R.M.S TITANIC: Part One of the Ernest Portage Tomlin Collect...

Estimate

£30,000 - £50,000

R.M.S TITANIC: Part One of the Ernest Portage Tomlin Collection which is one of the most complete archives to have come to market in the past 30 years and the following lots form the first part of the archive. The collection has been within the family since 1912 having only been looked at sporadically over the past 113 years so is fresh to the market having never been offered for sale before.

Ernest Portage Tomlin was born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada on 29 September 1890. He was the son of English parents, Edwin Tomlin (b. 1858) and Harriet Levinia Statham (b. 1854), natives of Uxbridge and Pinner, respectively who had married in Kensington, London in 1878. His father was a baker and later ran his own business in Notting Hill, London. One of ten children, with seven surviving infancy, Ernest's known siblings were: William (b. 1879), Edwin (b. 14 November 1883), Lillie (b. 1887), Grace (b. 1891), Albert (b. 1895) and Mary (b. 1896). He was the only one of his siblings born in Canada. Tomlin, travelling with a friend Harry Cook left British shores on 21 August 1907 aboard the Majestic; described as a clerk, he arrived in New York six days later and stated his destination as Des Moines, Iowa to the home of a friend, Reverend J. N. Williams of 1212 388th Street in that city. He was described as standing at 5' 7" and with brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion. Intent on entering the ministry, Tomlin enrolled at The Bible College of Drake University located in Des Moines. An A-grade student, he took difficult courses which included advanced arithmetic, physics, botany, Hebrew history, Latin, among others. In January 1910 he paid a return visit home, travelling aboard the New York (which two years later nearly collided with the Titanic), and for his return to the USA on 7 April that year aboard the St Louis he was described as being in good health and that he had grown three inches since his last entrance to the USA, by now standing 6'.

By early 1912 Ernest had decided to return to Drake University and complete his degree. He purchased a Third-Class passage originally on the Adriatic and was moved to Titanic (ticket number 364499 which cost £8, 1s) and was apparently travelling alone. At first there was hope that Tomlin was not on the Titanic but that was quickly dispelled. The Des Moines Register (17 April 1912) revealed that he had written two letters to friends in England, a Will Mander from Birmingham, and A. H. "Harry" Cook. Mr Mander, whose home is in Birmingham, Eng., is a personal friend of Mr Tomlin.

"I received a letter from Ernest last week, stating that he was sailing for America on April 10, from Southampton," said Mr Mander. " We find that the Titanic was the only boat that left Southampton on that date and have every reason to believe that he was one of the passengers. I believe that he travelled third class."

"I came over from England with Mr Tomlin four years ago to study at Drake University," said Mr Cook. "He attended school at Drake for more than two years and left for home last year on account of sickness. We have every reason to believe that he was a passenger on the Titanic."

(The Des Moines Register, 17 April 1912)

It soon became clear that Tomlin was among the lost. Repeated requests were made to the White Star Line to determine if Tomlin actually sailed. Wireless messages listing the names of survivors were searched but his name was not among the listed saved. Finally, word was received in a telegram to H. W. Warren, a Des Moines ticket agent that read: "Ernest Tomlin appears on the list of Third-Class passengers of the White Star line as having sailed, but not on the list of rescued."

His body and effects were described:

N0. 50. - MALE. - ESTIMATED AGE, 30. - HAIR, FAIR.

CLOTHING - Black coat; no vest, blue striped flannel shirt.

EFFECTS - Two pocket books; silver watch; pencil; papers, diary, fountain pen; comb; $87 in notes; £1 10s. in gold; and 2s. 9d.

THIRD CLASS TICKET No. 364424.

NAME - ERNEST POSTAGE TOMLIN.

R.M.S. TITANIC: Ernest Tomlin Archive. Extremely rare Manifest sheet and Inspection card belonging to Mr Tomlin, the former is marked List No 5 SS Titanic with the Number 17 in blue ghosted from water immersion and mirrored from the Inspection card which it was attached to. The latter is for immigrants and steerage passengers in Southampton and is stamped to confirm it had been inspected prior to departure. It is printed SS Titanic with his ticket number 364424 and his full name. Both bear significant signs of immersion in the North Atlantic as they were onboard the Titanic and were recovered from Ernest’s body and returned to his family. 4½ins x 3½ins and 5½ins x 4½ins. Ernest's body was identified onboard the Mackay-Bennett by this very ticket.