R.M.S. TITANIC: Frederick Dent Ray's Continuous Certificates...

Hammer

£1,400

R.M.S. TITANIC: Frederick Dent Ray's Continuous Certificates of Discharge Books from 1898-1900, then August 1907 - May 1911. Dent Ray was one of the most notable surviving crew members in later life and was the oldest crew member at death at over 97 years old.
Aged 32, Ray boarded the R.M.S. Titanic on April 10, 1912 as a First-Class saloon steward for a monthly wage of £3/15c after being moved from the ship R.M.S. Olympic. On April 14th his shift ended at 9 pm and he went to room 3 on E-deck where he slept with 27 others. Awoken by the collision, he first thought it was a problem in the engine room, and began to drift back to sleep when two stewards arrived to tell people to prepare and go to the lifeboats. After assisting passengers into Lifeboats 9 and 11, Mr. Ray boarded the half-full Lifeboat 13. As the boat was lowered into the water, a wrapped infant was tossed down to Ray, who caught the child and brought it to safety. He survived the sinking and was rescued by R.M.S. Carpathia. He returned home to his wife, who was in North Wales to recuperate from the trauma of the sinking. He was also known in later life for saving remnants of carpeting from the ship as she was nearing completion. Initially, the carpeting was used as under padding on a music stool at his home, when moving he remembered that it was there, and started sending out pieces to various Titanic survivors and museums.
Provenance Ex Miottel Museum.