A journey across the world has brought one family closer to its past, but one important piece of the puzzle is still missing.
More than a century after one of history's most famous maritime rescues, a relative of Titanic hero Sir Arthur Rostron has travelled from Australia to trace his family's roots and search for relatives he believes may still have connections to his ancestral home.
Vaughan Rostron, from Queensland, visited this week after contacting The Bolton News in the hope of finding members of the Rostron family during his trip.
Mr Rostron said: "It was pretty exciting to know that somebody who was a member of my family went and saved all these poor people that got smashed up by running into a bloody bit of ice.
"So, yeah, there's a lot of pride, that was my first reaction. I thought, wow."
Captain Sir Arthur Henry Rostron was born in Sharples in 1869 before growing up in Astley Bridge.
He attended Bolton School.
As master of the RMS Carpathia, he famously raced through ice fields to answer Titanic's distress calls on April 15, 1912, rescuing more than 700 survivors after the liner sank.
He was later knighted for his actions and received honours from both Britain and the United States.
A blue plaque commemorating his life stands at his former family home on Blackburn Road.
Although Vaughan has researched his family tree extensively, he is still trying to establish exactly how he is connected to the celebrated sea captain. He has traced back to a cousin who was a descendent of Sir Arthur.
Mr Rostron added: "I'd hope to get a confirmation of what I've been told.
"But more importantly, I'd like to just see the history.
"I'd like to see the place and get a photograph of the place."
His visit to Bolton formed part of a wider European trip, but he said seeing the town where generations of his family came from had become an important personal goal.
Mr Rostron said: "I just wanted to visit the town where all my family comes from.
"I know this is where the family roots came from."
He is also hoping his visit could help uncover living relatives carrying the Rostron name.
Mr Rostron added: "If there was one, I'd be related somewhere down the line, I think."
Anyone with information about the Rostron family or who believes they may be related is invited to contact The Bolton News.
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