Tag Archives: Wallace Hartley

Wednesday Titanic News: Titanic Band, Recreating Titanic Meal, and Conspiracy Theories

Austin, Jeannie. “Wallace Hartley and the Band of the Titanic. They Played on as the Ship Sank Beneath? Them.” Pinterest, 31 Mar. 2019, www.pinterest.com/pin/16114511153415928.

One of the lingering images of Titanic is of the band. We know that they were on the deck of the ship playing music as people got in the lifeboats. There is some disagreement over whether they actually sang or played Nearer My God to Thee or a tune that was similar. However, no one disputes they were playing music and that they were heroes for doing it. None of them survived and only the band leader, Wallace Hartley, had his body returned. With him was his violin, which was auctioned off some years back to a collector.

Over at Classical Music, they explore the band and its history. One important note to remember, because it shocked many later, was that the band was not actually employed by White Star. They were hired for that sailing through an agent, who also owned some of their items they had with them. Since they were not employees, their surviving families could not seek any compensation from White Star. Ironically the company that they worked for actually sent notices to the families demanding compensation for company items lost in the sinking. Needless to say, the press ran with it causing lots of anger against the company.

At any rate, this story is worth a read as it reminds us of this band and its place in Titanic lore.

Classical-Music.com, Feb 2024. Classical Musicians of the Titanic: The Story of the Doomed Ship’s Musical Heroes. www.classical-music.com/articles/titanic-band.

Thanks in large part to the crass insistence of the ship’s owner, White Star Line, that cargo rate be paid for transporting recovered bodies back across the Atlantic, Titanic bandmaster Hartley was the sole victim of the disaster to be returned to the UK. The hearse bearing his rosewood casket wound a 59-mile mourner-lined journey from Liverpool docks to the Bethel Chapel in Colne, Hartley’s home town, where the funeral service took place. The crowd in and around the chapel was estimated at 40,000, half as much again as the town’s population.

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Titanic Lunch Menu 14 April 1912
Photo: AP

One item that people comment on is how much food people ate during the Edwardian Era. Mostly this was at dinner when you might have 7 or 8 courses and sometimes a lot more. And if you ate in First or Second class, you would be assured your meals would be exquisite. Dinner was a very formal affair in those classes, so you always dressed up (to show up in casual clothes would be unheard of) for it. And you be served an elegant meal that might be up to 12 courses served over a period of hours. You didn’t just eat. You socialized with everyone at your table and when you have such a high caliber group of people, no doubt the conversation was interesting at times.

Each year you see recreations of what was served on Titanic. This year Williamsburg Families will be holding a full 12 course meal on April 12, 2024. This looks to be quite the recreation as the menu looks like what Edwardians would have had on Titanic. I am not shilling for them, and it is not cheap either at $265 per person. So if you have the money, time, and will be near Williamsburg in Pennsylvania, it might be worth it.

“Enjoy the Last 1st Class 12 Course Meal on the R.M.S. Titanic Reimagined by the Chefs at the Rockefeller Room – April 12, 2024.” Williamsburg Families, 6 Feb. 2024, www.williamsburgfamilies.com/rms-titanic-12-course-meal-at-williamsburg-inn.

“In honor of the Titanic and it’s world class Hospitality Brigade of French train chefs and service team, the Rockefeller Room’s Chefs and Restaurant staff bring a tantalizing recreation with a bit of reimagination of the featured last meal served to the First-Class passengers the evening before the iceberg created one of the most impactful moments in history. Prepare as we call you aboard for a Rockefeller Room exclusive twelve-course meal not soon to be forgotten.”

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Art on the Titanic is one of those smaller stories, yet important. Some priceless works of art such as a jeweled edition of The Rubyiat were lost when it sank. Other things did to and over at the Artlyst, the go over the various things that were lost and still sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic.

Artlyst, 3 Feb 2024. “The Lost Art and Priceless Chattels Aboard the Titanic.” artlyst.com/features/the-lost-art-and-priceless-chattels-aboard-the-titanic.

