The ''Titanic'' Musicians' Memorial is a memorial in

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, United Kingdom, to the musicians who died in the ' disaster on 15 April 1912. The original ''Titanic'' Musicians' Memorial was unveiled by the Mayor of Southampton, H Bowyer on 19 April 1913, and was located in the old Southampton library. This library along with the memorial were destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. A replica was erected in 1990. The plaque features a musical inscription, the opening bars of the 19th century

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

, '

Nearer, My God, to Thee "Nearer, My God, to Thee" is a 19th-century Christian hymn by Sarah Flower Adams, which retells the story of Jacob's dream. Genesis 28:11–12 can be translated as follows: "So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because t ...

' by

Sarah Flower Adams Sarah Fuller Flower Adams (or Sally Adams) (22 February 1805 – 14 August 1848) was an English poet and hymnwriter. A selection of hymns she wrote, published by William Johnson Fox, included her best-known one, "Nearer, My God, to Thee", report ...

, carvings showing a grieving woman and an iceberg, and an inscription with the names of the musicians on the ''Titanic'', including bandleader

Wallace Hartley Wallace Henry Hartley (2 June 1878 – 15 April 1912) was an English violinist and bandleader on the on its maiden voyage. He became famous for leading the eight-member band Sinking of the RMS Titanic, as the ship sank on 15 April 1912. He died ...

, all of whom died.

History

The original memorial was destroyed by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

's bombing in 1940 together with the library. A replica memorial, made in 1990 by W. Cornish of

Woolston Woolston may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Woolston, Cheshire, a village and civil parish in Warrington * Woolston, Devon, on the list of United Kingdom locations: Woof-Wy near Kingsbridge, Devon * Woolston, Southampton, a city suburb in Ham ...

, was installed on the same site. It was unveiled by ''Titanic'' survivors

Edith Haisman Edith Haisman (27 October 1896 – 20 January 1997) was a South African-British woman who was one of the last remaining and oldest survivors of the sinking of in April 1912. She was the last survivor born in the 19th century, and therefore the ...

Millvina Dean Eliza Gladys Dean (2 February 1912 – 31 May 2009), known as Millvina Dean, was a British civil servant, cartographer, and the last living survivor of the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' on 15 April 1912. At two months old, she was also the yo ...

, Bertram Dean and

Eva Hart Eva Miriam Hart MBE (31 January 1905 – 14 February 1996) was a British woman who was one of the last remaining survivors of the sinking of RMS ''Titanic'' on 15 April 1912. Biography Early life Eva Hart was born on 31 January 1905 in Il ...

on 7 March 1990. It is located on the side of the offices of Paris Smith, solicitors on the corner of Cumberland Place and London Road, in Southampton. After the ''Titanic'' hit an iceberg and began to sink, Hartley and his fellow band members assembled in the first class lounge and started playing music to help keep the passengers calm. They later moved to the forward half of the boat deck, where they continued to play as the crew loaded the

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

s. Many of the survivors said that the band continued to play until the very end. The inscription '

' has an association with the RMS ''Titanic'' as it was reported by one passenger that the ship's band played the hymn as the ''Titanic'' sank.Bevil, J. Marshall
"And the Band Played On ..."
Article analyzing which version was likely played at the sinking of the ''Titanic''] However, the actual 'final' song played by the band is unclear; "Nearer, My God, to Thee" has gained popular acceptance. Former bandmates claimed that Hartley said he would either play "Nearer, My God, to Thee" or "

O God, Our Help in Ages Past "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" is a hymn by Isaac Watts in 1708 that paraphrases the 90th Psalm of the Book of Psalms. It originally consisted of nine stanzas; however, in present usage the fourth, sixth, and eighth stanzas are commonly omi ...

" if he was ever on a sinking ship. This memorial is dedicated to these musicians:

( bandmaster, violin),

Roger Marie Bricoux The musicians of the ''Titanic'' all perished when the ship sank in 1912. They played music, intending to calm the passengers, for as long as they possibly could, and all went down with the ship. All of the men were recognized for their heroi ...

(cello),

Theodore Ronald Brailey The musicians of the ''Titanic'' all perished when the ship sank in 1912. They played music, intending to calm the passengers, for as long as they possibly could, and all went down with the ship. All of the men were recognized for their heroi ...

(piano), John Wesley Woodward (cello), John Frederick Preston Clarke (

string bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

John Law Hume The musicians of the ''Titanic'' all perished Sinking of the Titanic, when the ship sank in 1912. They played music, intending to calm the passengers, for as long as they possibly could, and all went down with the ship. All of the men were rec ...

(violin), Percy Cornelius Taylor (piano) and

Georges Alexandré Krins The musicians of the ''Titanic'' all perished when the ship sank in 1912. They played music, intending to calm the passengers, for as long as they possibly could, and all went down with the ship. All of the men were recognized for their heroi ...

(violin) who all lost their lives on the ''Titanic''.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* *

External links

Virtual Tour of ''Titanic'' Musicians' Memorial

Wallace Hartley on Titanic-Titanic.com

''BBC'' Archive: ''Titanic''

''Titanic'' Historical Society

RMS ''Titanic'', Inc
Corporate information and the official ''Titanic'' archive
Surviving the ''Titanic''
– slideshow by '' Life magazine'' {{Buildings in Southampton Buildings and structures in Southampton Buildings and structures in the United Kingdom destroyed during World War II RMS Titanic memorials 1990 sculptures Tourist attractions in Southampton Monuments and memorials in Hampshire