A heart-rending postcard written on Titanic by a third-class passenger who died along with all nine members of her family has emerged after nearly 100 years.

The card was posted by Eliza Johnston to her father-in-law William Johnston and describes how excited the six children in the party were to be on the famous liner.

It was posted at Queenstown, Ireland, three days before the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank, killing 1,520 people. Mr Johnston lost his son Andrew, Eliza and two grandchildren in the 1912 disaster.

The card, which features a picture of Titanic on the front, was lovingly kept by him over the years. It has remained in “superb condition” and is now set to fetch £12,000 at auction.

Also for sale is an incredibly rare promotional brochure for Titanic showing pictures of the third class accommodation the Johnston family would have used.

The images show the cramped cabins, communal dining room and smoking and reading areas.

Although it was a world away from the opulent surroundings of the first class section of the ship a few decks above, it was more comfortable than most other ships at the time. The 32-page document is said to be worth £10,000.

Andrew Johnston, a 35-year-old plumber from Aberdeen, and wife Eliza, 34, were emigrating to Connecticut, US, after their niece impressed them with tales of a better quality of life while working over there. In their travelling party were their two children William, 8, and Catherine, 7, along with Eliza’s sister Margaret and her four children, Dollina, Edward, William and Robina, aged 20, 18, 16, and seven respectively. Between Titanic leaving Southampton to docking at Queenstown, Eliza purchased the postcard on board. She wrote on the back: “Dear father, we are just arriving at Queenstown, we are all feeling aye one. The kids |are flapping about like flags about us.”

The party were among the 527 out of the 708 third class passengers who perished in the sinking at 2.20am on April 15, 1912. Andrew Aldridge, of auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son of Devizes, Wiltshire, said: “It is very unusual to get a postcard like this with such excellent content and in such fine condition.

“The condition is superb and the message is very poignant. Eliza wrote about the kids flapping about in excitement about being on the Titanic.

“They were clearly looking forward to their new life in the US but had their loved ones close to their heart.”

The promotional brochure was printed in Danish and was posted to a prospective emigrant passenger before the doomed maiden voyage in 1912.

Mr Aldridge said: “There are only a handful of these brochures about today and the condition of this makes this one possibly the finest example around.

“Most pictures of the interior of the Titanic tend to show the luxury surroundings of first class, like the famous grand staircase. It is unusual to see images of the lower decks.”

Mr Aldridge said the brochure has been in the ownership of a private US collector for the past 20 years and they are now selling it. The auction takes place this Saturday