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Family History and Research

The following information is excerpted from the book "Titanic - A Survivor's Story" by Colonel Archibald Gracie, 1998 Academy Chicago publishers, originally published in 1913 as "The Truth About the Titanic":

"On the night of Sunday, April 14, 1912, able bodied seaman John Poingdestre, was put in charge of Lifeboat Number 12. After the sinking, his boat transferred some passengers from other boats. When rescued by the Carpathia, Number 12 had nearly 70 people in it."
More details can be found in the book.

About Life Boat 12:

• WebTitanic
• Titanic lifeboats Project (scroll down to Lifeboat #12)

About John Thomas Poingdestre:

John was born in the Channel Islands, on Jersey, the ancestral home of the Poingdestre family, one of a dozen or so fief families. John was born 6 November 1878 and was 33 at the time of the Titanic's sinking.

He actually survived the sinking of three ships. A month earlier he had been on the crew of the Oceana when it sank off Newhaven, Sussex on March 16, in a collision with Pisagua, a 2850-ton German four-masted steel barque. Four and a half years later, on November 21, 1916 he survived the sinking of Titanic's sister ship, HMHS Britannic. The Britannic was serving as a hospital ship in World War l when it was sunk off the island of Kea, about 40 miles south east of Athens, Greece.

Read a short biograpghy by Poingdestre historian Alex Glendinning by visiting the Encyclopedia Titanica.

Also see John's testamony at the British Inquiry of Wrecks after Titannic sunk:

His Family:

Titanic may touch us all even closer. During the PDA's 1998 Reunion Tour of the Isle of Jersey, the group met Jean Poingdestre Coxon, the granddaughter of Seaman Poingdestre. She was excited to meet all of us and I continue to coorespond with her have dinner with her and her family when I visit Jersey.

Titanic Artifacts:

On another note, in April, 1998, visted the Titanic Exposition where actual artifacts from Titanic were on display. Near the end of the tour was a large wall chart of survivors and those whose lost their lives. John Poingdestre is listed as a surviving crew member. It took about two hours to take the audio-cassette guided tour where you learn about that disasterous night while looking at the artifacts, photos and models. For info on where artifacts are on display, go to www.titanic-online.com.

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