Mr Charles Herbert Lightoller was born on 30 March 1874 at Chorley, Lancashire. He began a four year sea-going apprenticeship in 1888 and worked aboard a variety of sailing ships including Primrose Hill, Holt Hill, Duke of Abercorn and Knight of St. Michael. In 1895 aged 21, already a veteran of one shipwreck, a fire at sea and a cyclone He obtained his Mates ticket and joined Elder Dempster’s African Royal Mail Service starting a career on steamships. In 1899 he obtained his Master’s Certificate and in 1900 he joined the White Star Line. Initially he was on the South Africa and Australia run before transferring to the Atlantic run. He served on both the Majestic, under the command of Captain Edward J. Smith, and the Oceanic rising to the rank of First Officer. He boarded the Titanic two weeks before her maiden voyage and sailed as First Officer for the sea trials. As sailing day approached, however, Captain Smith made Henry T. Wilde, of the Olympic, his Chief Officer causing the original Chief Officer Murdoch to step down to First Officer and Lightoller to Second Officer. After the collision Lightoller supervised musch of the lifeboat evacuation but as the ship went down he found himself in the water close to an upturned lifeboat. He clung to this with several others, including Wireless Operater Bride, before eventually being rescued by the Carpathia.
In 1913, following the American Senate Inquiry and the British Inquiry, Lightoller returned to sea as First Officer of the Oceanic which during the World War I became H.M.S. Oceanic, armed merchant cruiser, and became Lieutenant Lightoller of the Royal Navy. In 1915 he got his own command, the torpedo boat HMTB 117, and in 1916 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and promoted to commander of the torpedo-boat-destroyer Falcon. In 1918 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and at the end of the war came out of the Royal Navy as a full Commander. On his return to White Star he was appointed Chief Officer of the Celtic having been passed over for a position on the Olympic. The new management wanted to forget the Titanic and all those associated with her and none of the surviving officers ever got their own commands. Lightoller was not interested in remaining Chief Officer of the Celtic indefinitely, so, after well over 20 years of service hr resigned from White Star Line.
In 1929, the Lightollers had purchased a discarded Admiralty steam launch and throughout the thirties she, Sundowner, was used by the family mainly for trips around England and Europe. However, on the 1 June 1940, the 66 year old Lightoller, accompanied by his eldest son Roger and an 18 year old Sea-Scout, took Sundowner to Dunkirk to help recue the trapped BEF. It is said that when one of the soldiers heard that the captain had been on the Titanic, he was tempted to jump overboard. However his mate was quick to reply that if Lightoller could survive the Titanic, he could survive anything and that was all the more reason to stay. Following Dunkirk, Commander Lightoller joined the Home Guard, but the Royal Navy engaged him to work with the Small Vessel Pool until the end of World War II. He was ‘demobbed’ in 1946 at age 72. During the early post-war years he ran a boatyard in Richmond building motor launches for the London River Police. He died on 8 December 1952 and was cremated at Mortlake Crematorium.