RELATIVES of the Torquay quartermaster who was at the Titanic's helm when it struck an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people, have spoken movingly of his tragic life.

Barbara Clarke, the niece of sailor Robert Hichens, was at Torquay Museum yesterday to see the current Titanic exhibition and share memories of her famous relative.

She was speaking publicly for the first time about Hichens, whose life spiralled into disaster after that infamous day 96 years ago when the much-heralded ship's sinking shocked the world.

Hichens' life story has been the subject of investigation by people around the globe, including Barbara and her husband, Peter, who live in Buckfastleigh.

But it was not until recently that his Torquay connections came to light.

Research has show he was born in Newlyn, Cornwall, part of a traditional fishing family, but moved to Torquay and lived in Stentiford Hill, which is now a car park.

He became a master mariner, but his life took a terrible turn on April 15, 1912 — causing him to endure subsequent bouts of hard drinking, depression, bankruptcy, failed suicides and a five-year jail term for attempted murder.

Peter said: "On that terrible day Hichens followed the famous order, 'Hard a-starboard', and then he saw the iceberg. The next 37 seconds ruined his life.

"They hit the iceberg and the Titanic was going down.

"Hichens was put in charge of Lifeboat Number Six and, while aboard, he got into an disagreement with famous American socialite Molly Brown.

"He was in the lifeboat for 10 hours. His order was to take people to safety and then come back for any remaining survivors, but Molly Brown demanded that he go back to the Titanic straight away.

"He said they would be sucked down with the Titanic and argued with Molly Brown.

"When she got ashore, she said terrible things about Hichens. Those quotes were printed and they stuck.

"He wasn't responsible for the Titanic hitting the iceberg, but I'm sure he thought he was. He must have thought he was jinxed.

"That's certainly what other seamen thought, because they wouldn't sail with him afterwards. He drank very heavily then.

"When he came back to Torquay he was loaned some money by a man called Harry Henley to buy a pleasure boat, but Henley got into difficulty and foreclosed the loan.

"That put Hichens into a deep depression and he tried to shoot himself, but he missed because he was so drunk. So then he went to find Henley and shot him.

"I think the bullet took a glancing blow off his head, and Henley went to the police and they arrested Hichens.

"At the trial he had his wrists bandaged, which probably means he tried to slash his wrists.

"He got five years for attempted murder, which was a light sentence for such a crime.

"I think the judge was sympathetic towards Hichens because of his situation.

"By this time, he was estranged from his wife, although I think they made it up years later, but she then died of a brain haemorrhage, and Hichens died six months later of heart failure while aboard a ship and he was buried at sea."

Hichens was Barbara's uncle by marriage and, although she was very young when she met him, Barbara says he was a kind and gentle man.

She added: "I met Uncle Robert when I was a girl. I remember he was wearing a navy blue hat and a navy blue jumper. He patted me on the head and said: 'You're a lovely-looking maid'. That's how he spoke.

"But my mother and father wanted nothing to do with him because of the prison sentence. What happened was not talked about.

"I think he must have been so proud to be on the Titanic, which makes what happened to him all the more tragic.

"If I knew him today I'd have been far more sympathetic to his plight than others were back then, because he must have gone through very hard times.

"It would have been dreadful for him.

"He wasn't to blame for what happened aboard the Titanic.

"We don't know why it was going so fast. I think it was to do with trying to break records. I feel so sad about what happened."

Torquay Museum's Titanic exhibition, which runs until August 26, includes details of two other South Devon residents, John Hart and Henry Forbes Julian, who were aboard the ship when it hit the iceberg.