A gold watch presented to an engineer involved in the rescue of Titanic survivors is expected to fetch up to £100,000 at auction in the South.
John Richardson was the sixth engineer aboard the RMS Carpathia, a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger ship which rescued more than 700 people from the Titanic’s lifeboats.
The Carpathia had been travelling from New York to Europe when its wireless operator received the distress call “we’ve struck ice, come at once”. The ship immediately changed course and headed at full speed towards the stricken liner.
It arrived around two hours after the sinking of the Titanic in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, a tragedy which claimed the lives of around 1,500 people.
The 18-carat gold watch, hallmarked 1912, was later presented to Richardson in recognition of his role in the rescue effort. It is engraved “Presented to J. Richardson as a mark of appreciation for conspicuous services rendered R.M.S. Titanic, 15th April 1912.”
The timepiece is now due to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Penshurst on 22nd of April..
Justin Matthews, director of Hansons Auctioneers in Penshurst, said: “When I first held it in my hand I had goose bumps – it was spine tingling to know its connections to one of the most famous, and tragic, events of the 20th century. It is an honour to offer it for sale.”
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