By Vincent Dorrington

There were many unsung heroes who lost their lives in the tragic sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

Huddersfield can claim a link to perhaps the most famous of these, Wallace Hartley, the band leader who is reputed to have conducted the orchestra as the great liner sank.

Wallace’s father, Albion Hartley, moved from Colne in Lancashire to 35 Somerset Road, Almondbury, in 1895.

He had been promoted to manager within the Refuge Assurance Company, situated on Ramsden Street, near Huddersfield Town Hall.

Previously Albion had been choir master and conductor with the Colne Methodists. On coming to Huddersfield he joined the Huddersfield Congregational Chapel and Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra – so did his 18-year-old son Wallace.

A love of music ran in Wallace’s blood. Records show that from 1895 to 1898 he played second violin with the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1898 he was scolded by the orchestra’s secretary for his poor attendance at rehearsals.

Wallace did not want to follow his father into a life of banking, which he found tiresome. He wanted to make a career in music and sought adventure by going to sea. Between 1903 and 1909 Wallace played for the municipal orchestra at Bridlington.

 

 

By 1909 he was serving on the Cunard line, aboard ships like the Lucania, Lusitania and Mauretania. Wallace was ambitious. In April 1912, the White Star Line offered him the chance to become bandmaster on the largest and most luxurious ship in the world – Titanic.

Wallace was an obvious choice as bandleader. Five foot ten inches tall with dark hair, blue eyes and a winning smile, he’d had extensive experience as a musician both on land and on sea and had worked with many of the best players in the business.

The opportunity to be bandmaster of the Titanic was one that Wallace could not turn down. At the last minute he caught a train from Liverpool to Southampton to board the great ship.

In his rush Wallace had put off seeing his fiancée, Maria Robinson. Working on the maiden voyage of the Titanic would give Wallace lucrative tips from the high class clientele on board ship. This money would come in useful, on his return, for his wedding.

Wallace also hoped to make contacts that would give him future work. Significantly the precious violin he took on board had been an engagement present Maria bought him in 1910. The next time she would see it was when it was returned with Wallace’s body after the disaster.

The violin used by Wallace Hartley as the liner sank was discovered in an attic in 2006. Titanic experts have described it as the most important artefact associated with the infamous liner to have come to light.

It appears that Wallace actually strapped around him his large leather valise – luggage case – in which he placed his violin moments before the sinking. One theory is that the bag and wooden item would have aided his buoyancy in the water.

In 2024 the music case sold at auction for over £120,000. The violin was sold for a world record price of £1.1m after forensic tests and CT scans confirmed it was the one played on the Titanic in 1912.

 

 

After the Titanic hit an iceberg and began to sink, Wallace and his fellow band members started playing music to help keep the passengers calm as the crew loaded the lifeboats.

Many of the survivors said that Hartley and the band continued to play until the very end. Whether the band played ‘Nearer My God to Thee’ as the ship sank is just one of the mysteries that has yet to be fully resolved.

Wallace’s body was recovered by the “coffin ship” Mackay-Bennett 10 days after the Titanic’s sinking. Several press reports confirmed that Wallace was found “fully dressed with his music case strapped to his body.”

Albion Hartley, Wallace’s father, brought his son’s body back to his home town of Colne in Lancashire. The funeral took place on May 18 1912. One thousand people attended his funeral, while an estimated 30,000-40,000 lined the route of his funeral procession.

The heroic death of Wallace and the bandsmen touched the people of Huddersfield, who felt proud that an ex-resident showed so much courage.

READ MORE of Vincent Dorrington’s history features HERE

In May 1912 a fundraising concert took place at the Palace Theatre to raise funds for a national memorial. Wallace’s sister who lived in Huddersfield attended. This was followed by an even greater benefit concert at Huddersfield Parish Church.

The most famous French organist and composer of the time, Joseph Bonuel, performed raising over £58. At both concerts ‘Nearer My God to Thee’ was played to not a dry eye in the house.

The famous Bamforth and Company Ltd of Holmfirth also continued the Titanic link with Huddersfield. They made six commemorative postcards of the tragedy and produced lantern slides of the disaster.

Thousands of Huddersfield people flocked to see the blockbuster film ‘Titanic’ made in 1997. They were enthralled by the fictional hero Jack Dawson, as played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Most wouldn’t have known that it was an ex-Huddersfield resident and not a Hollywood star who was the real hero.

 

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