A GOLD watch and silver medal presented to a ship's engineer who helped rescue survivors after the sinking of the Titanic was sold for £14,100 at auction last night.

Together with photographs and documents, the watch and medal were expected to fetch between £12,000 to £18,000 at Bonhams auctioneers in London.

The items, which were passed down through the family to their former owner, were presented to John Richardson a month after the disaster at a special ceremony for officers and crew of the liner RMS Carpathia, who rescued 712 people.

Mr Richardson, the ship's sixth engineer, was one of 300 honoured by a special committee in New York on May 29, 1912.

The hunter watch - which went to an unnamed British buyer - carries the initial JR on the cover and inside is inscribed "Presented to J Richardson as a mark of appreciation for conspicuous services rendered RMS Titanic 15th April 1912".

The lot also included a photograph of Mr Richardson in his uniform, two immigration forms belonging to Mr Richardson and his wife relating to their immigration to New York in 1935, and two pages from the official log of the Carpathia showing Mr Richardson on the rosta.

Bonhams spokesman Chris Proudlove said: "The silver medals were presented to all crew members on the Carpathia to recognise their efforts, but Mr Robinson was obviously a true hero because he got this gold watch as well.

"We are delighted because £14,100 is a great price for what is a huge collectors' item.

"Our buyer should be very pleased with his lot, and so should our seller."

On the fateful night the Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton, the Carpathia responded to a distress call from the liner.

The Carpathia changed course and went full speed towards the stricken ship's last known position.

After negotiating surrounding icefields, the Carpathia arrived at the scene at 4am the following morning to rescue surviving passengers from their lifeboats, but it was too late for the 1,503 passengers who had already drowned in icy waters.

- Originally published January 2003.