The Titanic Postal Clerks

By: Alex Gabrielli

The tragedy that befell the Titanic hurt many victims.  From the richest passenger to the workers on board, the event affected everyone.

Mr. William Logan Gwinn

At the age of 37, Mr. William Logan Gwinn was a resident of Asbury Park.  He was supposed to work on the ship, the Philadelphia, but tried to be reassigned to the Titanic so he could help his ill wife sooner.  He was employed as a postal clerk and died on the Titanic when it sank.  His body was never found.  His wife recovered from her illness but later heard the news about her husband’s death.

Mr. John Starr March

Mr. John Starr March was born in Middleton, New York.  Mr. March had originally worked as a postal clerk for a railway company, before he started working as a marine merchant.  The year before the voyage of the Titanic, his wife passed away.   He had two daughters.  Mr. March was also previously employed in ships such as the Kaiser Wilhem der Grosse.  Unfortunately, Mr. March was very proud with his job at sea, and refused his daughters warnings to seek a safer postal job.  He was the oldest of the other postal clerks.

Mr. John Richard Jago Smith

Mr. John Richard Jago Smith originally worked in a postal office until the early 1900’s when he was employed by the White Star Line to work on the Titanic.  He was a resident of Cornwall England before he died, and he did not have a spouse, but three siblings.

 Mr. James Bertram Williamson

Mr. James Bertram Williamson was born in Southampton, England.  His body was not recovered, but he also worked on the Titanic as a postal clerk.  He was 35 during the tragedy, although he was not a passenger, he was not part of the crew either.

Mr. Oscar Scott Woody

Mr. Oscar Scott Woody, was born in Virginia on April 15.  He was living in Southampton, England where he was staying in a hotel, but claimed residency in Virginia.  He was also a postal clerk, and he too did not survive.

A Duty Fulfilled

Mr. Gwinn, Mr. March, Mr. Smith, Mr. Williamson, and Mr. Woody, were extremely brave men.  They stayed calm and struggled to do their duty as postal clerks, even with the certainty of a sinking.  In order to maintain their duty to the passengers, all five clerks tried to carry about 200 bags of mail.  The sorting room was simultaneously filling up with water as the Titanic continued to sink.  Even though they all knew their goal was impossible with the current state of the ship, they trudged on through the cold water. Although the five postal clerks did not make it to the entrance, where the mail could be shipped, there courageous efforts have been appreciated worldwide.

Works Cited

"Postal Clerks on the Titanic." Encyclopedia Titanica. 27 Mar. 2008 http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/manifest.php?q=9.>

"The R.M.S. Titanic Postal Clerks." Duty Before Death. 27 Mar. 2008 <http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/duty/dutybeforedeath.html>

Titanic's Mail Clerks. Titanic-Titanic.Com. 2 Apr. 2008
<http://www.titanic-titanic.com/pic/mail_clerks_post_office.gif>

James Bertram Williamson.Online image. Duty Before Death. 2 Apr. 2008
<http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/duty/images/williamson-sm.jpg>.

Mr. Oscar Scott Woody. Online image.Duty Before Death. 2 Apr. 2008
<http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/duty/images/woody-sm.jpg>.

John Richard Jago Smith. Online image.Duty Before Death. 2 Apr. 2008
<http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/duty/images/smith-sm.jpg.>

 Mr. John Starr March.Online image. Duty Before Death. 2 Apr. 2008 <http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/duty/images/march-sm.jpg>.