Poignant last letter of Titanic steward to wife reveals fears about ‘jinxed’ liner
19th June 2020
A letter written by a steward on Titanic in which he told how he feared the doomed voyage would not be its "crowning trip" is tipped to fetch £18,000 at auction. Edward Stone penned the prescient note on White Star Line-headed paper to his "darling wife" Violet shortly before the liner left Queenstown in Ireland bound for New York on April 11, 1912.
He also referred to a near-miss with another liner, SS New York, in Southampton earlier which almost curtailed its maiden voyage. Edward, 30, a second-class cabin steward, told Violet: "I don't think this will be the crowning glory."
It is unclear what he meant, although he may have been referring to the fact the liner was only half full of passengers.
He also pledged to bring her back a gift from his trip, writing: "We'll do the best we can trusting we shall bring something good from the other side."
And he ends with: "Ta ta sweetheart. With all of my fondest love to my dear little wife. Yours ever, your loving husband Ted."
The letter, still in its original envelope, was posted from Queenstown to Violet back home in Shirley, Southampton.
Three days later, Edward was among the 1,522 passengers and crew who perished when the 45,000-ton ocean liner, nicknamed the Queen of the Seas, struck an iceberg and sank on April 15.
His body was recovered from the Atlantic within days and he was buried in Halifax, Canada.
The note, being sold by a relative of Edward, goes under the hammer tomorrow at Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers in Devizes, Wiltshire.
The letter is expected to fetch £18,000.
