John George "Jack" Phillips (April 11th, 1887 - April 15th, 1912) was a British wireless telegraphist aboard the RMS Titanic, who died after the ship hit an iceberg and sank; he was serving as senior wireless operator on the maiden voyage of the ship. As the Titanic was sinking, Phillips worked tirelessly to send wireless messages to other ships to enlist their assistance with the rescue of the Titanic's passengers and crew. While Phillips has borne criticism for having told the radio operator of the Californian, "Keep out; shut up, I am working Cape Race!" When interrupted on-air by his counterpart telling him that his ship was surrounded by ice,[1] similar warning messages earlier that day had been delivered to the captain and a lookout had been posted.


Despite several opinions, Phillips was never on Collapsible Lifeboat B. That is only a myth. Phillips most likely died at the stern section with 1100 other people.

Early Life[edit | edit source]

Jack Phillips on the Adriatic

John George "Jack" Phillips was born in Farncombe, Surrey, England to George Alfred Phillips and Anne Sanders. Phillips finished private school in Cranleigh in 1902 and began working at the Godalming post office where he learned telegraphy. He started training to work in wireless for the Marconi Company in March 1906 in Seaforth and graduated five months later in August.

Phillips' first assignment was on the White Star Line ship Teutonic and he later worked on board the Campania, the Corsican, the Victorian, the Pretorian, the Lusitania and the Mauretania. In May 1908, he was assigned to the Marconi station outside Clifden, Ireland, where he worked until 1911, when he was assigned to the RMS Adriatic and later, in early 1912, to the Oceanic.

RMS Titanic[edit | edit source]

In March 1912, Phillips was sent to Belfast, Ireland, to be the senior wireless operator on board the Titanic for her maiden voyage. He was joined by junior wireless operator Harold Bride. Stories have appeared that Phillips knew Bride before the Titanic, but Bride insisted they had never met before Belfast.[2] The Titanic sailed for New York City from Southampton on April 10th, 1912 and during the voyage Phillips and Bride sent out passengers' personal messages and received iceberg warnings and other navigational information from other ships. Phillips celebrated his 25th birthday the day after the voyage began.




After taking a quick break, Phillips returned to the wireless room, reporting to Bride that the forward part of the ship was flooded and that they should put on more clothes and lifebelts. Bride began to get ready while Phillips went back to work on the wireless machine. The wireless power was almost completely out shortly after 2:00 AM, when Captain Smith arrived and told the men that they had done their duty and that they were relieved. Bride later remembered being moved by the way Phillips continued working. While their backs were turned, a crew member (either a stoker or trimmer) sneaked in and attempted to steal Phillips' lifebelt. Bride saw and grabbed the man as Phillips stood up and knocked the crew member out. The water was beginning to flood the wireless room as they both ran out of the wireless room, leaving the unconscious crew member where he fell. The men then split up, Bride heading forward and Phillips heading aft.[3] This was the last time any survivor saw Phillips.

For many years there has been conflicting and contradictory information regarding the exact manner in which Phillips met his death. Many researchers have expressed the belief that Phillips managed to make it to the overturned Collapsible Boat B, which was in the charge of Second Officer Charles Lightoller, along with Harold Bride.

In Lightoller's autobiography, Titanic and Other Ships, he writes,


Harold Bride reported seeing Phillips's body as he boarded the Carpathia.

However, Lightoller's and Bride's claims about Jack Phillips are contradicted elsewhere by fellow survivor Archibald Gracie IV, who made it clear that the wireless operator who cheered up the occupants of the upturned collapsible by calling out the names of approaching ships was Harold Bride, not Jack Phillips (as Lightoller thought in 1934). It is also clear from the accounts of Gracie and Lightoller that only one body was transferred from the collapsible onto boat #12. Bride stated that he knew the body of "the man lying aft" was transferred to #12; this was undoubtedly the body of the crew member mentioned by Gracie and Lightoller. His body, if recovered, was never identified.

Portrayals[edit | edit source]

As a Wireless Operator, Phillps is one of the most important people to be portrayed. One of the only popular culture didn't show him and Harold Bride is the 2012 Miniseries Titanic.

In Nacht und Eis (1912)[edit | edit source]

John Phillips in In Nacht Und Eis (1912)

1943 Film Titanic[edit | edit source]

Karl Dannemann as John Phillips in the 1943 Film Titanic

John Phillips releasing his bird "Bibifax"

Karl Dannemann portrayed John Phillps in the 1943 Film Titanic, which was too old to portrayed Phillips. During the sinking, he released his bird "Bibifax" from the cage.

Titanic (1953)[edit | edit source]

Ashley Cowan as John Phillips in Titanic (1953)

"The Carpathia, Sir!"

Ashley Cowan portrayed John Phillips in Titanic (1953). He is played as blonde-hair man, while in real life, Phillips has a black hair.

A Night to Remember (1958 Film)[edit | edit source]

Kenneth Griffith as John Phillips in A Night to Remember (1958)

"John! John!"

Kenneth Griffith portrayed John Phillips in A Night to Remember (1958 film). Captain Smith released him and Bride from their duty as the bow is going underwater. A stoker try to steal his lifejacket but they knocked him off.

S.O.S. Titanic[edit | edit source]

John Phillips in S.O.S. Titanic (1979)

Sending the distress call

John Phillips was portrayed by an uncredited actor in S.O.S. Titanic (1979).

1996 Miniseries Titanic[edit | edit source]

Matt Hill as John Phillips in the 1996 Miniseries Titanic

John Phillips contact the Carpathia

Matt Hill portrayed John Phillips in the 1996 Miniseries Titanic. After the sinking, he is shown on top of Collapsible B, dying. This is historically untrue and just a legend.

1997 Film Titanic[edit | edit source]

Gregory Cooke as John Phillips in the 1997 Film Titanic

"I'm not going!"

Gregory Cooke portrayed John Phillips in the 1997 Film Titanic. Most of his appearance was cut and he's just appear once during the entire movie. In one of the deleted scenes: "The Wireless Room & The Californian", he's annoyed by the telegraph from the Californian, saying: "Keep out; shut up, I'm working! Cape Race". In another deleted scenes: "I'm not going", he's seen keep try to contact with the Carpathia as the boat deck awashed, and was forced by Bride to wear his lifejacket. Phillips saying: " I'm not going!".

The Legend of the Titanic[edit | edit source]

John Phillips in The Legend Of The Titanic (1999)

100 Years of Titanic[edit | edit source]

To mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking, the BBC World Service broadcast, on April 10th, 2012; a radio documentary in the "Discovery" series, entitled Titanic—In Her Own Words. The program was conceived and created by Susanne Weber and was narrated by Sean Coughlan, who had previously written a book on the Titanic radio messages.[4] The program used voice synthesis to recreate "the strange, twitter-like, mechanical brevity of the original Morse code messages" transmitted by Titanic and neighboring ships. Messages often included the fashionable slang expressions of the time such as "old man." The BBC noted that "these messages were recorded at the time in copper-plate handwriting, now scattered across the world in different collections, but together forming a unique archive."[5]

External links[edit | edit source]
