Mr John Henry Hesketh

Mr John Henry Hesketh, 33, was unmarried; he was born in Liverpool and lived with his parents in that city on Garnett Avenue, Kirkdale. He joined White Star as an engineer apprentice at the age of 14 years and commenced his seagoing career as Sixth Engineer aboard the Afric.

Hesketh served aboard a number of the company`s vessels and was involved in the salvage of the Seuvic following that ship`s grounding. He had responsibility for the refrigeration machinery aboard the Majestic and was instrumental in improving the quality of the refrigerated cargo provision offered by White Star. He served aboard the Olympic before moving to the Titanic He was the youngest acting Second Engineer in the company.

Hesketh was in Boiler-Room No. 6 when the Titanic struck the iceberg, he barely managed to shut the dampers (shutting off the flow of air to the fires) when he heard a sound like a gun going off. Hesketh and leading Stoker Frederick Barrett were suddenly hit by a jet of icy water, they ran aft and managed to clamber through the doorway of the tunnel into boiler-room 5 as the watertight door closed. The remaining men including Fireman George Beauchamp raked the fires before escaping to safety.

Hesketh died in the sinking, his estate at death was worth £447 10s.