The mortuary bag on display was used to identify and safeguard the personal effects of Titanic victim Edmund Stone, Body No. 41. Stone was a 33 year old First Class bedroom Steward from Southampton. His body was found by the Halifax cable ship Mackay-Bennett and buried at sea. These bags were central to the system for Titanic body recovery and identification. They were hand stitched from sail canvas by Mackay-Bennett sailors as the bodies were found and proved very effective in keeping personal effects together on the ship and in the morgue. When the Halifax Explosion took place four years later in 1917, the coroner followed the Titanic example and made identical bags to handle the personal effects of Explosion victims. A photograph shows the personal effects of Titanic steward Edmond Stone which were shipped to his widow in Southampton using this bag. The letters ?O.H.M.S.? on the tag stands for "On His Majesty's Service" indicating a government mail shipment. A lead and red wax seal was used to close the bag and protect its humble contents as they were all that was left of Edmund Stone after he died and his body was buried at sea. The personal effects were sold at auction in 2008.
