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Wooden cross made from Titanic oak to be auctioned

Henry Aldridge & Son wooden crossHenry Aldridge & Son
The cross was made from oak taken from the Titanic wreckage

A wooden cross made from oak taken from the wreckage of the Titanic is to be sold at auction.

The piece was made by Samuel Smith who was on board the S.S. Minia that took part in the body-recovery mission in April 1912.

It has remained in his family ever since.

The cross is being sold along with other Titanic items at Henry Aldridge and Son auction house in Wiltshire and is expected to fetch £18,000.

Mr Smith made the cross in honour of more than 1,500 passengers and crew who died when the Titanic struck an iceberg in the early hours of 15 April, 1912.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said the item was a "powerful and emotive" piece of memorabilia.

Henry Aldridge & Son Samuel Smith with a group of staff on the S.S. MiniaHenry Aldridge & Son
Samuel Smith (front second left) on board the S.S. Minia

The other Titanic items to be sold alongside the cross include a signed letter of provenance, photographs, documents and Mr Smith's woodworking tools, as well as a certificate of discharge documenting his marine career.

The items will be sold through a direct descendant of Mr Smith on 19 October.