Mr Herbert “Bert” John Pitman, 34, was born on 20 November 1877 in the village of Sutton Montis, Somerset, the son of Henry Pitman, a farmer. The Pitman family later moved to Castle Cary. In 1895, aged 18, Bert joined the Merchant Navy. In 1900 he passed the examination for second mate, in June 1902 the examination as first mate and qualified as a master mariner in August 1906. From 1904 he served one year as a deck officer with the Blue Anchor Line and then moved to the Shire Line where he served for six months as a deck officer. He joined the White Star Line in 1906 and served as Fourth, Third and Second Officer on the White Star vessels Dolphin , Majestic and Oceanic.
He joined Titanic with the other officers on 2 April 1912 for its sea trails in Belfast Lough followed by the sailing to Southampton. He was the only officer not in the Royal Naval Reserve.
As the Titanic left Southampton at noon on 10 April 1912 Third Officer Pitman was standing with William Murdoch (First Officer) at their station, on the docking bridge, at the stern of the ship. He recalled “...the breaking of moorings on the New York, which was caused by the backwash from our starboard propeller. We managed to get clear and proceeded to Cherbourg.” The incident caused a half hour delay in their departure.
He survived the Titanic disaster and continued to serve with White Star Line, re-joining the Oceanic as her 3rd Officer and later served on the Olympic. In the early 1920’s he moved from White Star Line to Shaw, Savill and Albion Company Ltd. During World War 2 he served aboard SS Mataroa as Purser and in March 1946, just prior to retirement from the Merchant Navy, he was awarded an MBE for ‘long and meritorious service at sea and in dangerous waters during the war’. Pitman lived out his retirement in Pitcombe, Somerset, passing away on 7 December 1961 aged 84 and is interred in the Parish Churchyard.