Father's Titanic heroics revealed

Symbol of brave devotion: Arthur West's flask from the doomed liner
The story of a father's final act of love towards his family as the Titanic sunk has been
revealed.
Arthur West scrambled down the rope of a rescue boat to give his wife and two daughters a flask of
hot milk before returning to the deck, and his fate.
The 36-year-old's act of bravery was revealed in an account written by his wife, Ada, which is being
auctioned next month with the flask and letters.
The items could fetch up to £60,000 at the sale in Devizes, Wiltshire.
The luxury liner struck an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912, killing 1,517 people.
'Cries and groans'
"We were all asleep when the collision took place, but were only jolted in our berths," Mr West's widow
wrote.
"The steward bade us all get up and dress thoroughly with plenty of
warm things.
"Arthur placed lifebelts upon the children then carried them on to the
boat deck. I followed carrying my handbag.
"After seeing us safely into the lifeboat, Arthur returned to the cabin
for a thermos of hot milk, and finding the lifeboat let down he
reached it by means of a rope, gave the flask to me, and, with a
farewell returned to the deck of the ship."
Barbara was rescued aged 10 months
Mr West, his wife and young children, Constance and Barbara, were along with her sister and mother

emigrating to Florida when disaster struck.

The family - second-class passengers, from Truro in Cornwall - were put into lifeboat number 10
before their rescue by another liner, the Carpathia.
Ada wrote that the noble actions of her husband, whom she when I said goodbye to dear
referred to in one letter as "Dad", had not been matched by two Dad it was without a shadow of
men who had managed to sneak on to their lifeboat. fear as to our ever seeing him
In a statement to the Board of Trade she revealed that the men had again

hidden under women passengers' skirts.

"I saw no signs of wreckage or bodies, only icebergs - had no idea Ada West, letter extract

that the disaster had been so great," she wrote.

"There were men in our boat who had concealed themselves under the ladies skirts and had to be
asked to stop lighting cigarettes as there was a danger of the
dresses becoming ignited."
In a letter written in New York following their rescue, she also wrote:
"We were amongst the first to leave the ship - when I said goodbye
BBC News website 26.03.09 Extract of a letter written by Mr West
on 10 April 1912