A letter card believed to be the only surviving example written by Colonel Archibald Gracie, a well-known Titanic survivor, is set to be sold at auction with an expected price of up to £60,000.
Dated April 10, 1912, and postmarked Queenstown April 11 and London April 12, the four-page letter was addressed to the seller’s great-uncle, who was an acquaintance of Gracie.
The auction will take place on April 26 at Henry Aldridge and Son, Devizes, Wiltshire. According to auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, such high-profile letters from Titanic survivors rarely come to market, and this particular piece has never been offered for sale before.
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The letter reveals Gracie’s observations about the Titanic and expresses gratitude to the recipient for a kind farewell. It also mentions his boarding at Southampton, his assigned first-class cabin, and his activities during the voyage.
Gracie notably survived the Titanic’s sinking by helping women and children onto lifeboats and later escaping onto an overturned collapsible boat. Unfortunately, his health never fully recovered, and he passed away eight months after the tragedy. His book, The Truth About The Titanic, was published the following year.
The letter, considered one of the finest of its kind, not only provides insight into Gracie’s experiences but also contains a prophetic remark about the Titanic. Mr. Aldridge highlighted its significance, noting how Gracie’s line, “It is a fine ship but I shall await my journey’s end before I pass judgment on her,” became even more poignant, as just five days later, the Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic.