I think we’re all familiar with fictional heart throb ‘Jack Dawson’ played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1997 film ‘Titanic’. However, I wonder how many are aware that there really was a man named Dawson on the infamous RMS Titanic?
This Dawson doesn’t share many similarities with Jack. Joseph Dawson was born September 1888, Dublin, Ireland. According to Encyclopaedia Titanica “Joseph appears on the 1901 census living with his family at 49 Lower Rutland Street in Mountjoy, Dublin.” Unlike the fictional Dawson who came from Chippewa Falls in Wisconsin.
In 1908 Joseph Dawson signed on with the British Army. Dawson was described as having suffered with Laryngitis and his oral health was poor. Encyclopaedia Titanica recorded that “ had had five teeth removed in 1909” and was still being treated by 1911 ( just a year before Titanic set sail). Joseph Dawson’s background is a little less glamorous than Jack Dawson a free spirit who makes a living off of painting women.
Titanic connections
Joseph Dawson signed on the RMS Titanic on the April 6th 1912 and his last recorded residence was in Southampton. Previously Dawson had worked on the Majestic as a trimmer with a wage of £5 10s. unlike Joseph Dawson, Jack Dawson won his ticket on Titanic at a poker game.
Different story, same fate
Although the pair don’t share much similarities other than their names, their fate is probably the closest link they share. As many probably remember Jack Dawson’s fate was sealed when he chose to let Rose to sit on the panel piece and subsequently died of hypothermia. The fate of Joseph Dawson was similar. Dawson was off duty when Titanic was sinking and did not manage to get on a lifeboat. He like thousands of others was in the Atlantic Ocean when the Titanic’s lights went off and died in an attempt to swim away from the doomed liner. The postmortem concluded that Joseph Dawson like Jack Dawson had died of hypothermia due to a combination of constant exposure to the water and shock. On official records there were no signs of any bruising or damage to the body.
The film records that there were no records of Jack Dawson. In real life however, it isn’t to difficult to find memorials and sources on Joseph Dawson. Dawson’s body is buried in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, now known as the Titanic Cemetery, in Halifax. Dawson’s headstone can be found under body number #227. This has become somewhat of a pilgrimage for fans of Jack Dawson. Another Memorial can be found in Belfast City Hall, in the Titanic Memorial Garden. There you will find a list of every crew member on the Titanic and Dawson is listed as J.Dawson.
Like always I will leave a couple of external links to profiles and articles on Joseph Dawson.
Have a titanic day, Millie.
Encyclopaedia Titanica: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/joseph-dawson.html
Titanic Wiki: https://titanic.fandom.com/wiki/Joseph_Dawson
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