Johan Henrik Kvillner, born as Johan Henrik Johannesson on Monday April 11, 1881 in Svenneby Varmland, Sweden. His father was Johannes Olausson and his mother was Elizabeth Olssen. Johannes was a grocer and shoemaker. Henrik had one older brother, Oscar, and two older sisters: Olivia and Hilma. All born in the same town.
Henrik had taken his name from his home parish Kville in Bohuslän. In his early career as a young lad he had a variaty of interesting jobs, and was a waiter for a while. At the same time he attended a study at Chalmers Technological High School for which he graduated in 1907, getting an engineer's degree.
In 1912, Kvillner was an engineer at Trollhätte Kanalverk, a hydro-electric powerstation. He was now 31 years old and one of the company's youngest engineers at Linjebyggnadsbyrån.
He made a trip to America as a government scholarship to study iron structures. He was engaged to Signe Kjellberg in Gothenburg during that period, and the idea was that Henrik and Signe would get married when he returned from his study trip. Kvillner left Gothenburg and was supposed to take voyage on another ship on April 6, but this crossing was cancelled.
He mentioned this in a postcard he sent, talking about a new ship on her Maiden Voyage, who could probably cross the Atlantic Ocean in 5 days. As it appears, Henrik traveled on Titanic in Second Class, and boarded in Southampton. He got to know some other Swedes such as Dagmar Bryhl with her fiance Ingvar Enander and Dagmar's brother Kurt. Johan must have celebrated his birthday on the ship.
On April 14, the ship had collided with an iceberg and started sinking.
Later that night, on April 15, the group were all at lifeboat 12, which Dagmar was allowed to board, but none of the men were allowed to go in the boat. Officer Lightoller strictly enforced the "women and children only" rule and hardly any men on the Titanic's port side got into a lifeboat. Lifeboat 12, which could take 65 people, rowed away with 28. Kvillner, Enander and Kurt Bryhl perished. Kvillner's body was found, the body was given the number #165, and was buried in Halifax with various other recovered Titanic victims. His items that were found on his body were returned to the family. Signe Kjellberg got her engagement ring back.
On January 23 1913, the Mansion House Fund paid £78 to Signe and £48 to Elizabeth. Johan's mother was also given £ 156 for damages.
Henrik Kvillner's clock was shown at the Halmstadt Titanic Exhibition in 2014.