Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall
- Timeline


1848

Charles Boxhall (uncle) born, Trinity House buoymaster and Board of Trade official

1858

Joseph Boxhall Sr (father) born, Captain Wilson Line of Hull

1861

Miriam (Mary) Abigail Groves born (mother)

1884

23rd March

Joseph Groves Boxhall born

1896

Boxhall taken by father, Captain Boxhall in steamship SS Alecto to Boston, USA; Boxhall gets seasick.

1899

2nd June

Apprenticeship with Thomas William Line of Liverpool begins with barque Cambrian Warrior

1903

Apprenticeship continues with steam ship, the SS Hemisphere, also owned by Thomas William Line

1903

March

Mother, 42-year-old mother Miriam, dies

1903

15 July

Passes Second Mate's Certificate

1903

27/8 - 21/10

SS Iago as third mate

1903 - 1904

31/10- 28/1

SS Martello as third mate

1904

21/2-7/6

SS Dido as third mate

1904

25/6 - 18/11

SS Iago as third mate

1905

12th January

1st Mate certificate

1905

25.1 - 2.3.
18.3 - 27.4
7.5 - 11.6. 17.6 - 22.7

SS Colorado -Third mate

1905-1906

19.08-23.9 10.10 - 16.1

SS Rosario - becomes second mate.

1906

January - June

Boxhall listed as "out of employment through sickness."

1906-1907

9.6 - 6.7
14.7 - 22.9
2.10 - 26.10
3.11 - 2.12
10.12 - 11.1
27.1 - 8.3
24.3 - 27.4

SS Scipio - Second mate

1907

30th August

Fails Extra Masters examination due to "general deficiency of marks"

1907

14th September

Passes Extra Masters examination

1907

November

Joins White Star Line

1908

July

Oceanic - First as Sixth officer, later fifth officer

1911

1 October

Confirmed as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve.

1911

Australian run

1911

North Atlantic run with the Arabic

1912

26 March

9am Collects tickets from White Star Line marine superintendent in Liverpool for journey to Belfast. Departs from Liverpool at around 10 pm that night

27 March

Noon arrives aboard Titanic

2 April

Titanic passes her sea trials. Boxhall keeps lookout on bridge deck.

10 April

Departs aboard Titanic in Southampton in the role of Fourth officer

April 12th

7pm Wireless message from the captain of La Touraine, giving his position and ice positions, which Boxhall notes.

April 14th

4pm - 6pm Dogwatch. Notes temperature had dropped and Caronia wireless message about ice

5.50pm Boxhall notes course is altered - "turning the corner"

8pm Boxhall's final watch begins. Third officer Pitman finishes his watch at 8pm and hands over his calculations to Boxhall

9pm Boxhall reports position to Captain Smith

10pm Boxhall is with Captain Smith as they put down the ship's star position in the chartroom, hands over the bridge to Sixth officer Moody and begins "going around"

11:40pm Boxhall is walking towards the bridge from the officer's quarters when the iceberg collision occurs

11:41pm F deck inspection of starboard forward area - sees no damage

11:50pm Inspects the mail room which is flooding

12:00am Wakes officers Lightoller, Pitman and Lowe.

12:10am Clears the lifeboats and spots 'mystery ship' on horizon

12:20am Chartroom calculates Titanic's final position

12:35am Marconi room - Phillips sends out new distress position from Boxhall

12:45am Boxhall begins firing distress rockets at intervals, as well as using the Morse lamp to attract attention of 'mystery ship'

1:45am Boxhall put in charge of lifeboat no.2 by Captain Smith who orders him to pick up more passengers from the starboard gangway doors.

2am Boxhall rows lifeboat no.2 around Titanic's stern and notices the propellers out of the water. He does not pick up passengers from the gangway doors as he fears being swamped.

4am Boxhall's lifeboat no.2 is the first to be picked up by the Carpathia.

