John Davis before Titanic, in military outfit.
John Davis was part of the victualling crew on the Titanic.
Background[]
John Davis was the son of a Royal Marine Corporal who later became a publican, George Davis. John's mother was Rebecca Streets. He was born in Gosport in August 1884 and he had 5 older brothers as well as 3 older sisters. . John's first years appear to have been spent living at the George Inn, Melcombe Regis, Weymouth. While they had gone back and forth to Ireland, the newlywed Davis couple eventually moved to Landport, Porthsmouth in Hampshire when they had their eldest children. The first of them was named after his father, George, in 1870. In 1871, it was the turn of Amelia. The year 1873 saw Stephen James, who preceeded William, conceived in 1875. A baby sister came next in 1877: Kate. Henry followed suit in 1880 and Frederick left the womb in 1882, the last child before John. In 1888, his only younger sibling, Albert was born.
His father retired from the Royal Marines before 1892.
In 1902, John turned 18 and left the Third Hampshire Regiment Militia to join the Army Service Corps. He was of christian faith and just five foot two tall, with blue eyes, brown hair, decayed lower molars and a burn scar under his right arm. That scar was probably connected to his previous job as a baker.
John served as a driver for the regiment in both Aldershot and Chatham but his behaviour got him into trouble. He was thrown in the cells once for falling asleep at his sentry post. He spent there two weeks. Then he got reprimanded for other minor offences. Eventually, after failing to report for duty twice, he was dismissed in 1908. He then found work at sea as a baker.
In late 1910 he married Eliza Blanch Hunt, known as Lily. John moved in with her parents at 19 Eastfield Road in Saint Denys. On November 18th, 1911, their son John Samuel was born.
Titanic[]
John was on Titanic for her delivery trip from Belfast. He had worked on Olympic before joining her new sistership on April 4th, as the Extra Second Baker, earning £5 a month. His elder brother Stephen James Davis was also aboard as an Able Seaman.
On April 14, disaster struck as the ship collided with an iceberg and the damage caused her to founder.
Neither of the two Davis brothers survived the sinking but John’s body was recovered by the Mackay-Bennett and he was buried at sea on 24 April 1912. He was wearing white trousers, a blue coat and apron marked JD and a white outer coat. In his pockets were a Post Office savings account book, 3s 6d, keys and union books, suggesting he’d had time to collect his important belongings before the ship sank. Perhaps he believed he would be saved, or maybe he picked up the books because he knew they’d help identify his body?
After his death[]
A death notice was posted in the Hampshire Independent.
His poor widow Eliza seemed to be unlucky in love. She married Harry Atkinson in 1915 but was widowed again two years later. In 1918 she married for the third time but her husband, Albert E Young, died in 1927. Her final marriage, to Frank Ernest Colverson in 1928, was her last. She died in Southampton in 1973, Frank survived her and died three years later.
Sources[]
Special thanks and credits to Marie Keates for allowing me to use a large part of this information of her blog:
https://iwalkalone.co.uk/titanic-tales-from-st-denys: Titanic tales from St Denys – I Walk Alone