Was there a 3rd class pursers office and was there a shop on Titanic?

Duck_Dur

Member
Would have 3rd class passengers bring things like cigarettes onto Titanic themselves or could they go to a shop on the ship to buy such items?
 
There wasn't a third class purser. The purser's functions were handled by the third class chief steward, but that wouldn't have involved any goods for sale. Most of the paid services available from the purser's office in the other classes, like hire of deckchairs, wouldn't have been available in third.

In first and second class tobacco products were available for purchase from the smokeroom bars and I imagine the same was true in the third class smokeroom, so buying cigarettes shouldn't have been a problem.

The only other shopping facilities on board were the first and second class barber shops which sold a range of toiletries, souvenirs and various small personal items like handkerchiefs and caps. There was no third class barber shop, therefore no such sales facility.
 
Would have 3rd class passengers bring things like cigarettes onto Titanic themselves or could they go to a shop on the ship to buy such items?
There wasn't a shop for third class where souvenirs could be brought, first and second class had their own barber shops on C and E-deck where this was possible.
1724110536502.jpeg

However, assistant purser Reginald Barker DID look after the third class passengers and his pursers office on E-deck had a window connected to third class section of Scotland Road at section M, it even had it's own desk!
 
There wasn't a shop for third class where souvenirs could be brought, first and second class had their own barber shops on C and E-deck where this was possible.
View attachment 116047
However, assistant purser Reginald Barker DID look after the third class passengers and his pursers office on E-deck had a window connected to third class section of Scotland Road at section M, it even had it's own desk!
Are there any photos of the 3rd Class window?
 
The only other shopping facilities on board were the first and second class barber shops which sold a range of toiletries, souvenirs and various small personal items like handkerchiefs and caps.

Yes. This picture is in several works including Don Lynch's Titanic: An Illustrated History, where I saw it first as a superb full page spread photograph. I have always been fascinated by that photo because it has a strange futuristic (for 1912) appearance.

1724169720190.jpg
 
There wasn't a shop for third class where souvenirs could be brought, first and second class had their own barber shops on C and E-deck where this was possible.
View attachment 116047
However, assistant purser Reginald Barker DID look after the third class passengers and his pursers office on E-deck had a window connected to third class section of Scotland Road at section M, it even had it's own desk!
I think that picture is actually the second class purser’s office on Olympic. One of Daniel Klistorner’s if I’m not mistaken. Scotland Road, section M, would be behind the wooden panelling behind the two passengers on the left.

I’m not denying your statement that there was also a window from this purser’s office onto Scotland Road for use by third class passengers, though I can’t see it in that photo. I wasn’t aware of that but I’m happy to accept that you know the layout much better than me. Just pointing out that the photo might be a bit misleading in answer to the original question about whether there was a separate third class purser.
 
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I think that picture is actually the second class purser’s office on Olympic. One of Daniel Klistorner’s if I’m not mistaken. Scotland Road, section M, would be behind the wooden panelling behind the two passengers on the left.
That's correct.
I’m not denying your statement that there was also a window from this purser’s office onto Scotland Road for use by third class passengers, though I can’t see it in that photo. I wasn’t aware of that but I’m happy to accept that you know the layout much better than me.
1724197686319.jpg

You can see it here.
Just pointing out that the photo might be a bit misleading in answer to the original question about whether there was a separate third class purser.
While I agree with that there wasn't a third purser specifically assigned to third class alone, Assistant Purser Barker served as the purser for both second and third class.
 
Thank you @Thomas Krom, that clears up the points I raised.

I wonder if you can help with another question. In the original post @Duck_Dur was under the misapprehension that the pursers could sell goods (e.g. cigarettes) to passengers. We know this wasn't the case and the only things they sold were services, such as bookings for the use of various facilities, hire of deckchairs, etc. Most of these couldn't have been sold to third class passengers because the facilities didn't exist in the third class areas but a few services remain that could have been sold to third class passengers. The example that springs to my mind is the Marconigram service.

Do you know whether third class passengers could send Marconigrams via the assistant purser's office? I realise that few could have afforded the cost but it would have been possible, in principle, to offer the service. Have you any information on this?
 
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