First Titanic menu fetches £100k at auction

A menu of the primary meal ever served aboard the huge has fetched £100,000 at public sale.

The lunch, which include consommé mirrette, sweetbreads and spring lamb, changed into served to officials on the first day of sea trials on 2 april 1912.

It belonged to second officer charles lightoller, the maximum senior team member to continue to exist, who gave it to his wife as he left southampton on 10 april 1912.

Auctioneer alan aldridge said it became "one of the rarest menus in life".

It turned into offered to a british collector on the public sale at henry aldridge and son in devizes, wiltshire on saturday.

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A key to the doomed vessel's chart room offered to a collector from texas for £seventy eight,000, whilst a drowned steward's badge offered for £57,000.

The badge belonged to a thomas mullen and was discovered along with his body.

Andrew aldridge, from the firm, said: "we're extremely joyful with the outcomes of the public sale and assume the rarity of the gadgets is pondered within the expenses which illustrates the continued fascination with the tale of the large."

He said items were snapped up by means of collectors in "all four corners of the globe".

On 2 april, on massive's first day of sea trials, officers and team loved their first meal served in the major eating saloon earlier than being joined by the passengers.

Menuimage copyrighthenry aldridge and son
Photograph caption
The menu was given to charles lightoller's wife as a souvenir as he departed from southampton on 10 april 1912
Mr aldridge said it become believed simplest one more instance of a 2 april menu had survived, which belonged to vast's 5th officer harold lowe.

"he wrote a notation on the bottom 'that is first meal ever served on board' however the bottom of the lowe menu became eliminated," he stated.

"so this [the Charles Lightoller menu] is assumed to be the simplest complete instance and is one of the maximum critical examples of its kind in life nowadays."

The lowe menu bought at auction for £28,000 in 2004.