Mr Edward Benville ¹ was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England on 16 April 1864 and was baptised the next day in Our Lady of Reconciliation Chapel.

He was the son of Francis John Benville (b. 1829), a soap works labourer, and Mary Murphy (b. 1832), Irish Roman Catholic immigrants who hailed from Co Wexford and who had married in Liverpool in 1853.

Edward had seven known siblings: Annie (b. 1856), Margaret (b. 1858), Mary (b. 1960), Helen (b. 1862), William (1866-1946), Joseph (b. 1868) and Miles (1870-1934).

Edward first appears on the 1871 census and at the time he and his family were living at House 5, Court B, Hornby Street, Liverpool. The 1881 shows the family living at 67 Bond Street, Liverpool and Edward, aged 16, has already left school and is listed as an unemployed carter. Edward perhaps went to sea not long after this and would be absent from the 1891 and 1901 censuses. Both his parents appear to have died prior to 1892 and his siblings were listed scattered at different addresses around Liverpool.

He was shown serving as a trimmer aboard Tauric in 1891, his previous ship to that being City of New York. Another voyage in 1907 was aboard Majestic as a fireman and he then stated his previous ship as Adriatic.

Edward is listed on the 1911 census as an unmarried dock labourer and living with his brother William and his family at 4 Morris Court, Orchard Lane, Southampton.

When Edward signed on to the Titanic, on 6 April 1912, he gave his address as 4 Orchard Place, (Southampton). His previous ship had been the Olympic and as a fireman he would earn monthly wages of £6.

Edward Benville was lost in the sinking. His body, if recovered, was never identified.