Jacques François René Deschamps was born on the 27th of September 1886 in the French town of Marseille in 1886, to his mother Madeleine D'Aboville and Louis Deschamps. Deschamps had an older sister, the middle child, and an older brother, being the oldest. Early on, his brother died due to Tuberculosis, leaving the family shattered. Often, his Father would have affairs with different women, and it got worse after Deschamps' Mother passed away. Early on, Jacques ran away from home and turned to the sea.
In 1900, Deschamps started an apprenticeship aboard ships. Eventually, after a few years of making new friends, making around the Cape Horn, and going aloft on sails, he would come out as a Carpenter aboard ships, liking his job. He would join the Leyland Line first, transferring to the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company after 2 years with the Leyland Line. Still, not settled and impressed enough, Deschamps looked elsewhere. It was down in Liverpool where Deschamps saw his first White Star Steamer R.M.S. Oceanic II.
Jacques was impressed, and joined the line, first serving aboard the same Oceanic. He made many friends aboard Oceanic, including a few of the Deck Officers, and some of the Victualling Department, including Britannic's Purser Claude Lancaster. Deschamps also met one of the officer's on Oceanic named Charles Lightoller, a rather interesting man that Deschamps found nice and humorous. In 1909, Deschamps met two men on the steamer S. S. Suevic, these two men would become his best mates on the line and so far in his life.
In 1911, Deschamps served aboard the R.M.S. Olympic for most of it's time, staying on through 1912. One of Jacques' friends who was also a fellow Carpenter, John Maxwell, got to serve aboard Olympic's sister, the Titanic. Unfortunately, the Titanic struck an Iceberg on it's maiden voyage, and Maxwell did not survive. Deschamps was glad he had not been assigned to the ship after he heard the news. He saw in the paper Mr. Lightoller was aboard as the Second Officer too, and he had survived. Deschamps spent 1913 and 1914 as usual working aboard the ships.
In 1914, the Great War broke out, and Jacques continued to serve the White Star Line, with ships being converted to pawns of the Royal Navy's Fleet. Jacques bounced around ships for a bit, briefly serving in the navy for a few months, before heading back to White Star.
In 1916, Jacques would find himself aboard the H.M.H.S. Britannic, sister of the now H.M.T. Olympic, and ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic. Britannic reminded Jacques of Olympic, and he quite enjoyed the ship. He thought there was a good crew and the time on a hospital ship was much more calmer than a troop transport.
In November of 1916, Deschamps would be aboard yet another voyage on Britannic, but this one would be different, one that would change him forever.