: Modest Hero of the Titanic; Abigail Hughes hears the real story behind the drama.

THE strange tale of the Titanic's maiden voyage remains one of history's most compelling tragedies.

Cloaked in glamour and mystery, the demise of this unsinkable ship occurred during the early hours of April 15, 1912 when she hit an iceberg after warnings were ignored.

Billed as the luxury vessel even God could not sink, the Titanic's trip from Southampton to New York was meant to symbolise an era when the wealthy could have it all. But sink she did and a shocking shortage of lifeboats resulted in the loss of 1,500 lives.

The disaster provided a backdrop to that great tear-jerking, love story which catapulted Kate Winslet to fame in the form of Oscar winning film, Titanic, capturing the glitz of those pre-war years as the band played on while the people drowned.

But less well known is the role of fifth officer, Harold Lowe. Played as a bit part in the blockbuster by Ioan Gruffudd, he was the only officer on board to return to the wreckage to save lives.

And the remarkable bravery of this down-to-earth 28-year-old who was born in Deganwy and spent much of his life in Barmouth, is now investigated in a documentary, The Real Hero of the Titanic, presented by none other than Ioan.

So involved are the facts surrounding the sinking, that it took writer and producer Joanna Davies three years to research the programme.

``I was inspired after watching the film Titanic,'' she says. ``I was intrigued by the character played by Ioan, thought he seemed a good guy and wondered if he had a Welsh connection.''

But the most alluring question that Joanna wanted to answer was why Harold was never given official recognition for his boldness.

``If he had been an upper-class Englishman, instead of a more rough and ready Welshman, it's far more likely he would have been rewarded. The Government did not want to be reminded of the fact there were not enough lifeboats on the ship.

``At the American inquiry into the event, he answered back to Senator Smith and gave him a piece of his mind because he considered him a fool. There was such a cover-up afterwards. No-one questioned why the other officers had not gone back to rescue people and if the inquiry was held today, it would be far more probing.''

Nonetheless, Harold's actions did earn him praise from those he rescued. First-class passenger Renee Harris presented him with a telescope and naval binoculars, inscribed with The Real Hero of the Titanic as a thank-you gift.

A party was held in his honour at Barmouth's old Picture Pavilion on his return and there remains a small museum containing his photographs.

A rebel, Harold ran away from home aged just 14 to pursue a life at sea. His jeweller father opposed the idea because his brother had drowned and he wanted Harold to follow in the family trade. But by the age of 27, Harold had passed his sailing certificates to qualify as a naval officer. Recollections of survivors paint a picture of Harold as a man who did not suffer fools gladly.

``He firmly told the men not to chew tobacco because it would make them thirsty and one upper class woman was very affronted when he bluntly told her to jump onto the life raft. She thought he was drunk, but in fact he was teetotal and just trying to save her,'' explains Joanna. ``When the lifeboat arrived ashore, he stopped people taking photos of the survivors.''

Joanna believes the sinking of the Titanic represented the end of an era.

``The event symbolises the loss of Britain's days as the glorious ruler of the empire. Scaled next to the Eiffel Tower the ship looks huge, but it shows that man is no match for nature. The wreck was discovered by another Welshman, Dr Robert Ballard in the 1980s and it is still under the sea with its china and furniture rotting away.''

Harold's son, also named Harold was interviewed for the documentary, but has since died.

``He said his father never spoke about the incident and didn't like people bringing it up because he hadn't experienced it through choice, but necessity. The episode was a shadow over his life, rather than a heroic moment,'' recalls Joanna.

Harold's grandson, John Lowe, agrees his grandfather, who died in1941 and is buried at Llandrillo-yn-Rhos Churchyard, would not have wanted the Titanic's past dragged up from the seabed.

``The incident was never really talked about in my family, but he was a very reserved gentleman and his attitude to it was to let sleeping dogs lie,'' he says. ``I still get occasional phone calls and letters from people interested in learning more about him.''

As for the impact when Titanic hit the cinema screens five years ago, John admits he has never even seen the film.

CAPTION(S):

DISASTER: According to his grandson, John Lowe, above, Harold Lowe, right, was a reserved man who would prefer to let sleeping dogs lie