‘Sarge’ helped to save survivors of ‘Titanic’
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THE 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic will have particular significance for Wick man John Henderson.
He grew up listening to tales about the tragic events of Sunday, April 14, 1912.
The stories were related to him by his grandfather, John Cargill, who was on board the Carpathia, which helped in the rescue of many passengers.
Mr Henderson, who lives in Henrietta Street with his wife, Janice, has fond memories of his grandfather, whom he described as "a real character".
"I had a great relationship with my grandfather, and spent a lot of time with him when I was growing up. He often told us stories about the Titanic and his other escapades. He was someone who packed enough into his life to last three lifetimes," Mr Henderson told the
John O’Groat Journal.
Mr Cargill was a quartermaster on the Carpathia, which was the first vessel on the scene after the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage, with the loss of over 1500 lives.
"It was a horrendous experience, and one which stayed with him all his life," said Mr Henderson.
He explained that by the time his grandfather’s vessel reached the scene, the Titanic had sunk.
The Carpathia picked up an SOS from the luxurious liner just before midnight, and immediately altered course and went to help. But it took four hours to reach the scene, south of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.
Another boat, the Californian, was nearer, but its wireless operator had just gone to bed. Although eight rockets fired from the Titanic were seen by two officers on the Californian, they apparently did not realise they were distress signals, mistakenly thinking they had been fired to celebrate the vessel’s inaugural voyage.
"My grandfather always believed that many more lives could have been saved if the Californian had responded," said Mr Henderson. "You can’t imagine the scene of utter devastation which he must have witnessed, and how cold it must have been in the water."
There were half-full lifeboats, passengers desperately trying to survive in the icy conditions, and bodies, including those of children, in the sea.
Mr Cargill was interviewed on a number of occasions by reporters for articles which have been kept by the family.
In one, the 18-year-old crewman recalled his feelings when he heard what had happened to the great liner, considered by many to be unsinkable because of her design.
"We could not believe it. The Titanic in trouble? It seemed impossible," he said.
"We had to double the lookouts because of the ice. We never saw the Titanic. She sank before we got there. We saw the iceberg, though. It was a terrible size."
He also described the scene he witnessed. "It was pathetic. People were dressed in everything from fur coats to pyjamas. We saw a man in the water clutching two children – a boy and a girl. They had frozen to death."
But he and his crew-mates saved many lives, including youngsters. Sacks were lowered for the children and the babies to haul them aboard. One of the youngsters who was saved was reunited with Mr Cargill years later. The woman paid a visit to his home in Gourdon, near Inverbervie, to thank him.
After the tragedy, Mr Cargill and the rest of the crew received a medal for their part in the rescue. It became known as the Titanic Medal, and his is currently in the Maritime Museum in Aberdeen as part of an exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the tragedy.
Mr Cargill’s rescue efforts were not the end of his adventures. In 1914, he was coming home on leave from the merchant navy, and met a recruiting sergeant on the train.
They had a few drinks and the officer persuaded him to join the Black Watch. Mr Cargill ended up fighting in the trenches of France during the First World War. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant – which resulted in him receiving his well-known nickname of "Sarge".
His exploits won him the Military Medal after he volunteered to capture a German soldier to elicit information from him about enemy units. He went over no man’s land and captured the soldier single-handed. He also fought at Vimy Ridge and Ypres, and was wounded twice.
At the end of hostilities he went back to sea, and also worked as a fisherman. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, however, Mr Cargill, who was then 47 years old, volunteered as a leading seaman with the Royal Navy. He was based at Dover on the minesweeper HMS Clythness, and won the Distinguished Service Medal for his part in helping to clear the way for explosive ships to be sent in to block the canal at Zeebrugge in Belgium. Mr Cargill was also involved in the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk.
At the end of the war he returned to his occupation as a fisherman, before retiring in his late sixties. He and his wife, Mary, who had four of a family, celebrated their golden wedding in 1970. Mr Cargill died in 1980 at the age of 87. Mary died two years before him.
The couple’s daughter, Catherine, was Mr Henderson’s mother. He was born in Montrose and brought up in Gourdon, but moved to Caithness when his father came to Wick to work as a coastguard.
He said this year’s centenary will have more significance because it is such a milestone and has been receiving so much media attention.
He has no special plans to mark the occasion, and will simply remember fondly a man whose stories and adventures captured his imagination when he was a young boy.
"I was honoured to have known him. He was a real character, and left me with a lot of great memories," added Mr Henderson.
