Reginald Lee
Reginald Robinson Lee (born May 19, 1870 in Benson , Oxfordshire , England , † August 6, 1913 in Kenilworth , Warwickshire , England ) was the lookout on board the Titanic , which sank on April 15, 1912.
Life
Reginald Lee was the eldest child of William Lee, Headmaster of Bensington , and his wife Jane Sarah Lee. Lee's sister Agnes was born in Bensington. 1876 the family moved to Whitchurch ( Hampshire ), where Lee's only brother Herbert, the light of day saw. By 1881 Jane Lee would give birth to three more daughters (Irene, Leonie and Marion), but they were born in Southsea . Reginald Lee therefore had four younger sisters and one younger brother.
William Lee died of severe pneumonia on October 23, 1887 at the age of 42 . Reginald, now 17 years old, had to make money for the family and was hired by the White Star Line . However, there are no more detailed documents to reconstruct the stages of his professional life before he was transferred to the Titanic as a lookout in April 1912 - now almost 42 years old .
Together with the 24-year-old Frederick Fleet he did on the night of 14 to 15. April 1912 in the crow's nest service. At 11:40 p.m. the Titanic ran into an iceberg, although Fleet had spotted it shortly before and reported it to the bridge. With 46 other passengers and crew members (other sources cite 63 people), Reginald Lee boarded lifeboat No. 13, which departed from the Titanic at 1:35 a.m. before the ship sank at 2:20 a.m.
Like the rest of the survivors, Lee was taken to New York City on the RMS Carpathia and was later present on both the British and US committees of inquiry.
Reginald Lee resigned from the White Star Line and settled near Kenilworth on his return to England. He died here on August 6, 1913, almost 1½ years after the sinking of the Titanic . The death certificate, which was issued on August 9, 1913, names heart failure after surviving pneumonia and pleurisy as the cause of death.
Film adaptations
In every film adaptation of the sinking of the Titanic, young actors who are not older than 30 years old portray Reginald Lee. Little attention is paid to the fact that the historical Lee was already 41 years old at the time of the sinking of the Titanic.
- 1958: The Titanic's Last Night : Roger Avon
- 1979: SOS Titanic : Kevin O'Shea
- 1996: Titanic : Aaron Pearl
- 1997: Titanic : Martin East
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lee, Reginald |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lee, Reginald Robinson (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Lookout aboard the Titanic |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 19, 1870 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Benson , Oxfordshire , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 6, 1913 |
| Place of death | Kenilworth , Warwickshire , England |