This article is about the victim that perished aboard the Titanic. For the fictional character from Cameron's movie, see Jack Dawson
Joseph Dawson (September 1st, 1888 - April 15th, 1912) was a trimmer of the Titanic. He died in the sinking and was buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Dawson was born on September 1st, 1888 to his father Patrick Dawson and mother, Catherine "Kate" Madden. Dawson had a younger sister named Maggie, an older stepsister named Bridget Theresa. They had a Roman Catholic background.
He appears on the 1901 census with his parents, living in Lower Rutland Street, 49, Dublin. That was the poorest region of Dublin, the family having only 2 rooms.
Military Service and Sea[]
He initially worked and earned his livings as a carpenter and builders porter, then joined the British Military, signing up at Dublin on July, 28, 1908 at the age of 19.
He served in the Medical Corps (Reg. No. 1854), reports show Dawson was treated for things such as laryngitis and boils due to poor medical, as in 1909, he had five teeth removed due to a “very septic” mouth as he continued to have dental work done on him up until 1911, funded by the Public Purse.
He started his training in Aldershot before moving to serve at Netley, Hampshire, where he was described as a “21 year old unmarried private”. Dawson then transferred to the Army Reserves by July 1911 after a “three-year service”, by then he would go into the merchant service. He moved to Southampton to look for work. He signed-on the Adriatic on July 24th, 1911. At his first time at sea, he discovered there was a strict separation of crew members, like the passenger classes. As a trimmer, he was at the very bottom of the ladder, as trimmers were comparable to third class in terms of status. In fall 1911, Joseph signed-on to the Majestic. During the coal strike of early 1912, the Majestic's coal was taken away to supply the Titanic.
On the Titanic[]
Joseph also signed-on the Titanic, his last time at sea was 7 months ago. He signed on as a Trimmer with his own signature, indicating he must have had some education. Also on board of the ship, there was a fireman named Arthur John Priest. One of his sisters, Nellie Dawson, seemed to have been in a romantic relationship with Dawson at the time of the voyage. Joseph was 23 years old at the time.
On the night of April 14, Joseph was off-duty when the ship hit the iceberg. When he woke up, he took his coat and went to the Boat Deck. Later, when the ship took its final plunge, Joseph leaped into the sea and swam in the water, where he died of hypothermia. His body stayed afloat long enough to be recovered by the Mackay-Bennett (#227) and brought to Halifax. Nobody claimed his body, so he was buried in Fairview Lawn Cemetery on May 8th, 1912.
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NO. 227 - MALE - ESTIMATED AGE 30 - HAIR LIGHT & MOUSTACHE CLOTHING - Dungaree coat and pants; grey shirt. NO MARKS ON BODY OR CLOTHING EFFECTS - N. S. & S. Union 35638. TRIMMER. NAME - JAMES DAWSON, 17 Briton St., Southampton. |
Trivia[]
James Cameron wrote a fictional character named Jack Dawson for his 1997 Film Titanic. At the time the movie was released, Cameron didn't know about Joseph, only finding out some time after. Because Joseph's grave simply read "J. Dawson", it led many fans of the movie to believe it’s the resting place of the fictional Jack Dawson, and his grave was honoured for the wrong reasons, with many young women laying flowers on it.