Letter from Titanic officer goes under the hammer

A LETTER written by the second-in-command of the Titanic is to go under the hammer to mark the 100th anniversary of the disaster.

The handwritten note from the cruise liner’s chief officer, Henry Wilde, is expected to fetch between £25,000 and £30,000 when it is sold.

Mr Wilde was deputy to Captain Edward John Smith and died in the disaster when the Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on 14 April, 1912, with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

The letter holds particular interest because there are no known letters written by Captain Smith, and Mr Wilde’s note gives a fascinating look behind the scenes of the Titanic ahead of its maiden voyage.

Mr Wilde, who died a hero, was only transferred to the Titanic from her sister ship RMS Olympic at the last moment.

In the letter to his family he praises the Titanic, describing her as a “wonderful ship – the latest thing in shipbuilding”.