Mr John Thomas Poingdestre
Photo: Alex Glendinning
Mr John Thomas "Jack" Poingdestre (aka Poindexter) was born at 27 Old St John Road, St Helier, Jersey on 6 November (? April) 1886, the son of Philippe George Poingdestre (carpenter) and his wife Eliza Jane Warr. He was one of twelve children and left Jersey at an early age in order to go to sea.
He was settled at 4 Elm Road, Shirley, Southampton with his wife Florence Maud Gallagher and five children of his own by the time he signed up for the Titanic's maiden voyage.
Jack's life has not been without drama - only a month before the sailing he had been serving aboard the Oceana when it sank off Newhaven on 16 March 1912. This experience may have helped to steady his hand when he was put in charge of lifeboat 12. Beforehand he had gone below to collect his rubber boots and was forced to wade back through waist high water as a bulkhead fractured.
After the sinking, as the boat was nowhere near to capacity, he collected other survivors and had almost 70 people aboard when picked up by the Carpathia.
Jack returned to his family in Southampton after 2½ weeks but went back to sea on the outbreak of WWI - where a third ship sank under him after being torpedoed!
He always refused to talk about the disaster and was not close to his children, who at one stage were placed in a home as their mother could not manage them. Consequently his date and place of death have not yet been ascertained.
Available Documents
Crew Particulars of Engagement
Inquiry Testimony
(Courtesy of the Titanic
Inquiry Project)
Board of Trade Hearings, Day 4, Testimony
References
Agreement and Account of Crew (PRO London, BT100/259)
Wreck Commissioners' Court, Proceedings before the Right Hon. Lord Mersey on a
Formal Investigation Ordered by the Board of Trade into the Loss of the S.S. Titanic
Contributors
Alex Glendinning
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Summary
Born: Wednesday 6th November 1878 in Jersey Channel Islands Great Britain
Age: 33 years
Marital Status: Married.
Last Residence: at 4 Elm Road, Freemantle, Southampton Hampshire England
Occupation: Able Seaman
Last Ship: Oceanic
Deck crew
First Embarked: Southampton
Rescued (boat 12)
Disembarked Carpathia: New York City on Thursday 18th April 1912
Other Information
General Information
Jack Poingdestre