Captain Smith had celebrated his 62nd birthday on 27th January. He was the most senior captain in the White Star Line earning £1,250 per annum, and was a highly popular man with crew and passengers alike. Ironically the maiden voyage of the Titanic represented his final duty for the White Star Line before his retirement. I personally recall talking with the late Edith Haisman, a survivor of the Titanic, who recalled that Captain Smith was a "lovely man".

After she struck the iceberg, designer Thomas Andrews toured the ship to assess the damage. He soon informed Captain Smith that his ship would founder. Captain Smith and his deck officers Chief Officer Henry Wilde, First Officer William Murdoch, Second Officer Charles Lightoller, Third Officer Herbert Pitman, Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe and Sixth Officer James Moody had to muster the passengers and lower the lifeboats, a task complicated by the fact that no matter what they did, they couldn't get everyone in the boats. All the officers and crew performed their duties with professionalism, dignity and dedication. Captain Smith died, leaving a widow and daughter.

A statue to Captain Smith stands in Beacon Park, Lichfield on a site offered by Lichfield City Council. A bronze statue sculptured by Lady Kathleen Scott, wife of the late explorer Robert Falcon Scott stands on the site. The statue, costing £740 and 7' 8" in height stands atop a plinth of Cornish granite. It was unveiled on 29th July 1914 in the presence of Lady Scott and the late captain's daughter, Helen. The plaque on the statue reads "Commander Edward John Smith, R.D., R.N.R. Born January 27. 1850. Died April 15. 1912. Bequeathed to his countrymen the memory and example of a great heart and a great life and a heroic death. Be British."

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