Encyclopedia Titanica

John William Thompson

John William Thompson
John William Thompson

Mr John William Thompson, 42, was born in Liverpool on 6 April 1871.1

When he signed-on to the Titanic 6 April 1912, he gave his address as 26 Howe St., Liverpool. He had previously served on the Castleford. As a fireman he received monthly wages of £6.

John Thompson later recalled that, after he and some other firemen had gone on deck after the collision, Leading Fireman William Small ordered them back below, apparently to go back to the boiler rooms.

Thompson was rescued in the swamped collapsible A, he was later transferred to lifeboat 14. Somehow he broke his arm in his struggle to survive in the water, but didn't notice until he had to climb up the rope ladder into the Carpathia.

What became of him after 1912 is a mystery.

Notes

1. It is likely that his parents were Robert Thompson (dock labourer) and his wife Ann.

Research Articles

Titanica! (2018) Titanic: The Disappeared
Which Titanic survivors have never been found?

Newspaper Articles

Chicago Inter Ocean (23 April 1912) Out To Beat Record
Titanic was out “to beat all records on maiden trips.
Worcestershire Chronicle (27 April 1912) Fire Up Hard
The orders to us were to fire up as hard as we could.
Southern Daily Echo (23 May 1912) Titanic Survivor Charged
Sent to Prison for Stealing a Watch

Images

John William Thompson, Thomas Whiteley, William McIntyre, Emilio Pallas y Castillo
Asbury Park Press (1912) John Thompson

Comment and discuss

  1. Steven Christian

    Steven Christian

    Some believe systems are big on it. Mortality is a big problem for lots of people. So reincarnation is their way of dealing with it. If that's what gets them by I don't have a problem with it. Personally I don't get it but thats just me. But for me at least science and religion after the divergance that took place during the Renaissance have circled back to the same point as far as the big questions go. Which is we have no answers. Lots of speculation and theories. It's fun to think about but in our present state of development I don't believe were capable of understanding. Having said all that I do think Seumas might be right about spam or game players. I would use the T word but some of the mods here don't like that. Odd to revive a thread with this after the last post in it... Read full post
  2. Mark Baber

    Mark Baber

    Moderator's hat on: Calm down, folks. Marcus, you're certainly entitled to your belief that you were Thompson and to have that belief respected. Don't, though, follow up with "recollections" based on that belief. Past life recollections can't be verified and have led to some strife here in the past. And folks, Marcus is entitled not to have his belief described as "spam," "hocus-pocus" or "nonsense." Please desist. Thanks. Moderator's hat off.
  3. Marcus John Kim

    Marcus John Kim

    Then how did I know certain things about the ship, that I didn't see in books? It's weird I know, but there are definitely things about life and death that are beyond our understanding. I just know, that's all. Fascinating! She was so wonderful for her time... Everything almost brand new, so grand...
  4. Mark Baber

    Mark Baber

    Moderator's hat on: No more of this, Marcus. Moderator's hat off.
  5. Arun Vajpey

    Arun Vajpey

    I don't have any objection to people discussing such things; in fact, I'll probably join in. But on a forum like this the subject should be relegated to "Off Topic" and not linked to any genuine Titanic victim or survivor. If any of Fireman Thompson's descendants read such things, they might well get upset. On the subject of reincarnation, my argument would be that IF I really had a "previous life", I might just as easily have been a rose bush or a water buffalo instead of Albert Einstein.
  6. Steven Christian

    Steven Christian

    This will probably get deleted or the thread closed. Thats fine with me as you said should be in the off topic section. And I'm not really interested in such things. But since you quoted me I feel you deserve a response. That is one theory on the subject. You die and then start over at the bottom of the food chain then work your way back up to human. I forget where I read that. Maybe it was in a past life....:p
  7. Mark Baber

    Mark Baber

    Ummm... Enough!

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Titanic Crew Summary

Name: Mr John William Thompson
Age: 41 years and 9 days  (Male)
Nationality: English
Last Residence: at 2 House, Primrose Hill Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Occupation: Fireman
Last Ship: Castleford
Embarked: Southampton
Rescued (boat A)  
Disembarked Carpathia: New York City on Thursday 18th April 1912

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