'If all goes well we'll arrive on Wednesday': Poignant letter written day before Titanic sank sells at auction for £126,000

A letter written by one of the Titanic's passengers a day before the ocean liner sank has sold at auction for £126,000.

The handwritten note, on embossed Titanic stationery, was written by first-class passenger Alexander Oskar Holverson on April 13, 1912 - the day before the ship hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic, killing more than 1,500 onboard.

Holverson, a salesman, had intended to post it to his mother, who lived in New York - but he was sadly among those killed that day.

Auction house Henry Aldridge & Son, which specializes in Titanic memorabilia, said on Saturday that the letter was "the most important Titanic letter we have ever auctioned" because of its content, historical context and rarity.

In the letter, addressed to "My dear Mother" and stained with saltwater marks, Holverson described the Titanic as "a giant in size and fitted up like a palatial hotel." He added: "The food and drink is excellent."

In a poignant line, he also wrote: "If all goes well we will arrive in New York Wednesday AM."

The letter, one of the last known to have been written on board by the disaster's victims, was found in Holverson's pocket notebook when his body was recovered. It was later sent to his family.