A CHRISTMAS card signed by Titanic bandmaster Wallace Hartley is expected to fetch up to £600 when it comes up for auction at Christie's in London in May.

The card was discovered as part of an autograph book belonging to a Red Cross nurse called Gladys Williams, who is believed to have treated the musician, born in Colne, between 1905 and 1911.

Darren Ward, who works at Colne Library and is an expert on Wallace Hartley and the Titanic, said: "This is a very exciting and interesting discovery.

"These kinds of things connected to the Titanic are unearthed from time to time and they cause a lot of interest."

It was not clear where Wallace Hartley was treated by the nurse or when.

"He travelled all over England in his musical career. He was hardly ever at home," said Darren. "He spent seasons away from home and picked up vacancies across the country through the Musician's Union.

"It may be he became ill at some point and was treated by this nurse but these little things never get heard of. It's certainly something I've never come across before. Unfortunately most people from that generation have died and there's no-one left to ask about it.

"This kind of memorabilia appears out of the blue and the story behind these items is always interesting. Some time ago we found a photograph of Wallace in a book in Yorkshire which featured the band he was in then.

"People die and their relatives have a house clearance. These items find their way into an antiques or book shop and someone recognises their importance. There are all sorts of possibilities as to this card's background."

Darren said the asking price of between £400 and £600 was too much for him or the library to consider making a bid for the card, which will go under the hammer on May 11. "Titanic memorabilia has been popular in recent auctions and this sale includes an extremely interesting lot from the doomed ship," said Christie's.

Last summer a silk postcard posted from the doomed liner by a teenage passenger to his sweetheart was valued at £2,000. The card was taken from the Titanic when she made her last stop at Queenstown, Ireland, the day before she sank.

It was sent by 19-year-old Edward Dorking, of Liss, Hampshire, who was one of the 705 fortunate survivors of the disaster. He made a life for himself in America but his sweetheart, Maudle Stokes, later turned down a marriage proposal. Wallace earned worldwide recognition when he led his band in playing to calm passengers as the luxury liner sank after hitting an iceberg in April 1912. None of the band members survived. Large crowds lined the main street through Colne to watch his funeral procession. Wallace is buried in Colne Cemetery and there is a memorial to him next to Colne Municipal Hall.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.