A letter written aboard Titanic by James Danby before it sailed from Southampton is up for auction on 23 April. Danby went aboard to see his wife’s uncle and employer Adolphe Saalfeld. Saalfeld was going to America to sell essential oils to clients, survived the sinking but his satchel containing the glass vials and other things was left behind. It would not be found until 2000 by the submersible Mir 1. Danby, who had migrated to Britain from Germany, would be interned for the duration of World War I. After the war he relocated to Amsterdam and ran a successful business until the Germans invaded in 1940. Being Jewish made him a target and he was eventually arrested in 1943 and sent to Sobibor. He would be killed along with Rose and her mother Clara. His daughters Margaret and Ellen survived the war and went to Canada. Danby’s grandaughter Petra Burka would represent Canada in the 1964 Winter Olympics and bring home the bronze for figure skating.

Well known Titanic auctioneer Henry Aldridge & Son is holding the auction. The letter is expected to fetch between $14,117 to $21,175.

Source:First Letter Written Onboard The Titanic Up For Sale (Foxnews.com,8 April 2016)