Thomas Henry Bradley was an Able Seaman on the Titanic.
Background[]
Thomas Henry Bradley was an Englishman, one of 12 children raised by Richard Bradley and Julia Emma Allen, both natives of London, where they also had Thomas on the 26th of April 1883, in district Bethnal Green, He belonged to the Anglican communion, as his parents let him be sprinkled in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost at Saint Andrew’s church on May the 6th. Richard had a job as a leather craftsman. He had made the promise of faithfulness to Julia on 1867. That same year, another Julia had sprung from their love. She was given the second name ‘Ann’. In 1869, it was a boy to be named after a parent: Richard William. He left the womb in 1869.
John Thomas was the next son to be brought to life in 1871. The year 1872 saw another daughter, Elizabeth and in 1875, they were blessed with Alice Louisa. The next to see the light was Emily Maria in 1876 and Esther Sarah followed in 1879. Sara Ann was the name given to the last child to appear before Thomas Henry in 1881.
Thomas preceeded 3 younger siblings, who were William Bradley, who was conceived in 1885, with Florence Ethel becoming his only youger sister in 1886. Lastly, there was Charles, who was begetted in 1889. The family was still in 1891.
His was father was nog longer alive as of 1900. He was in the Whitechapel area when he passed away. Thomas at the times was a smithy. Turning 18 at the same time, he enlisted for the Royal Navy on 26 April 1901. Throughot his short career with the Navy, he was a lower ranked Able Seaman. He was not described as a man of prestine behaviour, he had become a troublemaker which led to several punishments, including solitary confinement. Not following orders or simply leaving his duties got him to do tougher work as consequence.
One can only assume that this made him change career at sea in 1904 and go for the civil seafaring instead.
Titanic[]
In 1912, Thomas Bradley was in the employment of White Star Line. Curiously enough, he didn’t give his true birthplace when he was accepted as an Able Bodied Seaman for Titanic’s Maiden Voyage on April 6, in Southampton, where he stayed for the time that he waited to be embarking. He had been working on the Oceanic just before he joined Titanic’s Deck Crew and had them write down that he was from Newcastle originally, even though other official documents show that he was a London native. It was April 10 when Titanic glided through the river Test, away from Southampton to bring passengers over to New York, with several stops in other European harbors. Bradley was 25 years old during the passage.
Nearly everything went swimmingly for Titanic at her first trip across the Atlantic Ocean until that fatal night on the 14th of April. An icefield up ahead spelled danger, but the commanding crew was confident. She was hitting a stable 22,5 knots at 11:39 P.M, but her looksouts where suddenly shaken up by the shape of an iceberg and ringed the bell and then the phone to the bridge, where Officer Murdoch had also seen the obstacle. He attempted to steer around her at port side but they didn’t have the time as the iceberg was too nearby. Even when slowed down, Titanic’s collision was imminent. If she was just spotted perhaps a few seconds sooner, she could’ve been avoided, but now her starboard bow scrubbed agaist it below sea level.
This was a fatal blow, as it turned out. Over a great length of her starboard, her steel plates had slits that became leaks and guided the oceanwater through at a fast stride. Quickly, the water level inside the ship began to rise on the lowest decks.
At midnight, April 15, Thomas Andrews, Titanic’s designer, was on the bridge with the captain after their seperate inspection tours down below. Thomas elucidated to Captain Smith that 6 compartments were ruptured, Which was well beyond the margin of Titanic being unsinkable. Titanic could only stay above sea level for 2 hours, as as. The captain didn’t linger and assembled his men. They were given the task of getting the lifeboats in position to receive passengers. The evacuation began.The wherabouts of Thomas as well as his activities during the sinking of the Titanic are unascertained, but he was not in a lifeboat like some of the other sailors, of which some manned them. Thomas was a casualty as Titanic became engulfed by the ocean at 2:20 A.M. Most of her 1503 fatalities were killed by the bone-chilling waters, which were below 0° Celcius.
After this death[]
When the White Star Line Office had the knowledge of the death toll they sent out vessels to retrieve bodies. Thomas’ body was not recuparated. Only 328 were found. Mother Julia was given financial aid for the loss of her son by the Titanic Relief Fund.