NosieRosie wrote:
The last time Murdoch was seen he was walking about on the boat deck, I do believe. Some people do indeed say they saw him shoot himself, but then again, people swore the Titanic did not tear in half, so I guess we can't always believe what people recall in a matter of emergency such as this.

As for how he died, if I recall correctly, when his body was found they discovered damage to his head. Whether is was a gun shot or simply a blunt object, such as a ceiling beam falling on him, wasn't determined.

I do know a lady who really believes in her past life she was Murdoch's wife, and in her present life his ghost is haunting her. She loves it and even refers to this ghost as her husband. :)

sundance wrote:
This article from a 2000 publication might be of interest.

Controversy About 'Titanic" First Officer


December 2000

By CATHOLINE BUTLER

VANCOUVER - Not everyone was thrilled with Hollywood's version of the sinking of the Titanic. Victoria Farrell-Cofield of Vancouver feels the movie did a profound injustice to her great-grandfather, William Murdoch, first officer to E.J. Smith, who was captain of the Titanic.

Victoria said, "As everyone knows, the Titanic went down off the coast of Newfoundland and at that time it was one of the grandest and largest ships built. My great-grandfather, William Murdoch was my father's mother's father.

"When he went down on the Titanic, he left a common-law wife and seven orphaned children, who went from being a high-society family to poverty overnight, and it was very, very sad. Because William Murdoch was held responsible for the sinking of the Titanic, there was a lot of shame for the family and they were shunned by society.

"His common-law widow didn't want the shame passed on to the children, so she didn't actually tell the story to them at the time. It remained a family secret for many years. It wasn't until much later that the family started to discover the details.

"I was amazed to learn that completely unaware of my own interest and research, my family in England was also showing renewed interest and doing their own research on our relative to learn what actually happened on that fateful night.

"When we finally made contact, we found that we were all discovering the same facts. Everyone knew that Murdoch was on the Titanic, there were rumors he was a cook or chief engineer, but we all knew he was on board in some capacity.

"Years ago, I went to the Titanic exhibition in the Maritime Museum in Kitsilano and discovered who William Murdoch really was. I saw a picture of him. It really shocked me because he looked so much like my father. They have the same Murdoch lop-ears.

"My great-grandfather was in charge of the bridge at the time the Titanic headed into uncartered waters on a pitch-black night. They were actually warned that they were heading into an ice-field from other ships in the area, but they didn't want to slow down becuase they were trying to beat the speed record for getting to America.

"This decision not to slow down was made by Captain Smith, not William Murdoch. At the time, it was Captain Smith's retirement voyage - it was his final voyage before retirement, and it was supposed to be his crowning glory of achievement.

"The night that the Titanic hit the iceberg, there was a big party going on and Captain Smith could not be aroused from sleep. Apparently, he had celebrated a little too much. He was in charge at the time the ship was steaming forward and hit the iceberg. Actually, they did not see the iceberg until they were on top of it, and then it was too late.

"An iceberg is 3/4-quarters below water, with only a little bit on top. When they tried to go around it, the Titanic was hit underneath the waterline, putting a large gash along the starboard side of the ship.

"The reason the Titanic sank so fast, is that there was a flaw in the ship. Inside the ship, there were supposed to be air-tight chambers, quartered-off to hold the water, so that it wouldn't spill over.

"Whether it was due to lack of funding, or putting the money into furnishings and decor, this area was never finished. As a result, when the water rushed in, it spilled over into the next compartment, and the aft end of the ship went up in the air, and sank within the hour.

"When Director James Cameron released the movie, TITANIC, that was when there was a total uproar in the family. Cameron depicted the movie as historically correct, but in fact, he totally defamed William Murdoch.

"He portrayed him as a coward, as having taken bribes to allow men into the lifeboats with the owmen and children, and that he supposedly shot people. I do believe that he may have had a gun, but that he fired into the air to warn men from jumping into the lifeboats on top of the women and children.

"The worst accusation was that in the end, he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. The family absolutely does not believe this to be true.

"We were so incensed at these accusations that some of the family wrote into a Liverpool newspaper to protest how William Murdoch, a well-known hero thoughout England and Scotland, had been made to appear as a horrible coward.

"Other relatives living in Dalbeattie, Scotland, where there is a monument in his honour, tried to file a lawsuit against TITANIC director, James Cameron. But they didn't have a lot of money for high-priced lawyers, and they were too far away from the Hollywood scene.

"I think an out-of-court settlement was something like a lump of 10,000 or 20,000 punds, to be put into a bursary to support further education of students. There is still a lot of hard feelings within the family about this settlement."

Victoria is resolute and passionate in her quest to have William Murdoch's name and reputation cleared. I asked her about future plans and she said, "I would like to see a good, strong family tree and a family reunion.

"Also, obviously, more public knowledge about the fact that a lot of witnesses said William Murdoch actually saved many lives. He should have been the captain of Titanic and portrayed as the true hero that he was. I plan to continue my research and write a book and, maybe somebody would like to buy the rights, make a movie and get the real truth out about the sinking of the Titanic."

*

Victoria is the manager of Colour Tech II Hair Studio on West Broadway in Vancouver, British Columbia, a family-owned and operated hairdressing salon specializing in hair colour corrections work. The family is originally from Liverpool, England. Victoria's father, Brian Farrell has Limerick, Ireland roots.