Richard William Hosgood, known as "Dick," was born in Lambeth, London, England on 29 September 1889.

He was the son of Richard Hosgood (1861-1921) and Ellen Sarah Miller (1863-1927), natives of Woolwich and Camberwell, London, respectively, who had married in 1883. His father was a commission dealer and had previously served as a driver in the Royal Artillery.

Richard had seven siblings: Olive Victoria Grace (b. 29 April 1884)¹, James William (b. 26 October 1885)², Ellen Lucy (b. 24 April 1887)³, Kathleen Annie (b. 23 April 1892)⁴, Winifred (b. 13 March 1894), Alfred Henry (b. 7 July 1897)⁵ and Phyllis Margaret (b. 23 June 1898)⁶.

For reasons unknown the family appear to be absent from the 1891 and 1901 census reports, but they appear to have shifted from London to Southampton sometime after 1901. Their early addresses can be traced from school records and electoral roles: in August 1891, when Richard's sister Olive enrolled at the Heber Road School, their address was 19 Rodwell Road. In July 1897 when Richard himself was enrolled at  Heber Road School the home address was 31 Landells Road, Dulwich. Their address was 7 Western Dwellings by early the following year and by 1901 the address was 48 Vineleigh Road, Dulwich. 

Richard was married in Southampton in 1909 to Edith May Stockley (b. 1891 in Southampton) and they would have a daughter, Winifred May who arrived on 18 February 1910.

On the 1911 census Richard, his wife and daughter were living at 19 Woodley Road, Woolston, Southampton and he was described as an unemployed ship's stoker.

When Hosgood signed on to the Titanic he gave his address as 19 Woodley Road, Southampton and his previous ship as the Saxon. Hosgood and his colleagues Geer, Witt, Kinsella, Black, and Lloyd were taken on as last-minute substitutes after six of the "signed-on" crew arrived late for sailing. As a fireman, he could expect monthly wages of £6.

Richard Hosgood died in the sinking. His body was later recovered (#242) and he was buried at Fairview cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia on 6 May 1912.

Photo: © Bill Fowler, Dundas, Ontario, Canada).

He is also commemorated at the St Augustine's Church Memorial in Southampton.

Richard's widow Edith May had been pregnant at the time of the sinking and on 18 April 1912 gave birth to a son who was named after his father, Richard William.

Edith Hosgood was remarried in 1914 to Frank Hobbs and they had a son named Frank in February the following year. She died in 1930.
His daughter Winifred May was married in Southampton in 1934 to labourer Frank Hayward (b. 1906) and they had two children. She died in Southampton in 1993.

His son Richard later worked as a machinist and was married in Southampton in 1936 to Dorothy Alice Hatch (1915-1985) and they raised a family. Richard died in Southampton in 1978.