Titanic Passenger Letter from 1912 Expected to Fetch £35,000 at Auction

A letter penned by Henry Hodges, a second-class passenger aboard the RMS Titanic, is anticipated to sell for as much as £35,000 (approximately $48,000) in an upcoming auction. The correspondence, dated April 10, 1912, captures the cheerful ambiance on the ship during its stop at Queenstown, Ireland, the final port before its maiden journey. Hodges, a musical instrument salesman heading to Boston for leisure, wrote to his friend Hector about the pleasant weather, singing on the deck, and games in the saloons, concluding with, "I feel as tired as a dead dog." Tragically, just four days later, the Titanic collided with an iceberg, resulting in the deaths of Hodges and around 1,500 others. His remains were retrieved by the Mackay-Bennett and interred in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge from Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd. highlights that the letter provides a unique insight into the experiences of second-class passengers, whose narratives are frequently eclipsed by those of first and third class. The online auction featuring historic maritime items will conclude on July 26, with other notable pieces including a U.S. Black Eagle silver dollar certificate belonging to victim Ernest Tomlin and a souvenir book promoting the Titanic and Olympic.