Starting as a junior officer, Wilde rose steadily through the ranks while serving on several White Star ships.

[1] He also saw service on White Star Line ships Republic, Coptic, Majestic, Baltic and Adriatic.

Tragedy struck in December 1910 when Wilde's wife and twin infant sons Archie and Richard died.

Lightoller later recalled that Wilde had stayed ashore because he was to receive "command of another of the White Star steamers, which, owing to the coal strike and other reasons was laid up".

[6] The officers made their way to their departure stations; Wilde was at the head of the forecastle, overseeing the crew working the mooring lines.

Around the time of departure, he was assisting Lightoller in casting off mooring ropes and in securing of tug lines.

Wilde stood by the anchor crane at the bow, his hands clasped behind his back, watching the crewmen kneeling on the deck next to him, coiling the lines neatly for storage.

On 11 April Third Class Steward John E. Hart recalled that at some point during the day, there was a general bulkhead inspection.

He saw Wilde and designer Thomas Andrews checking to make sure that the crew would close the watertight doors manually.

[7] On the Titanic, Wilde reportedly wrote a letter to his sister at Cobh in which he mentioned that he had "a queer feeling about the ship".

After the collison with the iceberg, Trimmer Hemming and Storekeeper Frank Prentice headed up to the forecastle head, just forward of the anchor crane, to investigate air hissing out of the vent pipe with considerable force, indicating the peak tank was flooding rapidly.

Steward James Johnston and Fourth Officer Boxhall saw Wilde putting women and children into lifeboat No.

At 10, chief baker Charles Joughin saw Wilde conducting affairs, shouting at the stewards to keep a large number of passengers gathered back.

[14] Ismay testified that Wilde was the officer who was in charge of collapsible C.[15] Major Arthur Godfrey Peuchen of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club had just reached the boat deck and saw a group of about 100 stokers with their kit bags, seemingly crowding the whole deck in front of the boats; unlike many of the passengers, these men had come up from below and knew the extent of the flooding.

Wilde ordered able bodied seaman Joseph Scarrott to start loading women and children into Boat No.

2. and once away, he crossed over to the starboard side to Collapsible C. He helped load passengers, then put out a call for someone to look after the boat; Quartermaster Rowe was ordered by Smith to do so.

An account in the Cornish Post of 2 May 1912, claimed that Wilde was last seen on the bridge smoking a cigarette, and that he waved goodbye to Lightoller as the ship sank.

This has later been proven to be false; It comes from the so called Portrush letter Written by John Smith, who was the barman at the officers club in New York.