Titanic Lives: Wallace Henry Hartley

Out of the many lives lost on the night of April 14th, 1912, no other story of bravery and chivalry can be matched to that of Titanic’s band. All eight musicians lost their lives the night that the Titanic went down. Titanic’s band are forever a source of interest to those who research and actively follow the Titanic story. It’s not difficult to come across relentless documentaries, books and talks that touch in detail on Titanic’s ‘Palm Court’ Band. However, the leader of Titanic’s band, Lancashire native, Mr Wallace Hartley is a popular figure in the Titanic history books.

Wallace Henry Hartley was born on the 2nd June, 1878 to his parents Albion and Elizabeth Hartley. The Hartley’s lived in the family home of 92 Greenfield Hill, Colne and soon after moved to 90 Albert Road in Colne. Lancashire can trace to be at some point or another been a residence for a degree of Titanic’s serving staff and crew. For example, Titanic’s second officer Charles Lightoller was born and raised in Chorley, which is not too far from Hartley’s Colne. Colne’s neighbouring town of Burnley had once been home to Captain Arthur Rostorn, who was skippering the SS Carpathia at the time of the Titanic disaster.

A young Wallace had attended George Street Wesleyan School, although Hartley showed clear signs of being athletic, due to constant trips to the former bath house in Colne. Hartley’s Father Albion had fostered a fascination for music. Both Wallace and Albion had attended Bethel Church in Colne. Albion was the leader of the Church band, he did not exclude his son from this as Wallace Hartley played the violin and both Albion and Wallace sang in the Church choir. Albion’s favorite hymn was the popular Methodist hymn Nearer My God To Thee, which in later life would be a hymn attached to the legacy of his son.

Wallace Hartley pictured with his Church band.

White Star Line and Cunard

Hartley had played on the trans-Atlantic voyage of the RMS Mauretania. The Cunard vessel at the time held the record for the largest ship in the world. With an impressive length of 790 feet and overall tonnage of 31,938. However, Hartley was soon to make a habit on serving on maritime giants, before serving on the Mauretania Wallace had worked the Lusitania. Not long after the Titanic the Lusitania would have a similar fate to that of Titanic. after serving on a multitude of Cunard liners Hartley would soon serve on another one of the world’s largest liners. in 1906 the propositions were made by the Cunard’s rival company The White Star Line to build three new liners that would the length, height and speed of any other liner in the world. It would not be until March 31st, 1909 when the keel of the RMS Titanic, only known then as ‘401’, was to be laid and set Wallace up for a date with destiny.

Whilst the construction of the new leviathans were well under way Hartley had uprooted from Colne and moved away to Yorkshire. After having odd jobs in areas such as Manchester, were Hartley had worked in a restaurant on Oxford Street as a musician and also was a regular performer in Harrogate, Liverpool and Leeds. Hartley settled down in Dewsbury with his finance Maria Robinson. It’s widley agreed that Hartley signed onto Titanic in early 1912. Before hand Hartley was serving on the trans-Atlantic run of the Mauritania, the vessel did not dock back in Liverpool until March 1912 Hartley and other seven musicians had been employed through the C.W and F.N, whose headquarters were located on Castle Street in Liverpool. This company acted as a form of agency for musicians. They would provide the band’s uniform and pay. Hartley received a wage of £6 and 10 shillings (£508 in today’s currency).

Wallace and The ‘unsinkable’ Titanic

Wallace Hartley boarded Titanic on April 10th, 1912. Hartley alongside 922 other passengers boarded at Southampton. Hartley and the other musicians joined the vessel as second class passengers. The musician’s occupied cabins 1B and 2B these was located on E Deck. These cabins would have used by Titanic’s band when they were not on duty. Titanic’s band was comprised of eight musicians, with Hartley being the leader. There job was simply to entertain the passengers. However, it also wasn’t uncommon for the band to split up around the ship. For example, a trio may have played in the Titanic’s café, which gained them the affectionate nickname of the ‘Palm court band.’ As part of the job the band were expected to know the 341 pieces of music in the White Star Line selection book. They were permitted to play the first class and second class vaccinates but not the third class.

