James Paul Moody (1887 - 1912)

Born 21 Aug 1887 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England

Died 15 Apr 1912 at age 24 in Atlantic Ocean

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Biography

James Moody was aboard the RMS Titanic.

James Paul Moody was born August 21, 1887, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, to John Henry Moody and Evelyn Louis Lammin. The Moody family was well-known in Scarborough, James' grandfather had been town clerk and his father was on the town council. James received a prestigious education at the King Edward VII Nautical School from which he graduated and passed his Masters Examination in April 1911.

In 1912, Moody was living in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, his family well known there also, as one of his ancestors, Charles Bartholemew Moody, had been the town's first coroner.

James served on the Deck Crew of the Oceanic before transferring to the Titanic at the age of 24. Making a wage of about $37.00 a month (and his own cabin to compensate for the small salary), Moody was Sixth Officer aboard the mighty vessel and stood the 8-12 (a.m and p.m.) watches as well as the first Dog Watch (4-5pm). As such, James was on the bridge when the Titanic struck that fateful iceberg and answered the call from the lookout, Frederick Fleet, then reporting the collision to First Officer William Murdoch.

During the evacuation, James helped to fill three of the lifeboats. While loading boat No. 14, Fifth Officer Lowe commented that an officer should man the lifeboat. While the lesser-ranked Moody would normally have been given this task, he deferred to Lowe, instead remaining aboard to help the First Officer. He was last seen by Second Officer Charles Lighttoller about 2:18 trying to launch the collapsible boats just moments before the final sinking.

In The Maiden Voyage, Moody's last actions are recounted by Gregory Marcus as follows:

'Chief Officer Wilde's efforts to avert panic, maintain order and discipline, and get the last of the boats loaded and lowered to the water were valiantly supported by the youngest of the officers, James Moody. Long before this, the latter should by rights have gone away in one of the boats along with the other junior officers. But the seamen left on board were all too few as it was for the work that had to be done. Moody therefore stayed with the ship to the end and was the means of saving many a life that would otherwise have been lost.' ^[1]

James Paul Moody was the only junior officer of the ship to die during the Titanic disaster.

In Woodland Cemetery, Scarborough, a monument commemorates Moody's sacrifice with the words, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Sources

1. ↑ Encyclopedia Titanica

• "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2X51-Q12 : 1 October 2014), James Paul Moody, 1887; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.

• "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWPQ-VM2 : 8 May 2019), James P Moody in household of Caroline Radder, Limehouse, London, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

• Wikipedia: James Paul Moody

• http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/james-paul-moody.html

• Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/213156782/james-paul-moody : accessed 9 August 2021), memorial page for James Paul Moody (21 Aug 1887–15 Apr 1912), Find a Grave Memorial ID 213156782, citing Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery, Scarborough, Scarborough Borough, North Yorkshire, England ; Maintained by Trevor Baxter (contributor 48403329) . https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213156782/james-paul-moody