Recently a prized and precious memento was taken to an antique valuation day at a Perthshire garden centre, but this particular item stood out from the rest as it revealed an unlikely friendship in its history.
Able Seaman Thomas Jones and Noelle, Countess of Rothes, developed a friend for life relationship following a once in a lifetime experience, sadly for all the wrong reasons, on lifeboat number eight as the infamous Titanic sank.
Thomas Jones was placed in charge of a lifeboat containing 35 women, which included the Countess.
The countess was then given the task of steering the boat as she knew how to take a tiller and tow as her husband owned a yacht.
The rescued passengers and crew were taken to New York, where Mr Jones and the countess went their separate ways, never to meet again.
However, before they parted, the Countess gifted the Welsh crewman with a silver antique pocket watch to show her gratitude for saving her life.
He reciprocated by giving her a plaque displaying the number eight, the number of the lifeboat they had met on.
They did, however, keep in contact through correspondence for the rest of their lives even though they didn’t manage to meet face to face.
The watch was brought along by direct descendants of the Countess to a valuation day held by Bonhams at Glendoick Garden Centre in Perthshire.
The watch was bought 20 years ago for around £21,000 but its latest valuation has yet to be revealed.
We’d be keen to see their valuation compared to some of the other antique watches we see.
Image:CliffunderCreative Commons.
