Beschreibung:

A collection of objects and memorabilia from the voyage, relating to an American passenger Mrs Martha Barker, of Trenton NJ, including objects which were on the person of Mrs Barker when the ship was torpedoed at 14:10 on May 7th, 1915, in the North Atlantic, off Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, comprising items on Mrs Barker's person as contained in her leather handbag, hand strap broken, rubbed and affected by sea water, the bag containing: an unsent letter from Mrs Barker, unposted, undated, 4 pp penciled letter on R.M.S. Lusitania note paper, from Winnie Barker, to " Dear Father, Sister and Harold ", describing what fun she is having on board, the letter being folded into the pocketbook, and torn along folds, stained from sea water; five rusted keys to her Lusitania cabin; a Lusitania pin; a pair of brown women's kid gloves; a leather case with a deck chair receipt; a leather change purse, two dollar bills, one note folded tightly, the other badly stained and torn. TOGETHER WITH: a collection of family items not on Mrs Barker's person when she jumped overboard, including a 2 pp typed copy of the account of the Sinking, " Lusitania Survivor. Mrs Barker's terrible Experiences ", from the Sentinel newspaper, Birches Head, [Staffordshire], May 1915; A Lusitania Menu for dinner July 29 1914; a later pamphlet on the R.M.S Lusitania ; a black-lined mourning card for Winifred Barker, a newspaper clipping, dated March 20th 1963, announcing the death of Mrs Martha Gretton, and a clipping with a photo of Winnie Barker; US passport of Thomas Barker Mrs Barker's husband, enabling him to come to England " Searching for family who were on board the Lusitania ;" two period postcards of the Lusitania , and a piece of blue silk; four period family portraits, in postcard form, two of Winnie Barker, one of Winnie and her sister Doris, and another of the whole family; a telex from Tom Barker dated May 10 1915, sent from Trenton, NJ, to 91 Morton St, Birches Head Staffordshire, apparently unaware of the tragedy; three unused postcards; and a modern copy of a photograph taken on board of Mr and Mrs Barker and other passengers. Provenance : Mrs Barker, by descent. The calculated sinking of the R.M.S Lusitania , a civilian vessel of the Cunard Line, on Friday May 7th, 1915, at 14:10 pm by the German U-Boat U-20, created an international incident. The ship was carrying some American made shell casings and 4.2 million rounds of Remington small arms ammunition, as well as 1,959 passengers and crew. 1,195 perished, and of the 189 American passengers 123 were lost. It was the way she was sunk that caused such anguish, that the U Boat made no warning, and after the first torpedo struck the ship and she was still afloat and relatively safe, the U boat deliberately put in a second torpedo, and she quickly sank to the bottom, dragging down most of her crew and passengers to their deaths. Mrs Barker's story was a tragedy, she and her daughter were finishing lunch when the first torpedo blew, and were on the deck when the second one came in. The Ship turned to vertical and slipped into the Atlantic. Mrs Barker, holding her nine year old daughter Winnie (who had a life jacket), was sucked under as the ship submerged. Mrs Barker became unconscious underwater, and her daughter slipped from her fingers. Mrs Barker was recovered by a fisherman's boat, floating but alive, but her daughter was lost. These small poignant objects, enclosed in her pocket book or in the pockets of the coat that she was wearing, when she was sucked under, pay testimony to that tragic day.