The tragedy of the Titanic not only claimed lives but also devoured treasures of immeasurable worth. Among the lost artefacts, a jeweled edition of The Rubaiyat, adorned with 1,500 precious stones set in gold, is a testament to human opulence and artistic craftsmanship. Sold for a princely sum of $1,900, this luxurious tome was destined for an American buyer, its journey abruptly halted by fate’s cruel hand.

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Books on Titanic

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There are all kinds of conspiracy theories from the wild to the truly bizarre about Titanic. You have supernatural ones (like the mummy curse), switched ship theories, submarine attack, the Illuminati and more. Perhaps the only ones yet to be explored are ones involving aliens or Atlantis. For me, I subscribe to the theory that Marvin the Martian was experimenting with a new weapon and Titanic got in the way. Anyway, over at Mental Floss they took a look at ten of the most popular ones. They have all been debunked but they still persist out there.

10 Wild Conspiracy Theories About the Sinking of the ‘Titanic,’ Explained.” Mental Floss, 2 Feb. 2024, www.mentalfloss.com/posts/titanic-conspiracy-theories.

Conspiracy theories often emerge in the wake of tragic events, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the death of Princess Diana. It’s no surprise, then, that the most famous shipwreck in history—the sinking of the RMS Titanic on its first voyage in 1912, in which an estimated 1500 people died—has its fair share of conspiracy theories. Here are 10 theories that dispute the widely accepted facts about the Titanic tragedy.

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Sunday Titanic: Titanic Survivor Shipwrecked Again; Remembering Young Titanic Victim

Collapsible lifeboat D photographed by passenger on Carpathia on the morning of 15 April 1912.
Public Domain(Wikipedia)

Feeling Lucky? This Lady Survived The Titanic And Then Went Down On The Rohilla Off Whitby (Darlington & Stockton Times, 6 Aug 2022)

Mary worked as a stewardess on the large vessels belonging to the White Star Line and, on April 15, 1912, with her youngest daughter Daisy aged six back home, she was on the Titanic when it struck the iceberg. Mary quickly clambered aboard lifeboat 11, was picked up by Carpathia after a few hours bobbing around, and was dropped off at New York on April 18, 1912. Before the year was out, she was working aboard another White Star liner, Majestic, and in 1914 when war broke out, she was transferred to HMHS Rohilla. Two-and-a-half years after surviving the sinking of the Titanic off the coast of America, she survived the wreck of the Rohilla off Whitby.

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Young Victim Of Titanic Tragedy Remembered (Tavistock Times Gazette, 6 Aug 2022)

At the time, Harry’s death was reported by the Western Morning News in 1912 describing Rogers as a ‘smart and steady young fellow’, whilst also stating that ‘both mother and grandmother are in much distress, fearing the worst.’ Harry’s mother remained living in Devon until 1955 when she died. Unfortunately, Harry’s body was never recovered and his death is now remembered on the Tavistock grave. The family vault is situated in Plymouth Road Cemetery with Harry’s name listed on his father’s tombstone.

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The 110-Year-Old Titanic Violin That Miraculously Survived The Sinking Ship (ClassicFM.com, 5 Aug 2022)

Despite some reports to the contrary, there is no evidence that his violin was found strapped to his chest in its case. We do know, however, that it must have been recovered, along with a satchel embossed with Hartley’s initials, as a telegram transcript from Maria Robinson to the Provincial Secretary of Nova Scotia reads, ‘I would be most grateful if you could convey my heartfelt thanks to all who have made possible the return of my late fiancé’s violin’. When Robinson died in 1939, her sister gave the violin to the Bridlington Salvation Army, who passed it on to a violin teacher. The teacher passed it on further, and in 2004 it was rediscovered in an attic in the UK.

