An extremely rare and important letter from on-board the RMS Titanic joins White Star Heritage’s collection in time for a series of upcoming exhibitions around the UK.
The letter was written by William Henry Harrison, the private secretary to J Bruce Ismay. Ismay was director of the Titanic’s parent shipping company, White Star Lines. Harrison wrote this letter aboard the Titanic and gives a detailed account of working conditions aboard and the ship itself. He sadly died, alongside more than 1500 others, when the Titanic collided with an iceberg.
White Star Heritage Director Tom Rudderham commented:
“This letter is such a valuable insight into life aboard the Titanic, so we’re really excited to have acquired this. What makes this all the more poignant is that Harrison mentions in the letter that he’d like a shore-based job in future. We know of course that he was one of the victims of the tragic sinking.”
The letter joins a significant collection of items from the Titanic, its passengers and crew, as well as some from the RMS Olympic, its near-identical sister ship. White Star Heritage also recently acquired several major wooden artefacts, including what is believed to be the largest surviving piece of the Titanic’s Aft Grand Staircase, multiple deckchair fragments, and a wooden sliding door, likely from the ship’s galley.
Buy your tickets to our upcoming exhibitions now at www.whitestarheritage.com