April 15th ,1912

On the night of April 14th, 1912 Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm, the berg left a fatal blow on the starboard side of the ship leaving a 300-foot gash in the vessel’s side. At the time Titanic’s palm court band were most likely still playing for the passengers. As the evening typically followed the routine of performing for the dinner which could last between two to three hours and then an evening show for the passengers before they retired to their cabins. It’s unlikely that Wallace Hartley and his men even noticed a shudder or a movement from the ship. After Titanic’s Captain Edward John Smith had ordered that Titanic’s 16 lifeboats should be lowered with women and children the band had received direct instruction to move onto the boat deck and play for the passengers.

At 2:10 am Titanic’s band had finally retired to get their life jackets, just twenty minutes before the Titanic went down. From this it be concluded that this was about the time they played their last song. a mystery that his risen from the Titanic tragedy is the question of what was the last song played on the Titanic? some passengers suggested that Song D’Atumn was the last piece played, whereas others side with Wallace’s favourite hymn Nearer My God To Thee. One of Titanic’s Marconi staff, Harold Bride had sworn that “ there was a ragtime tune, I don’t know what.” Whereas 12-year-old first class passenger Eva Hart had stated that the last piece played by the band was Nearer My God To Thee.

As Hartley’s body was recovered it was perhaps his intention to not go down with the Titanic as he was found with his violin strapped to his chest. From the recovery of his body it was suggested that perhaps a wave had swept Hartley off the deck and he had struck his head on perhaps a loose piece of debris as there was a notable dent in his head. The auto-biography A Hymn For Eternity stated "Wallace had received an injury during the sinking, there being a mark of a blow to his face." Hartley’s body was recovered by the CS Mackay Bennett. When word had reached shore that the Titanic had sunk lists were posted at all the White Star Line offices across the world. These included places like Liverpool, London, Southampton and New York. However, Wallace’s name was missing from all of the lists. This was soon rectified though as the Daily Mail splashed a picture of the ill-fated band with the headline Band Goes Down Playing.

After the sinking Wallace's father Albion revived a bill from C.W and F.N expecting compensation for his son's lost uniform. the letter sent to the family fellow Titanic bandmate John Jock Hulme, the cost of the uniform was 5 shillings and 6d, that's approximatley £21.50 in today's currency.

Wallace Hartley's violin was recovred with his body.The initials on the case stand for Wallace Henry Hartley

Hartley’s funeral took place on the 17th May, 1912 he was transported from Liverpool’s Quayside to his native town of Colne. Mourners flocked onto the street and followed the procession to the Colne Cemetery. In actual fact Hartley’s funeral had a congregation of nearly 1,000 people. He was buried near the Church he had attended as a boy and sung as a chorister in the choir. Memorials can be found to Hartley in Colne, as a statue of Hartley’s head was erected, in Southampton his name is listed at the top of the Musician’s memorial, Hartley’s name appears on the musician’s memorial located in the Liverpool Philharmonic building. In more recent years Hartley’s violin that he played the night the Titanic went down re-surfaced after nearly 100 years of being missing. It was traveled round all of the major Titanic exhibitions in the world such as Titanic Belfast and the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and the sister location in Denver, Colorado.

As always, I’ll leave a few external links about the life and times of Wallace Hartley, please feel free to get in contact or ask any questions.

Have a titanic week, Millie

Encyclopaedia Titanica on Wallace Hartley: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/wallace-hartley.html

The Hunt for the Violin: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/authenticating-the-wallace-hartley-titanic-violin.html

The History Press on Wallace Hartley: https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-story-of-wallace-hartley-titanic-bandmaster/

Pendle Net and Titanic’s band leader: http://www.pendle.net/WallaceHartley/