Tragic story of one of Titanic's 'unluckiest' passengers who was only on doomed ship because of twist of fate

A water-stained ticket stub for the third class restaurant on the Titanic that was found on the body of a passenger who was only on the doomed ship because of a twist of fate has been discovered 113 years later.

The item belonged to Ernest Tomlin and is part of a remarkable unseen archive of documents relating to him and the Titanic disaster his family have kept hold of.

Ernest had originally purchased a third class ticket for the RMS Adriatic, but was moved to the Titanic - which was bound for New York on its maiden voyage from Southampton - along with some other passengers because of a coal strike. 

The change of ship is evidenced by Ernest's immigration health card, which lowly third class passengers were given as they boarded the luxury liner.

It shows the name of the Adriatic crossed out and replaced with the Titanic.  

Had the vessel reached its destination, the card would have been shown to US authorities to prove Ernest had a clean bill of health.

But it was instead used to identify his body.

Also recovered from his body were two one dollar bills he had sewn into the inside of his waistcoat that he intended to use in the US.

There are also letters sent from the White Star Line to Ernest's grief-stricken mother Harriet back home in England.

One confirms to her the death of her son and says that his body had been identified using the immigration card.

He was among 1,517 passengers and crew who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg. 

There is a letter dated May 13, 1912, from the Salvation Army in Halifax, Canada, confirming to his family that Ernest had been buried at sea.

Another letter was sent from the White Star Line passenger department on May 23 that states that Ernest's effects were still with the Halifax coroner but they would be forwarded on in due course.

And there is a handwritten note made by Ernest's brother, William, detailing the items that were later returned.

The archive was previously unknown to Titanic experts and collectors, having been passed down through descendants of the Tomlin family over the last century.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: 'It is one of the most complete Titanic archives to have come to market in the past 30 years.

'It has been within the Tomlin family since 1912, having only been looked at sporadically over the past 113 years.

'The items have been kept in a locked safety box and have never been seen before. They are fresh to the market and previously unknown to Titanic collectors.

'The table ticket is remarkable and is a very rare object.

'There are obvious signs of it being immersed in water having been in Ernest's possession when that ship went down.

'Third class passengers had to show these tickets whenever they went to eat during the crossing, so it was very important.

'The immigration inspection card is printed 'SS Titanic' with his ticket number '364424' and his full name.

'It also bears significant signs of water damage.'

The national coal strike that hit Britain in 1912 began at the end of February and lasted until early April.

A lack of coal was a severe problem for liners such as the Titanic, which needed hundreds of tonnes of it to power the engines.

The Titanic's maiden voyage was set for April 10. 

Because it was the biggest and most luxurious ship in the world, its owners the White Star Line did not want to delay its departure. 

So they took coal from other ships, including the liner the Adriatic. 

It meant the Adriatic's voyage to New York was cancelled and its passengers were transferred to other Whit Star liners. 

Mr Aldridge added: 'All of a sudden he was going to America not on the Adriatic, which was just another ship, but on Titanic, the most luxurious ship in the world.

'I bet he couldn't have believed his luck.'

Ernest was aged 21 at the time of the disaster.

He was born to parents, Edwin and Harriet who lived in Notting Hill, London, and had six siblings.

In 1907 he moved to Des Moines, Iowa, US, where he enrolled at The Bible College of Drake University in the city.

He later returned to England but by early 1912 he had decided to go back to Drake University and complete his degree.

His body was recovered by the recovery ship the Mackay Bennett.

The sale takes place on April 26.