This is 2nd Officer Charles Hebert Lightoller, he was born in Chorley, Lancashire in 1874. He began his sea-faring career at just 13. In 1900 he joined the White Star Line as 4th Officer.

Lightoller worked on the Majestic, a ship captained by E J Smith, the captain of the Titanic. From the Majestic Lightoller was promoted to 3rd Officer on the Oceanic, Lightoller found himself on the Oceanic during WWI and was on board when she ran aground near Shetland, Scotland on the way to the naval base in Scapa Flow, Orkney, Scotland. Lightoller worked on Oceanic directly before he switched to Titanic.

On the Titanic Lightoller acted as 1st Officer on the journey from Belfast to Southampton but when they reached Southampton there was a reorganization of Officers, Lightoller became 2nd Officer, Murdoch 1st Officer and Wilde joined the ship as Chief Officer with David Blair leaving the Titanic and his position as 2nd Officer.

On the night of the disaster, Lightoller relieved Chief Officer Wilde at 6pm and was due to be relieved at 10pm. By 7:35pm Lightoller had noticed a large temperature drop, and when the captain arrived on the bridge, he too noticed.

Lightoller felt the collision, went up on deck where he found 3rd Officer Pitman, they both decided to go back to their cabins, so if they were needed, they were in a place they could easily be found. Lightoller helped to fill and lower boats on the port side, refusing to get into a lifeboat when told to by Chief Officer Wilde although Lightoller made a mistake in his interpretation of “women and children to the boats”, he interpreted it as ‘women and children only’, consequently, many of his lifeboats went away half full.

Lightoller was swept off with colapsible B which landed overturned in the water, Lightoller saved more lives by keeping the raft balanced with up to 25 other people on it’s back with it slowly sinking.

In later life Lightoller went to the aid of those trapped at Dunkirk, his yacht, the Sundowner had never carried more than 21 people but somehow he managed to save over 130 troops from Dunkirk. Lightoller wasn’t demobbed until 1946 when he was 72, he died in 1952.

I got my information here and here.

You can also hear Lightoller talk about the Titanic here.