Mr William Kavanagh was born in New South Wales, Australia on 10 November 1885. He was the son of Irish Roman Catholic parents William and Mary Kavanagh.

William appears to have had a troubled childhood and became involved with breaking and entering. In December 1897, at age 11, he was sent for correction to the training ship Sobraon where he spent the next three and a half years. There is a possibility he is the same William Kavanagh who, in December 1901 and at age 14, was arrested to attempting to rape a 10 year-old girl. 

With a naval training under his belt William, who was unmarried, somehow meandered his way to his ancestral Ireland. 

Craig’s ship prior to Titanic had been the Eshinore. He joined Titanic at Belfast for the delivery trip to Southampton where he left the ship..

In late 1916 he moved to New Zealand and in February 1917 signed up for war service. Described as a seaman, Kavanagh stated his last employers were the Antarctic Expedition.