Today marks the centenary of one of the memorable events in history; the sinking of the Titanic.

The ‘unsinkable’ vessel claimed the lives of many including Croydon locals as the liner sank on its maiden voyage on April 12.

The Johnston family and a young man, Montague Thaler, were among those who boarded the ill-fated ship dreaming of America but succumbed to the icy waters.

Andrew and Eliza Johnston

A family from Thornton Heath boarded the Titanic 100-years-ago in hopes of reaching Connecticut after hearing of stories of a better life, but unfortunately never made it to their destination.

However, their memory lives on through a postcard that was recently auctioned for more than £7,000 addressed to William Johnston from his son Andrew Johnston who died at age 35 as a result of the disaster.

Andrew Johnston along with his wife Eliza Johnston, 35, and their two children William, 8, and Catherine, 7, were 3rd class passengers travelling with Mrs Johnston's sister Margaret and her husband and their children.

Mr and Mrs Johnston were married in 1904, both Scotland natives, and moved around Croydon until settling down at 21 Luna Road, Thornton Heath to raise their children.

Mr Johnston was a master plumber and was ''well liked'' by the local community. He and his wife were also described as a ''highly respected couple'' and their children were ''very bright''

according to the Croydon Times report on April 20, 1912.

William and Catherine were always speaking to their teachers and friends of their journey to America, according to the report.

Three days before the vessel hit an iceberg, killing more than 15,000 people, Mr Johnston had sent his father a postcard while stopped in Queenstown, now Cobh in Cork, Ireland.

Excerpts from the postcard read: ''I had not time to write before we sailed,'' continuing, ''We don't get to New York til Wednesday next so I will write when we get there.''

The postcard, which features a black and white photo of the Titanic, was kept in good condition and was auctioned for a large sum at the Hilton hotel, Charlemont Place, Dublin on January 21 at 1pm.

Mr Johnston’s postcard was not the only lucrative artifact auctioned. In 2010, a postcard written by Mrs Johnston to her father-in-law Andrew Johnston was sold for £12,000 by Henry Aldridge and Son of Devizes, Wiltshire to an American collector.

The card was kept in excellent condition where Mrs Johnston described how excited the children in her company were to be on board the vessel.

The family originally intended to set sail on the Philadelphia ship a year prior but the trip was cancelled due to a coal strike and rescheduled on the Titanic.

The bodies of the Johnston family and those in their party were never recovered.

Montague ‘Monty’ Donald Thaler

Before leaving his home at Station Restaurant, Station-road, West Croydon, Montague ‘Monty’ Thaler was full of excitement to begin his job as a steward aboard the Titanic.

He was offered the position just one day before departure after an unsuccessful attempt to secure work on a White Star Liner called the Olympic.

This would be the first voyage for the 17-year-old who had left his previous job, as a junior clerk in the office of Messrs Thrift and Son where he worked for just over two years, to take up his ‘calling to the sea’.

Colleagues and employers described Thaler as bright and cheerful according to the Croydon Guardian report April 20, 1912 (not to be confused with the current Croydon Guardian).

His first voyage on the sea proved to be his last as he never returned from wreck and his body was not recovered.

His father Mr Andreas Thaler and mother received a large number of letters from friends and inquirers sending their sympathy and condolences.

Mr and Mrs Thaler were only able to express their gratitude through The Guardian, unable to respond to the high volume of letters separately.

Herbert Cave

Herbert Cave, 34, was a first-class passenger when he boarded the Titanic at Southampton. He is believed to have lived at 17 Shirley Park Road, Croydon, however there is no further evidence that links him as a Croydon resident.

Cave was part of the Titanic Victualling crew as a saloon steward but did not survive the iceberg collision.

Found on his body was a 'Third Proof' passengers list, now known as the 'Cave List' and remains in Public Archives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. His body was recovered and Cave is buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax.