Key facts about George William Beauchamp
- Beauchamp was born in Totton, Hampshire, on March 9, 1888 and had already worked at sea before joining Titanic.
- His official Titanic role was fireman. The British inquiry distinguished a fireman from the higher position of leading stoker.
- He was in No. 10 stokehold when the collision felt to him like a roar of thunder.
- After drawing the fires and leaving by an escape ladder, he reached the Boat Deck and helped women and children into Lifeboat 13.
- An officer ordered him into the boat after asking who could pull an oar. He survived and later testified in London.
A young Southampton-area fireman with years already spent at sea
George William Beauchamp was born in Totton, Hampshire, on March 9, 1888. His family later lived around Millbrook and Redbridge near Southampton, an area closely tied to docks, railways and shipping. By his early twenties he had already made a career at sea, including work for the Union-Castle Line.
When Beauchamp joined Titanic he gave Redbridge Road, Millbrook, as his address and Kinfauns Castle as his previous ship. Specialist crew records list him as a fireman earning £6 a month. Although “stoker” is often used loosely for furnace workers, the inquiry itself treated fireman and leading stoker as different ranks.
The collision reached him as a roar in No. 10 stokehold
Beauchamp was working the 8 p.m. to midnight watch in No. 10 stokehold when Titanic struck the iceberg. At the British inquiry he described the shock as like thunder. The engine telegraph went to stop, and the engineer and leading stoker ordered the men to shut the dampers.
The watertight doors dropped soon afterward. A few minutes later the firemen were told to draw the fires. Beauchamp remembered water coming across the stokehold plates while that work was being done. Once the fires were secured and someone called that the men were finished, he climbed an escape ladder and made his way aft and upward.
He reached the Boat Deck without knowing his assigned boat station
Beauchamp told the inquiry that he did not know his boat station. He had heard that a station list had been posted that morning but had not looked at it. Instead, after reaching the Boat Deck he moved to the aft starboard side and began helping women and children into Lifeboat 13.
He stood with one foot on Titanic’s deck and one on the lifeboat while passengers boarded. When the officer supervising the loading asked who could pull an oar, Beauchamp answered that he could. The officer ordered him into the boat and told the crew to lower away.
Lifeboat 13 was crowded and difficult to clear from Titanic
Beauchamp estimated that Lifeboat 13 eventually carried about 60 to 70 people. He remembered the loading as orderly, with women and children called forward first. Once the boat descended, an engine-room discharge made it difficult to keep the craft away from Titanic’s side.
The boat was so crowded that reaching the release gear was difficult. Beauchamp said leading stoker Frederick Barrett cut one fall while a sailor cut the other. After the boat was free, its crew rowed farther away as Titanic settled lower. Beauchamp later remembered the bow disappearing first, the stern following and the cries that came after the ship was gone.
He returned to maritime work and lived until 1965
Beauchamp gave evidence to the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry on May 7, 1912. His testimony connects events below the waterline with the later loading and handling of a lifeboat.
He continued working at sea for years, later serving on Cape Mail ships as a leading fireman. After leaving deep-sea work he held jobs around Southampton, including dock work and employment with a builders’ merchant. He never married and died on April 5, 1965, aged 77.
Sources used for this biography
Beauchamp’s own 1912 testimony provides the strongest evidence for his work below deck, the loading of Lifeboat 13 and what he saw after the launch.
- British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry: George W. Beauchamp testimony Primary evidence for his role, stokehold, collision response, route to the Boat Deck and Lifeboat 13.
- British inquiry: George Beauchamp testimony continued Primary evidence for the lifeboat’s handling, rowing, supplies and rescue by Carpathia.
- Encyclopedia Titanica: George William Beauchamp Birth, family, crew record, previous ship, later work and death.
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Frequently asked questions
What was George Beauchamp’s job on Titanic?
He was a fireman in Titanic’s engineering department, working the furnaces in the forward boiler spaces.
Where was George Beauchamp when Titanic hit the iceberg?
He was working the 8 p.m. to midnight watch in No. 10 stokehold.
Which lifeboat did George Beauchamp survive in?
He survived in Lifeboat 13 after helping load passengers and being ordered aboard because he could row.
Did George Beauchamp testify about Titanic?
Yes. He gave detailed evidence to the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry on May 7, 1912.