Jack Poingdestre, whose parents lived at 28, Old St. John's Road Jersey, also had his home in Southampton. A month earlier he had been on the crew of the Oceana when it sank of Newhaven. That had been on March 16th. He at least was used to shipwrecks.
Able seaman Jack Poingdestre was one of those who helped to clear the boats. He remembers seeing one boat with a 65-passenger capacity being lowered with less than 40 on board. While he was there, the bulkhead between the forecastle and the third class cabins broke and he had to wade through water waist deep.
The two other survivors from Jersey were both seamen. Jack Poingdestre returned to his wife and family in Southampton two and a half weeks after the disaster.