June 23rd, 1880 - October 23rd, 1961

He is a Cancer.

James William Cheetham Witter was born in Aughton, Lancashire to James Cheetham Witter (born 1840), am agricultural labourer, and Ann Dutton (born 1841), both Halsall, Lancashire natives who had married in 1867. His known siblings are: Elizabeth Ann (born 1865), Mary (born 1866), Richard (born 1870), and Sarah (born 1877). He first appears on the 1881 census living at Holly House Green in Aughton, Lancashire and on the 1891 census at Parkinson Road, Walton, Lancashire. He was married in Woolston, Hampshire on April 10th, 1908 to Hanna Greaves (May 12th, 1881), a native of Selkirk, Selkirkshire, Scotland, the daughter of a wool weaver named Edward and his wife Hannah. James is absent from the 911 census but his wife is listed as living at Portchester Road, Woolston and they had no children. Their neighbors were Ernest Archer and his family, a future Titanic seaman. James and his wife welcomed a son, James Richard on August 21st, 1911.  

Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912:
When he signed into the Titanic on April 4th, 1912, James gave his address as Portchester Road, Woolston. He has transferred from the Olympic and as a 2nd class smoke room steward, he would receive monthly wages of £3, 15s. On the night of the sinking, James was on duty in the smoke room with instructions to close up at midnight. Following the collision, and at the request of some passengers there, he went to investigate after which he decided to return to his quarters which was situated along the working alleyway, Scotland Road. Believing nothing to be seriously amiss and assuming the ship had only dropped a propeller blades stood chattering with a few shipmates when the ship's joiner John Hutchinson came along exclaiming "The bloody room is full!" and going on to explain that the bulkheads weren't holding. Soon after, saloon steward William Moss told him "it's really serious Jim". James eventually returned to his quarters and gathered a few personal possessions, advising his bunkmates still in bed to get up. One shouted at him "What the hell are you talking about? Get out of here!" whilst another man threw a boot at him. James dismissed himself and went topside.

James went up on deck and helped to load some of the boats. While assisting with lifeboat 11, he stood on the rail tying to help a hysterical woman who was thrashing about, she lost her footing and fell, James grabbed hold of her to stop her fall and they both stumbled into the boat. The officer in charge (possibly William Murdoch) ordered James to remain in the boat which was in the process of being lowered. He later described the occupants of the boat as being hushed, saved for the occasional whisper of a child. He later recalled a lady (who he misidentified as Mrs Brown) who owned a toy pig that played music when it's tail was wound who he praised for helping keep the morale of the boat's occupants afloat by singing and joking. The lady was Edith Rosenbaum and she and James would later meet again in the 1950's during the hype generated by the book and film A Night To Remember.

After The Sinking/Later Life/Death:
On July 10th, 1912, he signed onto the Oceanic. He continues to go to sea for many more years with the White Star Line and then with Cunard White Star, serving on many of the great transatlantic liners of the 2920's, 1930's, and post war including the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. Him and Hannah later welcomed 2 more children: Betty (born 1914) and Jack (born 1917) and sometime around 1916 he and his family moved back to Liverpool but later resettled back in Southampton. He rarely spoke of the Titanic as the horror of the whole incident was burned into his memory and he was haunted by it for the rest of his life. However during the 1950's, he assisted Walter Lord when he was writing A Night To Remember and got the chance to be reunited with several of his old shipmates and other survivors.

He was widowed when Hannah passed away on September 12th, 1956. James passed away in Southampton on October 23rd, 1961 at the age of 81. In his final hours of life, he was only partially coherent with hallucinations; the events of April of 1912 were being recalled right up to the time of his last breath. He is buried in South Stoneham Cemetery, Southampton.

Sources:
www.encyclopediatitanica.org

Rest In Peace James Witter.