Henry Allen was a Fireman on Titanic.
Background[]
Henry Allen received his named between late 1881 and early 1882 as a younger sibling of the children begotten by William Allen and Clara Biles, who were husband and wifeand both stemmed from Porthsmouth. William worked as a carrier of coal. Their son had been given life in Southampton, where the family now lived for many decades.
Their first children were William Henry, Annie and Edwin. They were born in that order in 1875, 1877 and 1879.
Cecilia Reid became the woman that Henry declared his loyalty to in 1900. Cecilia was given life in Gosport. Their love brought forth many children. Their eldest, the same year they had tied the knot, was Emily. Emily was the sister of Annie Cecilia, originating in 1901. The year 1903 saw William Henry appear, brother of 1906's Charles Edward, who preceeded Alfred James from 1909. The family was further expanded with Clara Elizabeth in 1910. With Cecillia, Henry found another address in Southampton.
In 1911, father Henry, was away from home. which could be a result of his seacareer, for undetermined reason, Henry had spent a time in the cells in Winchester.
Titanic[]
Henry could last be seen on the Oceanic before he changed ship on April 6, 1912 in Southampton, where he was living as boarder of James Mason. He would become a Fireman on the Titanic, the mighty steamer scheduled for her initial trip on the 10th of April.
He had a link with two other men onboard, James Mason being one of them, appointed to give him and his colleauges orders as Leading Fireman, while the other was his wife’s sibling: Robert Reid. He was a Trimmer, a rank below that of a Fireman. Henry’s every day working hours would be from midnight to 4:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M. till 4:00 P.M.
There were all the signs that this was going to be a trip like any other of the White Star Line’s crossings. Even the weather seemed in their favor, but showed itself as a disadvantage for the inaugruated ship. On the 14th of April, at later hour of the night Titanic steamed confidently through an icefield with good pace, as the captain had ordered. On this moonless nights, the icebergs had become one with the horizon and no indication that they were there. This fooled the lookouts, that had descried the iceberg when Titanic drew nigh unto it. When the confirmation was passed through to the bridge, the First Officer let the wheel be thrown sharply to port and pulled the telegraph to full astern.
Her relatively small rudder didn’t have the greatest of effects and she was going to left only when the iceberg was about to be touched. She did hit it and it was the worst outcome possible. The starboard side rubbed against the iceberg over a great length and the damage had been underneath the water line. It was a bunch of interstices, enough to bring the water into 6 of her compartments. This was a crucial infliction, as the captain found out later.
He had been shaken up by the impact and with shipbuilder Thomas Andrews, he had gone down to do assesment of the breached parts. At midnight, on the bridge, the ship’s designer had pessimistic evaluation to make: This could take only 2 hours before the ship had been overcome by the sea. The dejected captain knew he could only safe half the life at best, so his crew had to be put to work to set up the lifeboats for lowering.
There is no information on Henry Allen’s actions or whereabouts when the catastrophe took place. He would not be active as his shift began at midnight. He had not gotten himself a place in a lifeboat like some Firemen, as he was not among the rescued. His life ended while the Titanic’s enormous stern towered over the ocean when it had lifted up. The lights were stil ablaze till the last two minutes of her demise and before the stern seperated itself. Many firemen had assisted the Engineering Crew by staying behind and shoveling coal in the aft bunkers, keeping electricity functional which was vital for lights and lifeboats winches, offering their lives up to make the evacuation as succesful as they could.
One could only guess whether Allen was one of these heroic men, or if he had met another horrible fate in the piercing temperatures of the sea. This his how most of the 1503 victims died.
After his death[]
The White Star Line had later sent the chartered Mackay-Bennett to the wreck site and she had gotten hold of 306 bodies, of which 190 were brought back. Fortunately, Allen was one of them. He was the 145th to be registered. Fairview Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia would be his resting place, along with most of the recovered victims.
the Titanic Relief Fund assisted Cecilia and her family financially in keeping their heads above the water. She needed it, as Cecilia had been expecting during the time that her husband embarked and the child, a daughter, was delivered on the 13th of August that year. She would carry the name Eliza.
Cecilia picked up family life with William F. Dollery, with whom she became attached by law in 1914. There would be additional children. She was still a Sotonian in 1948, her last year.