BIDDERS from around the world were today due to vie for a rare set of medals that once belonged to a man reputed to be the last person to have stepped off Titanic before the liner's ill-fated maiden voyage.

The medals, which could fetch up to £40,000, were the property of Captain Benjamin Steel, who was marine superintendent at Southampton for the White Star Line in April 1912.

He is believed to have been the last person to leave the doomed vessel when he handed over the ship to Captain Smith before her maiden voyage to New York.

Captain Steel also appeared before the Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry into the Titanic.

According to the minutes of the inquiry, when asked by Mr Raymond Asquith: "Did you inspect the boats to see whether they were properly equipped?", he replied: "I did in a general way, yes."

He died in 1944, aged 81, having been marine superintendent at Southamp-ton for 18 years and a commander in the Royal Navy Reserve.

Captain Steel first came into contact with Southampton at the outbreak of the Boer War, sailing from the port in the transport ship Britannic, in which he was chief officer.

He lived with his wife Kate in West End for many years. They had three sons and a daughter.

The medals are being sold by a private source at Cameo fine art auctioneers in Midgham, West Berkshire.

Chris Hart, a partner in the auction house, said there would be a considerable number of people looking at the lot.

He added: "There's a lot of interest in Titanic memorabilia as they can't bring anything up from the ship because it's classed as a graveyard.

"The medals are quite an important set to come on to the market.

"You just don't know how much it will go for. It just depends on how much somebody is willing to pay."

- Originally published October 2002.