A CAMPAIGN has been launched to try to bring home the last letter written by heroic Titanic bandmaster Wallace Hartley.

Pendle Council is fronting the campaign to bid for the letter which is to be sold at an auction in New Hampshire.

The auction is set to take place between April 19 and 26, with a minimum bid price of $5,000 for the item, equivalent to around £3,120.

In the poignant final letter to his family before the ill-fated ship sank on April 15, 1912 he wrote: “This is a fine ship ... I shall probably arrive home on Sunday morning.”

Pendle Council is appealing to local businesses to help raise the money to bid for it.

Nigel Hampson, curator of the Titanic in Lancashire Museum, in Colne, said: “Wallace Hartley wrote this letter to his parents on April 10, 1912.

“It’s tragic that they never received this letter and it would be wonderful if it could finally find its way to Colne, 100 years on.

“I would love for the letter to take pride of place in our museum. I can see it being a star attraction.”

Mr Hartley, from Colne, penned the letter to his parents four days before the ship hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage, killing 1,517 people.

He would never make it home, with Hartley and his band famous for sacrificing themselves and playing on while passengers assembled to wait to board lifeboats.

Any businesses willing to contribute should contact Vaughan Jones, tourism initiatives manager at Pendle Council, on 01282 661962 or vaughan.jones@pendle.gov.uk.