I read with sadness last night that the last survivor of the Titanic, Millvina Dean, died, aged 97. She was a six-month old baby on board the vessel when it sailed from Southampton in 1912 on its ill-fated maiden voyage, and her father perished on the night of 14 April.

As a teenager I was a member of the British Titanic Society, and wrote to Millvina with the usual obsessive zeal of a teenager, telling her about my intense interest in the ship, and in making models of it! She wrote back, in her own hand I think, on two sides of A5. This letter is now stashed somewhere in my parents\' house, and the obsession long-past, but I still feel privileged that Millvina took the time to write to me.

I remember that she wrote in her letter how strange it is that people are still so interested in the liner and its history, so long after the event. It is somewhat unusual I suppose, and yet I believe that there is still a growth in the number of Titanic enthusiasts. I am sure that many of these people are hard hit by the news of Millvina\'s death.