R.M.S. TITANIC/MEDALS: An extremely rare World War One group...

Estimate

£5,000 - £8,000

R.M.S. TITANIC/MEDALS: An extremely rare World War One group of medals to Titanic First-Class Steward Edneser Edward Wheelton, the group comprises 1914/15 trio and Mercantile Marine Medal. They are named E. Wheelton STO MFA and are accompanied by a folder of research. Mr Wheelton was called to give evidence at the US Enquiry, some of which is below and he later confirmed at the end of his evidence that there was no boat drill on April 14^th.

When he signed on to the Titanic on 4 April 1912, Edneser gave his address as Norwood House, Bellemoor Road, Southampton. His previous ship was the Olympic and as a First-Class steward, he received monthly wages of £3, 15s. On Sunday, 14 April, Wheelton recalled that there had been no lifeboat drills as was customary on other ships; he had been on watch but had gone to bed and was asleep at the time of the collision. He was awakened around 11.45 pm by a shock, which he attributed to the ship dropping a propeller, so he got out of bed and peered out of one of the portholes but saw nothing amiss but noted how cold it was. He went to the door of his quarters and spoke to some passing crewmen, but apparently receiving no news to be worried about, he went back to bed. Not long after, he was again roused by someone shouting something about "watertight doors," so he again left his bed and went to the companionway, where he soon became aware of orders to get his lifebelt and make his way to his boat station. He hurriedly dressed, throwing on his clothes over his pyjamas, topping this off with an overcoat and slippered feet; by the time he reached the boat deck, they were letting out a lifeboat, which he believed was his assigned lifeboat number 5 (it was number 7) and he assisted in its lowering. Following the launch of boat 7 Wheelton was ordered to go to the food stores to retrieve biscuits. On his way, he spotted Thomas Andrews on B-deck who was busying himself by checking cabins for anybody still in them. He returned to the boat deck by passing through the dining saloon and reception room and up the grand staircase and returned to the boat deck in time for the preparation of another boat to be lowered (boat 5). During this boat's preparation, Wheelton was stood just behind Mr Lowe when the latter rebuked Mr Ismay for getting in the way. Wheelton would assist in the lowering of other starboard boats, presumably boat 3 and definitely boat 9, and testified that Ismay lingered around all the boats that he was working at. Following the launch of boat 9 Mr Murdoch ordered steward Wheat down to A-deck; taking Wheelton by the arm Murdoch ordered him to do the same; a large crowd of women and children having been escorted down to A-deck by stewards. Wheelton and Wheat descended to A-deck where boat 11 had been lowered to receive passengers; they stepped into the boat and began filling it with women and children and with what Wheelton estimated to be around 8 or 9 crew, mainly stewards. One woman caused a fuss at the boat and had to be manhandled to get in. With the boat heavily laden Wheelton shouted up to Murdoch that the boat was full; Murdoch then asked him if he had any sailors in the boat but there were none so he ordered two sailors to jump into the boat, Brice and Humphreys, the latter assuming command. Wheelton described the descent to the ocean as smooth but the lifeboat had difficulty releasing itself but eventually was broken free. The lifeboat then pulled out to what he estimated was around 300 yards from the ship, no easy feat because the boat was overloaded and the crew at the oars found it difficult to row in the cramped space, often accidentally striking others in the process. Wheelton recalled seeing a light in the distance that seemed close but despite their best efforts they did not seem to be able to get close to it. A woman close by him in the lifeboat was so cold that he gave up his coat to her.

He was later called to give crucial testimony with regard to lifeboats to the US Inquiry into the sinking, the following is a partial transcript:

“Senator NEWLANDS.

Go on, and in your own way state what occurred on the steamer Titanic after the collision with the iceberg?

Mr. WHEELTON.

I had just come off watch. I went to bed. I was awakened between 10 minutes to 12 and a quarter to 12 by a shock. It felt as if it was the dropping of a propeller or something like that. I got out of bed. I lifted the port and I looked out of the port. Everything was calm. It was very cold. I went to the door of my room and spoke to some of the men, and then I got back into bed again. I was roused next by someone shouting, "watertight doors." I came outside. The order was, "Get your lifebelts. Get up to boat stations." I went back. I put my pants on over my pyjamas, put my slippers on, and my overcoat. I went down to the deck. They were just getting away No. 5 then. I assisted in getting away lifeboat No. 5. I was ordered to the storeroom. I went down to the storeroom. The way I went to the storeroom was down B deck, along B deck. As I went along B deck I met Mr. Andrews, the builder, who was opening the rooms and looking in to see if there was anyone in, and closing the doors again. I went along B deck and used what we call the accommodation staircase, which goes through the ship, and is used by the stewards. I went down to the storeroom and I got a bottle of biscuits, and I carried them up to the main dining room, through the reception room, up the main staircase. I got onto the deck; the boats had gone. They were working at No. 7. I meant No. 5 had gone. I went to No. 7 and assisted in lowering No. 7. I think it was No. 7.

Mr. Lowe told Mr. Ismay to get to hell out of it, because I was the steward who stood back of Mr. Lowe. We worked at No. 7 and got her down, and then No. 9. Mr. Murdoch was there, and Mr. Ismay stood up by all of the boats I saw get away. I walked along when No. 9 went, and Mr. Murdoch, the first officer, turned around. He sent the assistant second steward down to A deck, and he said to me "You go, too." He got hold of me by the left arm and he said, "You go, too." We went down to A deck. Number 11 boat was hanging in the davits. We got into the boat. Mr. Murdoch shouted "Women and children first." He was on the top deck then, standing by the taffrail. We loaded the boat with women and children, and took in a few of the crew. I think there were about - well, there were eight or nine men in the boat, all together. That was including our crew. I think there were one or two passengers, but I really could not say.

I shouted to Mr. Murdoch, "The boat is full, sir." He said, "All right." He said, "Have you got your sailors in?" I said, "no, sir." He told two sailors to jump into the boat. We lowered away. Everything went very nice, very smoothly, until we touched the water. We pushed away from the ship's side and had just a slight difficulty in hoisting the afterblock. We were not there a minute. The sailor got at the block and loosened the tackle. We pulled away from the ship. We pulled away until we were about 300 yards away from the ship. I looked around into the boat. I saw the boat was pretty well crowded, because I had some little difficulty in rowing, because the passengers were so close together, and I kept hitting my hands against the passengers. We bent to our oars until the ship eventually went down.

We rowed around and tried to get to the other boats, to get close to them. We pulled toward a light, but we did not seem to get any closer to it, until daybreak. A lady back of me complained of the cold, and I took my coat off and gave it to her. We sighted the Carpathia and put the boat about and pulled toward her. We got alongside the Carpathia and I made the rope fast on the offside of the lifeboat. That was hanging from the Carpathia, that rope, and I stood by until the boat was unloaded and the officer shouted "Come up."

With thanks to Encyclopaedia Titanica for background reference material.