recovered

None of the five sea post clerks survived Titanic’s sinking. In fact, only the bodies of Americans Oscar Scott Woody and John Starr March were recovered from the wreck site. The fate of the other three postal workers -- William Logan Gwinn and British colleagues John Richard Jago Smith and James Bertram Williamson -- has never been determined definitively. Due to its poor condition, Woody’s body was buried at sea. John Starr March’s remains were shipped home on May 3, 1912, and interred at Newark, New Jersey.

Rescuers made every attempt to properly identify the bodies recovered at sea following Titanic’s sinking. Each body was assigned a number as it was recovered, and a small effects ag stamped with that number was used to hold the personal items found on the body. Woody’s effects bag contained a “watch; fob; chain and clip; 2 fountain pens; letters; knife; cuff links; 1 gold ring; keys and chain; [and] $10.02.” March’s bag contained his gold watch and chain, as well as his ring with the initial “M.”

OFFICIAL RECOGNITION

As the situation became more desperate they [the postal clerks] appealed to the vessel’s stewards to assist them in carrying the valuable mail to the upper deck. They continued in this work until the last. Everyone of them was lost.
Newspaper Report, April 20, 1912

All evidence suggests that the five sea post clerks assigned to Titanic stayed at their post as long as possible. Their heroism and uncommon devotion did not go unnoticed. Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock observed that “The bravery exhibited by these men in their efforts to safeguard under such trying conditions, the valuable mail entrusted to them should be a source of pride to the entire postal service, and deserves some marked expression of appreciation from the government.”

In his 1912 Annual Report Postmaster General Hitchcock made this commendation for the clerks' heroic efforts:

About a quarter of a hour after the collision the opening or lower room in the sea post office was found to be practically filled with water and the sacks in it adrift. The clerks were seen in the sorting room above, closing sacks and preparing to take on deck all the mails available. The last reports concerning their actions show that they were engaged in this work and in carrying the sacks up on deck to the last moment.

Recognizing their valor, the Annual Report also stated the compensation to be paid to the families of the postal clerks as specified by the United States Postal Laws and Regulations (Section 1673):

The loss of the men is deplored, but their example is a fine one for the traditions of the service and consistent with their previous records in the postal service. Congress appropriated $6,000 to be divided equally, $2,000 to the widow or next of kin of each of the three American clerks.