True Life Tuesday: Charles Joughin

For some reason ever since I was a young kid I have been fascinated by the sinking of the Titanic. This is the story of one of the survivors of the disaster.

Charles Joughin was born on August 5, 1878 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England. He was the second of four children born to John Edwin Joughin and Ellen Campbell. He also had two older siblings from his mother's first marriage. His father died in 1886 and his mother took up nursing to support the family and then ended up managing a coffee shop. Charles went to sea at the age of 11 in order to help his mother support the family. He married Louise Woodward on November 17, 1906 and they had two children - a daughter, Agnes, and a son, Roland Ernest. 

Charles was on the Titanic delivery trip from Belfast where the ship was built and Southhampton where it departed from. He decided to sign up to be the chief baker on the ship. When the ship hit the iceberg he was off duty and on his bunk. He began to make preparations to provide the life boats with bread. He eventually headed back to his cabin where he admits that he had a drink (side note - who could blame him?). He went back to the deck where he began assisting with the loading of life boats. He eventually made his way to the B-deck where he began tossing chairs overboard so he would have something to cling to once the ship sank. He found himself going down with the ship but was to lucky to not be sucked under with it. He states that he treaded water and swam for two hours but there is some doubts about that. He eventually found his way to a collapsible boat with 20-25 men on it. There was no room for him but he was recognized by another crew member, Isaac Maynard, who held his hand until another boat with room came by. 

After recuperating in New York he returned to England. He testified at the British inquiry into the sinking on May 10, 1912. After his return to England he worked on the Olympic. During World War I he served with the British marine fleet. He survived a fire that destroyed the SS Congress on September 14, 1916. In 1919 his wife and newborn son died in childbirth. He left his surviving children in England and moved to Patterson, New Jersey. He eventually became a US citizen in 1930. He married Annie Eleanor "Nellie" Howart Coll on September 10, 1925. While in the US he served on many ships. He survived yet another disaster when the SS Oregon was rammed by the USS New Mexico and sank. Nellie died on April 22, 1944 and he never recovered from her loss. He died on December 9, 1956 and was buried next to her in Cedar Lawn Cemetery.