Survivor's story surfaces on Antiques Roadshow
On a 2022 episode of the BBC programme, expert Hilary Kay introduced a guest whose father survived the Titanic disaster. "Sitting by this very calm harbour, water gently lapping, it's going to be very difficult to plunge into this extraordinary story of a survivor from the Titanic," she began.
The guest was the daughter of Sidney Daniels, who was hired as a plate washer on the ship at age 18. The Titanic sank on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912, claiming around 1,500 lives. More than a century later, items from the ship continue to fetch huge sums; in April 2026, a lifejacket believed to be from a survivor sold for £670,000.
The night of the sinking
Sidney's son, who was also present, recalled how his father was woken by the night watchman. "It was a Sunday, he was sound asleep, there was a banging and shouting and it was the night watchman. They were all a bit bleary-eyed because at first they thought at first, 'oh no it was a drill'," he said.
Once on deck, Sidney was ordered to help wake passengers. Many did not believe the danger. "One or two said 'What does this young man know? He's 18, the boat is unsinkable. We're not going up on deck,'" the son remembered. Others worried about children catching cold. Sidney helped children with their lifejackets and guided them to the deck.
Hilary remarked: "You can imagine the scene of chaos and despair because people realised there weren't enough lifeboats."
As the water rose, Sidney realised it was time to act. His son said: "So he dived off the side of the boat, swam away from it, came to a lifebelt and to my dad's mind, it was too close to the boat, he was afraid when the boat went down, the suction would take them down so he said to this chap, 'It's no good here, let's swim away'."
The two men swam toward a star that Sidney believed was his mother. They reached an overturned life raft and clung to it. Sidney later said he felt like sleeping, but the man beside him warned: "Don't go to sleep lad, if you do, it will be your last." They passed the time singing hymns.
An 'extraordinary' keepsake
Sidney had a letter in the pocket of his uniform as he jumped into the water. The stamp was washed away at sea. The letter had been handed down through the family and was brought to the show.
"It's an extraordinary momento and anything related to Titanic has this extraordinary affect on people. It is an extraordinary moment to behold something which is so linked into an extraordinary moment in history," Hilary said, valuing the letter at £10,000.
Going to a museum
Despite the valuation, Sidney's children refused to sell. "It's very nice but it's not going out the family, it's going to a museum," they said.
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
