In a letter to his sister, Frederick Wright, the squash coach, described the Titanic as “the best” – implying it was better than the Olympic liner where he had also worked. First class passengers could pay two shillings and tuppence for a half-hour game, and they could have lessons from Frederick Wright or play against him. The court was 30ft long and 20ft wide compared to 32ft by 21ft for a modern court. This was due to the structural design of the Titanic which also restricted the height of the court to 15ft 8 inches as opposed to today’s 18ft 6 inches. Use of the lob was therefore limited. A viewing gallery was located on F deck. For a wage of £1 per week Frederick not only cleaned the court and ran the booking system, but also supplied passengers with squash racquets and balls. He was also available to play as an opponent—for tips—if required. One of the passengers who used the court during the voyage was Colonel Archibald Gracie, a 53-year-old amateur historian from Mobile, Alabama who was travelling alone. Twenty minutes before midnight, the collision which was to result in the sinking of the Titanic put an end to Gracie’s arrangements. Shortly after midnight, while looking for his friends, Gracie met Wright in the stairway of C deck. “Perhaps we had better cancel our match for tomorrow morning, Mr Wright!” he said half jokingly. Wright concurred but seemed rather concerned, probably because he knew the court was already filling with water. The match between Gracie and Wright would never be played. Gracie survived the sinking. Here, Frederick Wright, the squash coach who perished on the Titanic.
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