Titanic Anchor Postcards

[Paul Clay]

Hi everyone,

Although new to the world of the Titanic, I have just been given a couple of postcards that may be interesting to some of you. They were both sent (in an envelope I presume) by my Grandmothers cousin to her fiancee (a Mormon missionary) who was on a mission in Birmingham, England. Interestingly, they had tried to book themselves onto the Titanic for their passage to the US, but fortunately could not obtain a ticket, and the cards are now not more than 3 miles from the site that the anchor was made, and the photographic studio where the cards were made.The first card of the Titanic anchor outside the Hingley factory before departure, the second card shows the Titanic anchor being taken from the Hingley factory, pulled by 20 Shire Horses not the documented 16 that I have seen previously on this site. Although I have seen a similar images of the first, the second seems a little rarer, and have attached some scanned images.

 

[Michael Cundiff]

Absent the scans you mentioned *attached*, I am certain the second card...anchor departing the Hingley factory is also one that I have in my real-photo postcard collection.

Perhaps a second attempt of your scan would be fruitful.

Michael Cundiff
NV, USA

 

[Paul Clay]

Sorry Michael, I will try again, the files must have been too large, so I have used the oversize image option this time.

 

[Michael Cundiff]

Paul-

Those are breathtaking images indeed. My copy is of the first one. I enjoy collecting postcards with entailed messages...and yours is great!

Thanks for sharing them with us.

Michael Cundiff
NV, USA

 

[Paul Lee]

Indeed, many thanks! The archives of N.Hingley's of Dudley, who made the anchors, have a great collection of material too, btw.

 

[Stanley C Jenkins]

I think these views were part of a series which showed the anchors leaving Noah Hingley's foundry at Netherton. I may be wrong, but I had assumed that some of the heavy-duty vehicles employed had belonged to the Great Western Railway, but the one in the photograph is obviously from the rival London & North Western Railway (which probably explains why I could not find a report in the GWR Magazine!

 

[Paul Lee]

You're quite right, it was the London and North Western Railway. When ferrying the Britannic's [sic] anchor to Belfast, they noted that the Cross Channel Steamers people quoted an "exceptionally low" rate for the Titanic's anchor, and could not obtain a better rate for the Britannic's [sic]

 

[Paul Clay]

For anyone who is interested, I have decided to sell the cards, and have listed them on the most popular auction site under the heading "Original Titanic Anchor Postcard"

Regards