History Daily | Episode 1303: Saturday Matinee - Forgotten Australia
Date: January 24, 2026
Host: Lindsay Graham (History Daily)
Featured Podcast & Narrator: Michael Adams (Forgotten Australia)
Overview
This Saturday Matinee episode of History Daily shares a standout installment from the Forgotten Australia podcast—narrated by Michael Adams—which uncovers the remarkable and little-known story of Albert Nicholls, an Australian hero aboard the Titanic. Through a vivid, personal, and investigative lens, the episode details Nicholls’ origins on Lord Howe Island, his rise to Titanic’s bosun, the urgent events of the sinking, and the enduring mysteries—and possible fabrications—surrounding his fate and the official Titanic narrative. Michael Adams, a direct descendant, reveals not only the story’s historical intrigue but also its deep family resonance.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Host Introduction & Context
[01:07-02:10 | Lindsay Graham, History Daily]
- Graham contemplates his own Australian heritage and the lack of Australian history in mainstream coverage.
- Acknowledges his surprise at not knowing present-day facts about Australia, such as its current Prime Minister.
- Introduces Michael Adams and Forgotten Australia, highlighting the episode’s focus: Australian heroism on the Titanic’s fateful night.
“While I am an American born right here in Texas, my parents are Australian...I know a whole lot more about the country I was born in than the one my parents left.”
— Lindsay Graham [01:14]
2. Albert Nicholls and the Titanic: An Unsung Australian Hero
[04:18-08:45 | Michael Adams]
- Introducing Albert Nicholls
- Albert, often called Alfred or "Big Neck", was Titanic’s bosun—a key figure directing seamen and deck operations.
- Detailed morning of April 2, 1912: Nicholls oversees Titanic’s successful sea trials.
“Albert Nicholls is part of a crew that's making history. The biggest and most luxurious ocean liner ever built, the White Star Line's Titanic, is moving under her own steam for the very first time.”
— Michael Adams [05:50]
- Sociocultural context: Though Titanic's legacy is dominated by film and legend, the real narratives, especially of non-American crew, are often forgotten.
3. Nicholls’ Lord Howe Island Origins
[08:57-16:53 | Michael Adams]
- An Isolated Australian Upbringing
- Lord Howe Island: Volcanic, remote, ecologically unique, paradise-like.
- Brief history: Colonization by settlers and impact of visiting whalers.
- Family roots: The Andrews and Nicholls families as pivotal settlers; Albert’s sailor father, Captain Thomas Nicholls.
"Lord Howe Island is often, and with great justification, spoken of as an idyllic paradise that's among the world's most beautiful places."
— Michael Adams [10:04]
- Childhood marked by hard labor, responsibility, and a longing for adventure.
4. Family Conflict and Albert’s Flight
[20:29-28:50 | Michael Adams]
- Political and Family Tensions
- Intense dispute on Lord Howe Island involving Captain Armstrong, whom Albert defends—alienating his parents and leading to familial estrangement.
- At 18, fearing for his life after escalating conflict, Albert dramatically escapes Lord Howe by signaling a passing steamship.
"Albert hatched a plan to escape before he was killed."
— Michael Adams [27:41]
5. Maritime Career and Titanic Assignment
[28:50-37:07 | Michael Adams]
- Rise to Bosun
- Albert works in Sydney, then to England, joins White Star Line c. 1888, starts a family.
- Becomes bosun on top liners—the Adriatic, then the Olympic (Titanic’s sister ship), and finally the Titanic.
- Letters to family reveal his pride and excitement over serving on the world’s largest ship.
“I suppose that I shall be transferred to one of them when they are ready, so I can say that I am the boatswain of the largest ship in the world.”
— Albert Nicholls, via Michael Adams [32:18]
- April 1912: Titanic prepares for her maiden voyage, loaded with eager crew and anticipating luxury.
6. The Titanic Disaster: Nicholls’ Actions and the Fog of Survival
[41:31-56:02 | Michael Adams]
- Immediate Response
- Albert is pivotal in mustering crew as the iceberg strikes (April 14, 1912, 11:40pm); issues urgent (“You haven’t half an hour to live”) orders to his men.
- Supervises lifeboat preparations and aids passenger evacuations. His leadership is consistently noted in survivor testimonies.
“Turn out you fellows. You haven't half an hour to live, he said. That is from Mr. Andrews. Keep it to yourselves and let no one know.”
