John George ("Jack") Phillips was born on April 11, 1887 in Godalming, Surrey, England and lived with his parents and two sisters above a drapers shop on Farncome High Street. His parents slept below in a back room while Jack and his sisters had the 2 bedrooms upstairs. After graduating from grammar school, Jack passed his Civil Service examinations and began work as a telegraphist in the local post office.
In March 1906, Jack left his home town to attend the Marconi Company Wireless Telegraphy training school in Liverpool. He finished at the top of his class in August of the same year and was posted as Junior Wireless Operator aboard the White Star Line's Teutonic. For the next two years, he served on a number of liners including the Lusitania, Mauretania, Campania, and Oceanic.
In 1908, Jack was transfered to the Marconi Transatlantic station of Clifden on the Irish Coast. He worked as an operator transmitting and recieving messages to and from another Marconi station in Nova Scotia. That same year, while "taking a break" from Clifden for the sea, Jack ran into a new, young operator in Liverpool by the name of Harold Cottam. Cottam was fresh out of Marconi Training School (only 17) and working as a telegraphist for the first time. The long hours frazzled his wits and he needed someone older and more experienced to talk to. Jack stepped up when he noticed that no one else would do it and took the kid under his wing. Not such a cad, as he was getting the reputation of being. Sure, there were smoking, drinking and women, but he was a loyal and good friend when he wanted to be. Jack sometimes missed being home with his family so the younger operators became his kid brothers. He treated them like friends, above all else, but watched out for them and made sure no one treated them wrong. Cottam and Bride were his two closest friends in the entire world and he didn't want anything to ever happen to them. Jack was overprotective like any older brother would be and did things to ensure their safety. He interceeded when no one else would and dished out advice when either of the Harolds were having a bad day. To everyone else, he seemed a hard-drinking, hard-smoking, fast-living cad, but--to the people who really mattered--he was, if not exactly a saint, a comforting presence for them always to turn to.
In 1908, Jack was introduced to Beatrice Fallon, the sister-in-law of his friend Henry Teskey. The two hit it off and, before leaving for Clifden, they realized there was "something there" so had a long distance relationship the two years he was stationed on the Irish coast. They wrote letters and Beatrice even visited him once there. With his return, things became serious between them. "Playboy, cad" Jack had finally found the right girl and wanted to settle down. His parents, unfortunately, saw things differently.
Jack's parents decided it was time for him to settle down and get married--but they would have the say in who it would be. The daughter of their friends the Rexes seemed like the perfect choice. With neither half of "the happy couple" consulted, the Phillips arranged an engagement between Jack and Kathleen Rex. He didn't love her, and she didn't love him, but what could they do? Jack met with Beatrice secretly as much as possible and they were madly in love.
Jack returned to sea on the Adriatic in 1911. This was also the year Cottam introduced Jack and Harold Bride. Jack was coming up for shore leave and Cottam was working as a telegraphist in a post office. He introduced Jack and Harold #1 (called that because 'Bride' was before 'Cottam') and they hit it off immediately. Bride was shy and awkard at first but really lit up once he became more comfortable around the blunt-spoken Phillips. Cottam was always hyper but Bride's humor lay in his snide little comments and great wit. Jack liked both the Harolds termendously and they were the only ones who ever really knew the "real" him besides his family.
In March 1912, he was sent to Belfast to take the position of Chief Wireless Operator on Titanic. It is rumored that Mr. Marconi himself hand-picked Jack for the position. It was also just a lucky draw that Bride ended up being assigned as the junior.
On the night of April 14, 1912, Harold Bride was working the wireless apparatus. That morning, the wireless had broken and it took both men over 7 hours to fix it. Messages from the entire day were piled up. Bride was exhausted and Jack knew it. He said "You turn in, boy, and get some sleep." The junior operator gratefully fell onto his bunk and was soon asleep. He woke at midnight (two hours before his shift was supposed to begin) to relieve Jack.
| "I was standing by Phillips telling him to go to bed when the captain put his head into the cabin. 'We've struck an iceberg,' he said. 'I'm having an inspection made to tell what it has done for us. You better get ready to send out a call for assistance. But don't send it until I tell you.' The captain came back in ten minutes. 'Send the call for assistance,' he said, barely putting his head in the door. 'What should I send?' Phillips asked. 'The regulation international call for help. Just that!' Phillips began sending CQD. He flashed away at it and we were joking while he did so. All of us made light of the disaster." --Harold Bride |
Phillips remained at the wireless, sending out the CQD distress call (and occasionally SOS) till the Captain released the Marconi Men under the "every man for himself" rule at 2:05. Phillips and Bride left their cabin and climbed atop the officers' quarters in order to help the men trying to launch Collapsibles A and B. B fell and landed upsidedown on deck and Bride scrambled down faster, looking up to see Phillips still standing on the roof, looking down. It was the junior wireless operator's last glimpse of his senior and friend alive. There is much debate and speculation surrounding Jack Phillips death but what is known is that he died of hypothermia either on or near the overturned Collapsible B. Bride, Lightoller and several other witnesses have said they saw him transfered from B to 12 to be burried at sea from the Carpathia. The only person who seems to think it wasn't Jack, is Col. Archibald Gracie--a first class passenger who wouldn't have been able to make a positive identification anyway.
A memorial to Jack Phillips is in his home town of Godalming, Surrey, England. It's the largest of any Titanic memorial. It consists of a cloister, an open field, a field with wild flowers, and a walk along the River Wye. It's impossible to find, though, unless you ask a native. Among the contributors to the memorial fund was Harold Bride. He gave 1 pound, 5 pence in memory of his fallen friend.
Jack Phillips had celebrated his 25th birthday only 4 days before he lost his life in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912.
