Rare Titanic letter written days before sinking to go on sale

A rare Titanic letter written by a passenger days before he died in the disaster is expected to sell for up to £35,000 at auction.

Henry Price Hodges penned the letter to his friend Hector Young, of the Newtown Conservative Association in Southampton.

Mr Hodges had boarded the ship in Southampton as a second-class passenger, holding ticket number 250643 which had cost him £13. He was making the journey to Boston to visit relatives.

The letter, dated 10 April and postmarked Queenstown, wrote of the fine weather and good atmosphere on the ship.

Queenstown was a town in County Cork, Ireland, that is now called Cobh. It was the Titanic's final port of call on 11 April 1912, before she set out on her transatlantic crossing.

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Mr Hodges wrote: "Dear Hector,

"Very many thanks for the telegram and for the good wishes. It was a kind and thoughtful act and much appreciated, and you will please convey my thanks to the members of our Association.

"Wasn't it good of the President to come and see me off? I almost believe I could have persuaded him to come along. We have had a fine time up to now.

"You do not see anything of the movement of the ship, but the weather is very fine.

"On the top deck there are about 200 boys (from 20 upwards) marching round & singing, others are playing dominoes & cards in the saloons, some reading, some writing, everything is quite different to what you would expect to see at sea.

"Tell your Dad I am very disappointed he did not come, but I know he could not help it, and it was more than expected by your brother coming instead. (All for this but not him) I am going to bed early, for I feel as tired as a dead dog.

"Good bye Hector

"Best wishes

"From Yours faithfully

"H.P. Hodges."

He died after the Titanic sank on 15 April 1912. The disaster claimed 1,500 lives and his body was later recovered and buried in Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The rare item will go under the hammer at Henry Aldridge and Son, of Devizes, Wiltshire, on Sunday.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said letters written by second-class passengers are some of the rarest.

He said: "This letter gives us a historically priceless snapshot into what life was like on board the most famous ship ever to take to the seas for a second class passenger.

"He describes the ship and fellow passengers and how they passed the time. Yet a little over four days later the Titanic was lying at the bottom of the North Atlantic."

(c) Sky News 2026: Rare Titanic letter written days before sinking to go on sale