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Straus Memorial Park, New York City, 1915. This memorial and park was dedicated on 15 April 1915.
Photo:Public Domain (U.S. Library of Congress, Bain Collection,call number LC-B2- 3446-4)

The Heartbreaking Story Of Ida Straus, The Woman Who Went Down With The Titanic Rather Than Leave Her Husband Behind (Allthatsinteresting.com, 3 Aug 2022)

The couple married in 1871. Isidor worked for his father’s business — L. Straus & Sons — which was a pottery brand that later integrated into the glass and china department at Macy’s. He worked hard, eventually all the way up to being a co-owner of the entire Macy’s chain. Ida Straus was both a housewife and a very busy mother, as the couple had seven children together. (One son, Clarence, died around the age of two.) Even though Isidor also had his hands full with work — in addition to his duties serving as a member of the U.S. Congress for a year — the couple was said to be particularly close.

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Find books  on Wallace Hartley Titanic Musicians

Wallace Hartley’s Violin Reminds us of Tragic Loss

Photo: Public Domain(Wikipedia)

I recall some years ago when Wallace Hartley’s violin was found and the incredible amount of attention it generated. It truly was a great find. The actual violin that Titanic  band leader Wallace Hartley played on the ship had been discovered. It was in a bag on his body and was later stored and nearly forgotten.

Of course there was a lot of skepticism, as there should be. There have been a lot of scams of fake Titanic memorabilia being passed off as genuine in the past. The violin was rigorously examined and tested to make sure it was authentic. It was and ultimately auctioned off (the winning bidder was anonymous). Here is an interesting story looking into the violin and its importance not only to him but his fiancee that sadly was never to be his wife.

How a Violin Auction Resurrected the Tragic Love Story of the Titanic’s Heroic Band Leader
MyModernMet.com, 30 Jul 2021

Hartley’s body was pulled from the water 10 days after the Titanic sank. Strapped to the bandleader, the rescuers found a leather valise with the initials W.H.H. Inside was his violin case and treasured instrument, as well as some musical scores. For decades, the violin was lost to public knowledge. However, upon its resurfacing in 2006, the rest of the sad story of Hartley and his fiancée has been illuminated. Upon the violin’s emergence from a musician’s attic in 2006, the instrument was the subject of scrutiny by auction house Henry Aldridge & Son and Christian Tennyson-Ekeberg, author of Nearer, Our God, to Thee: The Biography of the Titanic Bandmaster. It was discovered that in July 1912, a grieved Robinson included a telegram receipt in her diary. It read, “I would be most grateful if you could convey my heartfelt thanks to all who have made possible the return of my late fiancé’s violin.” Somehow, in the process of identifying and repatriating the dead, the possessions of the late bandmaster were returned to England.


Titanic Notes

Wallace Hartley's Violin*Wallace Hartley’s violin will be on display at Titanic Pigeon Forge until mid-August.

*Lion Heart Autographs will be putting up for auction a custom card filled out by a Titanic survivor aboard Carpathia. The custom card was filled out by first class passenger Caroline Bonnell. The card is estimated auction price is $8,000-$10,000. They are also auctioning off ten telegrams related to the sinking of the Titanic including two from evangelist “Billy” Sunday. The estimated auction price for the telegrams is $3,000-$5,000. The auction is being conducted online through 15 June 2016.

*Believe it or not but there is something called Tourism Oscars reports Belfast Telegraph. And for the first time since these awards have around for 23 years, an Irish attraction called Belfast Titanic could possibly win the award.

Megan Ross, age 10, with her winning design for Nomadic's 105th anniversary cake. Photo: Belfast Live
Megan Ross, age 10, with her winning design for Nomadic’s 105th anniversary cake.
Photo: Belfast Live

*Megan Ross, age 10, won a contest to design the 105th anniversary cake for SS Nomadic Belfast Live reports.  Way to go Megan! She also won the opportunity for her class to visit the last remaining ship of the White Star Line.

*A celebrity recently, desiring for more attention or something, decided to be like Kate Winslet in James Cameron’s Titanic in baring her top in a selfie. Sorry but I do not see the guys racing to see this one.

