kingsbury Way Bevois Valley and Edward had left bricklaying and gone to sea as a fireman. Perhaps he wanted an adventure, or just to get away from what must have been an increasingly cramped and overcrowded house. Maybe though, it was just good money for him, as a fireman earned £6 a month which was more than an average Able Seaman. After serving on the Oceanic in 1912, he went to join Titanic's crew in April.
It was late at night on April 14 when the ship hit the iceberg. The Titanic had sustained damage to her hull, which caused her to sink. On April 15, after midnight, it was clear she was in danger and evacuation was started.
Edward was likely among those workers who kept shovelling to the bitter end, keeping the pumps working and the lights shining. Once the ship began to list, there would have been little chance of climbing the steep ladders to get out of the Boiler Room. Whether Edward was down in the dark and heat at the end isn’t clear but he didn’t survive and his body was never identified.
Sources[]
Special thanks and credits to Marie Keates for allowing me to use a large part of this information on her blog:
https://iwalkalone.co.uk/the-final-titanic-tales-from-portswood-part-one/ The final Titanic tales from Portswood part one – I Walk Alone