A letter penned by Titanic passenger Colonel Archibald Gracie, just five days before the disaster, has been sold for an unprecedented sum at a UK auction
A handwritten letter by Colonel Archibald Gracie, a Titanic survivor, has set a new auction record, selling for a staggering £300,000 ($400,000). The letter, written on April 10, 1912, just five days before the Titanic sank, was sold at the Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire on Sunday, far surpassing its estimated value of £60,000.
The prophetic letter finds Gracie sharing a reflective message with an acquaintance, expressing that he would “await my journey’s end” before passing judgment on the “fine ship”. This chilling foresight adds to the letter’s mystique, as it was written on the very day Gracie boarded the Titanic in Southampton, bound for New York.
The letter, written from cabin C51, was posted while the Titanic was anchored in Queenstown, Ireland, on April 11, 1912, and was postmarked London the following day, April 12. This marked the beginning of a tragic journey for the Titanic, which collided with an iceberg just days later on April 15, 1912, and sank in the North Atlantic, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 passengers and crew.
Gracie, a first-class passenger, was one of the approximately 2,200 people aboard the ship. His letter was described by the auctioneer as “the highest-priced Titanic correspondence ever sold,” reflecting its historical significance.
Colonel Gracie’s account of the Titanic disaster has since become one of the most widely read. Following his survival, Gracie wrote a memoir, The Truth About the Titanic, detailing his harrowing experience onboard the doomed liner. In his book, he describes how he survived the sinking by scrambling onto an overturned lifeboat in icy waters.
However, his survival came at a great physical cost. Gracie’s health was severely compromised by the hypothermia and injuries sustained in the cold waters of the Atlantic. Despite initially surviving the disaster, Gracie’s condition deteriorated in the months that followed. He fell into a coma on December 2, 1912, and tragically passed away two days later from complications related to diabetes.
The letter’s sale has reignited interest in the Titanic legacy, as it provides a personal and intimate glimpse into the life of one of the disaster’s most famous survivors. With its connection to the Titanic’s final voyage and the haunting foresight in Gracie’s words, the letter has become a coveted piece of history, now in the hands of an anonymous buyer.
The sale has captivated the world, with auction experts highlighting the letter’s unique value not just as a historical artefact but as a symbol of the tragedy that struck the Titanic. As the letter changes hands, it continues to serve as a poignant reminder of the lives lost in one of the most infamous maritime disasters of the 20th century.
