A pocket watch belonging to a stoker who survived four shipwrecks, including the Titanic, has sold at auction for £3,800 at Sudeley Castle, near Cheltenham.
The ‘unsinkable’ stoker
Arthur John Priest was nicknamed the ‘unsinkable’ stoker after he survived the sinking of four ships in just five years. He spent his working life in the boiler rooms of steam-powered ships, shovelling coal in the so-called ‘black gang’.
Four ships in five years
Between 1912 and 1917 he survived the Titanic in 1912, the RMS Alcantara in 1916, the hospital ship Britannic in 1916, and the SS Donegal in 1917. When the Titanic sank he was in the bowels of the ship. He was rescued from the sea with frostbitten toes and an injured leg.
The watch
The gunmetal watch, in a silver case, was given to Priest, and its inscription suggests it was a thank you for saving a man’s life when the Britannic sank after striking a mine in the Aegean Sea in 1916.
It had a starting bid of £3,000. Bespoke Auctions’ senior auctioneer Nicholas Granger called it a “quite a rare, amazing find”. He said the watch drew plenty of interest from buyers before the sale.
Other items from the same sale
A silver cigarette case recovered from the body of a steward on board the Titanic sold for £5,700 at the same auction.
Priest retired from life at sea after the Donegal sinking. He died in Southampton on 11 February 1937.