18th April

In the evening, Carpathia arrives in New York, Boxhall is "in pain"

21st April

In Washington, Boxhall visited Dr. Charles C. Marbury, M.D. explaining that he had been in pain since arriving in the US.

22 April

3pm - 6.20pm Boxhall testifies at the US Senate Inquiry

23rd April

Boxhall does not appear at Inquiry as expected. Dr Charles Marbury, M.D. sends a note to the Senate stating that Boxhall "is physically unable to appear."

24th April

Co-signs a letter to Ada Murdoch

29th April

Day ten of the Senate Inquiry, Boxhall appears for the second time and in the evening, at about 6.20pm, he is separately questioned before Senator Burton in a room downstairs and finishes at 7.10pm.

2nd May

Midday Boxhall, along with the three other surviving officers, thirty crew members, and White Star President Bruce Ismay, depart for England, boarding the Adriatic from New York City.

11 May

Arrive in Liverpool, UK

22 May

Boxhall appears at the British Inquiry in the Scottish Drill Hall, London, near Buckingham Palace

23 May

Boxhall appears for a second day at the British Inquiry

July

Boxhall writes a letter from onboard the Adriatic complaining about being ignored in regards to the fees paid to him for his attendance at the Titanic Inquiry.

November

Possibly visits Adelaide, Australia aboard the Irishman (unverified)

1915

27 May

Promoted to lieutenant in the Royal Navy Reserve (RNR)

1915 - 1918

Serves for one year aboard the battleship HMS Commonwealth before being dispatched to Gibraltar, where he commands a torpedo boat

1919

25 March

Joseph Boxhall marries Marjory Beddells, in St Andrew's Church near her home in Sharrow, Sheffield

May

Returns to the merchant service rejoining the White Star Line ,

15 September

SS Cedric - Second officer, arrives in New York

27 October

SS Cedric - Second officer, arrives in New York

1923

29 January

SS Regina - Second officer, arrives in New York

27 May

Promoted to lieutenant-commander in the RNR. 

1926

30 June

Second officer on board RMS Olympic

1928

29th May

Father, Joseph Boxhall senior, a Captain of the Wilson Line, dies aged 70.

1931

January

Listed as first officer aboard the Calgaric

1933

After the White Star-Cunard merger Boxhall serves in senior capacity as first and later chief officer of the RMS Aquitania

1937

Boxhall appears prominently in a large Cunard "On Watch" advertisement in 1937 that appeared in "Life" and "National Geographic" magazines 

1940

Boxhall is listed as the Chief officer aboard the Scythia, one of the last - if not the last - ship he worked aboard. In that same year he retires, after 41 years at sea

1957 - 1958

Serves as technical advisor and visits the film set of British film "A Night to Remember"

1958

3 July

Is photographed wearing a black bow tie and talking to producer William MacQuitty at the premiere of film "A Night to Remember"

16 December

Boxhall photographed at what is possibly the New York premiere of "A Night to Remember."

1959

May

Article is published in the Nautical Magazine: "A Talk by the Fourth Officer of the Titanic" reported by William Sandrey based on a talk Boxhall gave at Christchurch Red House Museum.

1961 - 1962

77-year old Joseph Boxhall corresponds with 34-year old Joseph Carvalho of Winchester, Massachusetts, USA via a series of letters.

1962

22 October

BBC Radio broadcast: "Commander Joseph Boxhall"

1967

25th April

Joseph Boxhall dies aged 83 in Christchurch Hospital - the last of the Titanic's surviving deck officers. 

28th April

Joseph Boxhall is cremated

12 June

Cunard Liner Scotia stops at Titanic's last reported position calculated by Boxhall and his cremated remains are scattered on the waves during a brief ceremony.

1972

September

Wife Marjory dies in Bournemouth, Hampshire.

2006

August

A plaque was unveiled at Joseph Boxhall's house at 27 Westbourne Avenue, in the west of the city.