Somewhere in the mass of screaming, freezing, drowning, dying passengers and crew left floundering on the surface of the North Atlantic when the Titanic sank at 2.20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, her youngest officer, James Paul Moody, also struggled for his life.

Quite possibly he was exhausted – he had been on duty when the ship had struck an iceberg at 11.40pm, with only 20 minutes to go before he took a four hour break before his next watch began. He had put in a good deal of physically hard work at the lifeboats- work to which he held steadfast until he found himself suddenly immersed in the icy water.

In any event, he was not among the survivors.

Back home in England, it would be some days before the worst was confirmed and James Moody was known to be among the lost. His grieving family would memorialize him in several ways, including the plaque at St Martin's on the Hill Church in Scarborough where he was born only 24 years before, and the donation of an altar set to his church in Grimsby, his last residence.

To this day, however, there is no public memorial to James Moody. Other Titanic figures such as First Officer Murdoch, wireless operator John "Jack" Phillips, designer Thomas Andrews, bandleader Wallace Hartley and Captain E J Smith would be commemorated through memorials provided for by public subscriptions. No such recognition was forthcoming for the only junior Deck Officer lost in the disaster.

A campaign has recently been mounted to induce Grimsby Council to provide a public memorial for Sixth Officer James Moody. At this stage the organizer, Mr L Treacher, is requesting that those interested in supporting the campaign write to the Council supporting the idea of such a memorial.

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN

Simply write to:

WHAT YOU SHOULD WRITE

One suggested text from the organizer is:

For an official public memorial dedicated to Mr. J. P. Moody who died on the RMS Titanic – April 15, 1912.

You may also wish to frame your own thoughts on the matter. A few points you can incorporate in the letter are:

• Grimsby served as a shore address for James Moody his entire career (he lived there with family members)
  

• In spite of being offered the opportunity to leave in a command of a lifeboat, and even being instructed to do so (as per A. B. Joseph Scarrott's account at the English Inquiry), James Moody did not leave the ship.
  

• He was the only junior deck officer lost in the disaster.
  

• He worked tirelessly from the time of the collision up until the time the Titanic sank, loading women, children and men into boats, and only ceased his efforts to save lives when he was swept from the deck of the ship minutes before she sank.
  

• His calm, steadfast, conscientious attention to duty saved many lives that night at the cost of his own, and he deserves recognition from the town he regarded as his home.
  

For further information, please contact the owners of this site. This page will be periodically updated with news on the campaign.

Too full already is the grave
Of fellows who were good and brave
And died because they were.
A E Housman

James Moody Biography
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