*People visiting Titanic Belfast of late have been experiencing a very warm experience. Which apparently is bringing out a lot of people since it does not usually get near 70F/21C. Temperatures have soared up to 23C/74F.  Usually travelers are advised to bring a sweater, a jacket for rain or cool nights and an umbrella. You can skip the sweater but keep a jacket and umbrella handy. Weather Underground reports that rain is expected in the next few days. A perfect opportunity to slip inside a small place for some good company and food as well.

Titanic News: Rare Memento of Titanic’s Launch Auctioned Off;Titanic Band Leader Not Allowed A Holiday, and Titanic Nazi Propaganda

Sorry folks not posting for a while. I have been quite busy on several projects. So lets get down to it.

RMS Titanic ready for launch(1911) Public Domain (U.S. Library of Congress, digital id#cph.3a27541)
RMS Titanic ready for launch(1911)
Public Domain (U.S. Library of Congress, digital id#cph.3a27541)

1. Harland & Wolff never christened the ships they built but they did offer selected VIP’s the opportunity to watch the launch. Which is how Charlotte Irwin, a secretary for Harland & Wolff, got one to see Titanic’s launch. It was recently auctioned off by Henry Aldridge and Son (who ought to trademark the title “official auctioneer for Titanic memorabilia” considering how much they have auctioned off over the years)for £15,000 ($21,860). That figure exceeded the estimate of between £6,000-£10,000. A sextant owned by RMS Carpathia captain Arthur Rostron also was also auctioned off fetching £66,000 ($96,200).
Sources
NI Secretary’s Souvenir Of Titanic Launch Day Sells For £15k At Auction(26 April 2016,Belfast Telegraph)
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ni-secretarys-souvenir-of-titanic-launch-day-sells-for-15k-at-auction-34655751.html
Sextant Used In Titanic Rescue Sells For £66,000 At Auction(24 April 2016,BBC News)
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-36062539

2. A new book by Robert P Thompson delves into the Nazi propaganda Titanic movie. The movie was an attempt to take the story and show how a corrupt and decadent British government allowed the tragedy too happen. It was of course meant to show the superiority of the Nazi ideology over that of the British. The movie cost was extravagant and the resources it tied up caused problems as well. Add to it a director who insulted a war hero, arrested, and then was hung in his prison cell. The movie was a disaster and not shown in Germany during the war (although it was shown in occupied countries).

Thompson, Robert P. The Nazi Titanic: The Incredible Untold Story of a Doomed Ship in World War II. Boston,MA:De Capo Press,2016

Memorial to Wallace Hartley, Colne Photo:Tim Greene (Flickr)
Memorial to Wallace Hartley, Colne
Photo:Tim Greene (Flickr)

3. Wallace Hartley and all the musicians aboard Titanic were not employees of White Star Line. Although they were required to submit to Captain Smith’s authority,the worked for CW & FN, a music agency. According to a recently unearthed letter, Hartley complained that he and his fellow musicians were not given time off between voyages. After disembarking the Mauretania on 8 April 1912, the agency ordered that he and his fellow musicians would go to Titanic. Hartley notes in the letter to his parents that the agency had “rather vindictive spirit.” The letter is set to be auctioned off for £25,000.
Source:Titanic Band Leader Kept On Ship By ‘Vindictive’ Bosses(22 April 2016,Herald.ie)
(Note: Due to National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) policy to license hyperlinks outside of personal use, no hyperlink is provided.)

