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J. Dawson

J. Dawson. His name birngs forth romantic visions of true love that ended tragicly,, but it was just a movie,, right?? Not quite.

There was a real J. Dawson,, his first name was Joseph. and there was a sweetheart that he left behind with his death. and he had the presence of mind to button his union card into his pocket so that if he DIDN'T make it,,he could be identified so that his love, Nellie, and his father, would be know that he did the best he could to come back to them.

The real J. Dawson was a young man from Dublin. A coal strike had paralyzed Great Britain and Ireland, and unmployment was at an all time high.

He found employement on the Titanic, as a Trimmer. A Trimmer was the lowest, most dirty job there is on a boat. It was hard, dirty, back breaking work,, with very little time off. They brought the coal to the stokers, and the stokers then kept the furnances filled. Their job was also to maintain the balance of the coal in the storage area of the ship as they carried it out.

Most of the trimmers, the "black gang", as they were called did NOT make it to the deck. Most died right there at their posts. They died alongside the stokers, and the engineers, who also were in the bottom of the ship at their posts. From all evidence, they kept the furnances stoked, so the lights would continue burning, right up to the very end. The icy water as it rose higher and higher, freezing them, and inducing hypothermia, the almost certain knowledge of death, the total hopelessness of their situation, makes the mens efforts even more heroic.

The real J. Dawson was a young man around 23. Some reports have him as light haired,, some as dark haired,,, the official certificate on his body lists him as light haired. By his picture I would say lightish hair. He is also listed as having a mustache. He was dressed in dungaree pants, grey shirt and drawers, dungaree coat, a body belt, and he was wearing no shoes, or boots. He had a tatoo on his arm of a cross and anchor. The Mackay-Bennett was the boat that foudn him.

How did a trimmer manage to make it to the deck? They were released at the very last minute, after the last boats had already launched, and the only hope they had was to swim till they were rescued. I imagine that never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that almost 80 years later, a movie would be made that featured a character with his name as one of the lead players.

Please read his biography, done very nicely by Senan Molony. It is all about J. Dawson, his family, and the love he left behind. John Priest, his friend and the brother to his sweetheart, DID survive the Titanic's sinking. There is also a picture of J. Dawson, looking very nice in his uniform of the Royal Army Medical Corps. 1911.

It is not known for sure if Nellie and Joseph were married,, but she was notified from the White Star Line, and addressed as "Mrs. J. Dawson". It is also looks unlikely that she was even told that his body was recovered and buried on land,,, across the ocean, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

He is buried at Fariveiw Cemetary in Halifax, Nova Scotia, alongside the other victims of the Titanic's sinking. The rich, the poor, the stewards, the very lowest of the workers, all buried side by side. The freezing water wasn't class concience. There is a section of the cemetary that is devoted to the victims of the Titanic. The graves are arranged in the shape of a ship, including a section that represents the damage done by the ice berg in the arrangement.

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.


J. Dawson - BIOGRAPHY

Fairveiw Cemetary, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Collection Of Victims

List Of Victims

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