It has been more than a hundred years ago since the shipwreck of Titanic, but people will never forget how it became part of the cruise industry a legacy.
Third-class steward Samuel Francis Sedunary or known as Sidney owned the locker key. He was from Berkshire, England and was one of the casualties of the shipwreck.
In an interview with BBC News, Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said, "Without a doubt [he saved lives]. Here's a man who sacrificed his life to save others." He also added that the amount the key finally sold for "reflected its importance and unique nature".
Sidney Sedunary was born in June 1887 with six known siblings. He left school when he was 14 years old and worked as an errand boy for a grocer. He later signed-on to Titanic as a steward, and died in the shipwreck.
The locker key was one of the 200 items from the ship sold in Devizes market town in Wiltshire, England, and was sold for £85,000. It also included letters from Chief Officer Henry Wilde. In one of the letters to his sister, he pointed out in the letter that ‘he has queer feelings about the ship'. The letters he wrote cost £5, 000 at the auction.
Chief Officer Henry Wilde was second in command on the vessel under Captain Edward Smith. His body was never recovered, but his name is marked on a family tombstone that reads, "Also Captain [sic] Henry T. Wilde, RNR Acting Chief Officer Who Met His Death in the SS Titanic Disaster 15th April 1912 aged 38 years. ‘One of Britain's Heroes'".
Among all 200 items sold also included a postcard from John George "Jack" Phillips who was then 25 years old from Farncombe, England and the senior wireless operator. He was described by a survivor as "the man who saved us all".
RMS Titanic was a British passenger line owned by White Star Line en route to New York City from Southampton when it collided with an iceberg at 11:40 PM on April 14, 2012 and sank two hours and 40 minutes later. In 1997, producer and director James Cameron created the film "Titanic"; a fictionalized account of the wreckage starred by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