4. Recovery of Titanic victims was a grim affair by all accounts. Bodies were found were found weeks and even several months after the sinking. One such event was on 13 May 1912 when the RMS Oceanic found a collapsible boat containing three bodies. It was later identified as Collapsible Boat A, which was washed over the side as Titanic sank. 30 people climbed aboard though many passed away from the cold before being transferred to another lifeboat. Two of the bodies appeared to be fireman from the engine room. The third body was well dressed in a dinner jacket and identified as first class passenger Thomson Beattie. All three bodies were buried at sea and Beattie’s family was notified. At the family plot in Fergus, Ontario his name is engraved on a tombstone.
Source(s)
1. Gruesome Truth Behind The Tragic Victims Found On Titanic’s Last Lifeboat(19 April 2016,Daily Mirror)
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/gruesome-truth-behind-tragic-victims-7788475
2. Thomson Beattie Encyclopedia Titanica
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/thomson-beattie.html

Titanic Violin To Go On Display Next Year At 2 US Museums

Wallace Hartley's ViolinThe Associated Press (AP) is reporting that the Hartley violin–owned by a private buyer who bought it auction in 2013–will be on display at two US museums in 2016. It will first go to Titanic Museum in Branson,Missouri from 7 Mar-29 May 2016 and then go to Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge from 5 Jun-14 Aug 2016. The violin has not been on display since its purchase. Auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son represent the owner.

Source: Titanic Violin To Go On Display Next Year At 2 US Museums(15 Aug 2015,AP)

Titanic News: Titanic Painting Up For Auction, Rare Photos of SS Eastern Tragedy Found, and Titanic from Engineering Journals of the Day

1. Looking through old engineering journals that have accounts of Titanic’s construction can sometimes be interesting as Jamie Condliffe at Gizmondo learned. Bill Hammack reviews what he found when he looked through The Engineer between 1909 and 1911.
Source:Fascinating Engineering Details of the Titanic From a 1909 Journal (11 Feb 2015,Gizmodo)

View of Eastland taken from Fire Tug in river, showing the hull resting on it's side on the river bottom. Public Domain(Wikipedia)
Public Domain(Wikipedia)

2. Looking through old footage in The Netherlands found something surprising for doctoral student Jeff Nichols at University of Illinois at Chicago. He found rare news clips in Dutch newsreels that showed the SS Eastland disaster of 1915 in the Chicago river. The SS Eastland was one of five boats that was to take Western Electric workers and their families to a park in Michigan City, Indiana. It had 2,5oo people aboard when it turned on its side while docked killed 844 people. The film clips shows a rescue attempt and later an attempt to right the ship. The film clips are now available at Eastlanddisaster.org.
Source: Chicago’s Titanic: Lost Footage Of 100-Year-Old Ship Disaster Discovered(10 Feb 2015,The Guardian)

3.A watercolor paintingof the Titanic by Arthur Knowles–cousin of Titanic bandleader Wallace Hartley–will be auctioned off at Halls on 18 March 2015. Expected selling price is £500 (about $762 USD).
Source: Poignant Titanic Painting Goes Up For Auction In Shrewsbury(6 Feb 2015,Shropshire Star)


Titanic News: Titanic Museum Finds New Home and A Remnant of Marconi Wireless Sits In A Field

1. The Citizen reports that the Lancashire Titanic Museum now has opened at its new location in Eccleston, UK. The museum first started in Colne where Titanic bandleader Wallace Hartley had been born and then moved to  Samlesbury Hall last year. However it could not stay there due to other commitments of that hall. The exhibition is now up and running according to its curator Nigel Hampson. Further information can be found at their website.
Source:Lancashire ‘Titanic’ Museum Finds New HQ(22 Sep 2014,The Citizen)

Photo: Public Domain (Library and Archives Canada / PA-122236)
Photo: Public Domain (Library and Archives Canada / PA-122236)

2. Sitting out on a potato field in Sagaponack, New York is a building that was once was a Marconi wireless station that likely received messages about Titanic in 1912. It once stood near the beach but was moved sixty years ago to be used as storage. Now the current owner of the land plans to sell the three acres it sits on. According to Julie Green of the local Bridgehampton Historical Society, the Sagaponack Marconi station was likely one of the first to learn of Titanic sinking. The station used call letters MPA according to messages from Carpathia. The Sagaponack station was opened in 1902, the first on Long Island. However it was closed in 1915 due to diminishing traffic.
Source:A Piece Of Titanic History Sits On A Potato Field In Sagaponack(22 Sep 2014,27east.com)


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