— Michael Adams, on Nicholls [48:22]
- Contested Final Orders
- Second Officer Lightoller claims he ordered Nicholls and a party below to open gangway doors for easier evacuation—an action from which they allegedly never return.
- Multiple conflicting accounts:
- Some survivors see Nicholls on deck after this supposed mission.
- Uncertainty arises: Did he die trying to open doors, helping passengers, seeking a gangplank, or did he perish on deck in Titanic’s final moments?
- Testimonies and later inquiries suggest official narratives may have been shaped to deflect blame for under-manned lifeboats.
"He may have died later in a desperate bid to get a gangplank, or he may have been on the boat deck until the last."
— Michael Adams [64:15]
7. Inquiry, Myth, and Memory: The Fate of Albert Nicholls
[57:31-72:50 | Michael Adams]
- Official Inquiries and Self-Serving Testimony
- Lightoller’s claims about dispatching Nicholls below serve to explain missing skilled crew for lifeboats—possibly to mitigate blame for poor evacuation.
- Disparities between Lightoller’s, Lowe’s, and newspaper accounts.
- Later interpretations (e.g., James Cameron’s documentary) infer Nicholls’ actions may have inadvertently worsened Titanic’s flooding, but evidence remains ambiguous.
"It was very necessary to keep one's hand on the whitewash brush...if one was to avoid a pitfall leading to a pinning down of blame..."
— Michael Adams, quoting Lightoller [67:21]
- Family Heroism and Loss
- Last sighting: Nicholls gives his bosun’s whistle to a crewman for the family—a symbolic, poignant gesture signaling both duty and acceptance.
“The last time I saw the bosun, he did not have one [life preserver] on.”
— Samuel Hemming, quoted by Michael Adams [73:22]
8. Personal Connection: The Forgotten is Family
[74:15-75:26 | Michael Adams]
- Michael Adams reveals that Albert Nicholls was his great-great-uncle; this is part of Adams’ own story of rediscovered identity and ancestry.
- Emphasizes the unique power of personal connection in historical storytelling and the importance of honoring overlooked narratives.
“Albert Nicholls’ family is my family. You’ve been listening to Forgotten Australia."
— Michael Adams [74:15]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Unrecognized Australian Presence:
“Yet barely anyone knows the story of Australia’s real life Titanic hero, Boson Albert Nichols, and about the mystery that swirls around him to this day.”
— Michael Adams [08:45] -
On Titanic’s Peril and Leadership:
“Turn out you fellows. You haven’t half an hour to live...keep it to yourselves and let no one know.”
— Michael Adams (on Nicholls’s warning to his men) [48:22] -
On Official Testimony and Potential Fabrication:
“It was very necessary to keep one’s hand on the whitewash brush...if one was to avoid a pitfall leading to a pinning down of blame.”
— Michael Adams, quoting Lightoller [67:21] -
On Family and Discovery:
“What you’ve been listening to is part of my recently discovered family history. I am a sixth generation Lord Howe Islander...Albert William Stanley Nicholls was my great-great-uncle.”
— Michael Adams [74:15-74:57]
Timeline of Key Segments
| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:07-02:10 | Host intro and context; the rarity of Australian history in U.S. | | 04:18-08:45 | Introduction to Nicholls & his Titanic role | | 08:57-16:53 | Lord Howe Island origins; family history | | 20:29-28:50 | Family scandal, confrontation, and Nicholls' dramatic escape | | 28:50-37:07 | Maritime career in Britain; preparation for Titanic | | 41:31-56:02 | Titanic’s voyage, collision, and chaos after the iceberg | | 57:31-64:22 | Competing accounts of Nicholls’ fate; inquiry testimonies | | 67:21-69:53 | Official whitewashing and the construction of "official" stories | | 71:03-72:50 | Modern interpretations and unresolved mysteries | | 74:15-75:26 | Personal family revelation and podcast close |
Conclusion
This episode shines a spotlight on the overlooked story of Albert Nicholls—a testament to the quiet heroism lost when the Titanic sank—and on the broader theme of how history is shaped, sometimes distorted, by official narratives and family memory. Michael Adams’ intertwining of meticulous research, survivor testimony, public inquiry, and personal heritage makes for a compelling story, restoring an Australian presence to a global tragedy and reminding listeners why even the “forgotten” deserve a place in the record.