They were so called because they were always covered in coal dust from shoveling coal.
This grueling labor was often carried out shirtless due to the intense furnace heat.
Titanic departing Belfast for sea trials.
TheHawkstruck theOlympic’s starboard side, creating two breaches just above the waterline.
The bow of theHawkwas severely damaged, nearly leading to capsizing.
John Priest’s next experience with disaster came on April 14, 1912 with the sinking of theRMS Titanic.
There was a coal strike at the time ofTitanic’sdeparture from Southampton and many ship crew members were laid off.
Priest was among the few who managed to secure a position as a stoker on board theTitanic.
He was in the Firemen’s crew quarters between shifts when the ship struck the iceberg.
By the time they emerged into the freezing night air, most of the lifeboats had already gone.
An artist’s impression of HMS Alcantara and SMS Greif engaging each other.
AsAlcantaracame along side of theGrief, she opened fire.
A shell struckAlcantara’s bridge, resulting in the loss of several officers and disabling the helm.
In retaliation,Alcantarafired back, striking a munitions hold on theGrief, triggering a substantial and destructive explosion.
With the engine room flooding on theAlcantara, the command was issued to evacuate the ship.
HMS Britannic as an hospital ship during World War 1.
In response, the ship’s captain directed a course change toward the island, aiming to run aground.
John Priest and Violet Jessop jumped into the water and were picked up by another lifeboat.
Archie Jewell also made a miraculous survival after his lifeboat was chopped up by the propellers.
While crossing the English Channel, the ship was attacked by a German U-boat and sank.
Priest suffered a serious head injury which him out of action for the reminder of the war.
After surviving his fourth sinking, Priest retired from working at sea and left his job as a stoker.
He lived out the rest of his days in Southampton, with his wife Annie.
He claimed that no one wished to sail with him after these disasters.
Priest died in 1937 at his home in Southampton at the age of 49 from pneumonia.
He is buried at Hollybrook Cemetery in Southampton, England.
References:# Titanic’s unsinkable stoker,BBC# The Unsinkable John Priest,titanic-whitestarships.com
