Titanic mystery over violin 'from band leader who played on'

Telegraph ^ | 1-31-12

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

An auctioneer has hired experts to try to verify claims by the owner of the century old instrument that it belonged to Wallace Hartley, the leader of the vessel’s eight-man musical ensemble.

If proved, it could become the most valuable Titanic artefact ever to be considered for auction. But the claim is being treated with caution as a result.

Hartley and his fellow musicians earned legendary status for their decision to play on as the ship sank on its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912.

They are said to have played the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee” after the vessel hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

Press reports at the time said that when Hartley’s body was recovered from the water his violin was strapped to his chest.

The violin and its case were said at the time to be being sent to the White Star line for forwarding to England.

But mystery has surrounded its fate thereafter.

Now the auctioneer Henry Aldridge & Son of Devizes, Wilts, which has a worldwide reputation for handling Titanic artefacts, has disclosed that he has been shown what he believes could prove to be Wallace’s violin.

[MinuteGal]

Thanks for your hard work in posting interesting material and putting a Titanic ping list together.

I can't wait....we buffs can never get enough of this wonderful stuff!

Leni

[stylecouncilor]

Thanks for the ping!

[IronJack]

Thanks for the ping. I’ve seen all these images time and again and yet I still find them endlessly fascinating.

[re_nortex]

I’ve seen all these images time and again and yet I still find them endlessly fascinating.

I'll just add that I thought I knew a great deal about RMS Titanic. The depth (no pun intended) of knowledge that I've come across in postings from year's past reveals how little I knew and how much I have to learn. I'm sure we'll all benefit from knowing more as time goes on. I'm honored and humbled to be the guy maintaining the ping list.

MGY

[nutmeg]

ROFL! That cemetery story is a riot!

One of these years I'll dig out those photos of poor J. Dawson's grave in Halifax, Nova Scotia and show 'em to you! ;-)

We had a conversation with the mother of the sobbing teenage girls. We adults all knew that the J. Dawson grave wasn't Jack Dawson's/Leo DiCaprio's grave, but the highly emotional teens would have none of it, LOL.

Prayers for the REAL J. Dawson and for all who perished on the Titanic...

[nutmeg]

Thank you, DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis for posting those fabulous Titanic pictures in #99, and thank you, re_nortex, for adding me to your Titanic ping list!

MUCH more about the real "Jack Dawson" (actually Joseph Dawson) here:

The Real Jack Dawson (encyclopedia titanica)

James Cameron's 1997 movie "Titanic" is due to be re-released in April 2012, in 3D:

Titanic Trailer - Official (2012) HD

Titanic 3D Trailer - Original 2012 Re-Release (HD)

A few of the many Titanic-themed links from YouTube:

Real pictures of RMS titanic (YouTube - including J. Dawson's grave in Nova Scotia)

Titanic - Videos Originales 1912 (Video footage from 1912)

Titanic - 1912 Original Video Footage (Mostly a photo slideshow)

[the OlLine Rebel]

Re: future pings.

Bear in mind there were quite a few movies made relating to the Titanic. Heck, even “Unsinkable Molly Brown” refers to it! Thus, maybe we’ll find quite a few movies popping up around that time. To wit, “Titanic” with Barbara Stanwyck is a reasonably amusing film using Titanic as a backdrop to family woes. And thankfully, there’s a MATURE relationship instead of a (sleazy) teeny-bopper lust-fest.

We should also keep alert for other shows. Perhaps we can have an occasional ping just to keep all of us aware of each other. I don’t want to forget who you are if I think of looking up Titanic on (satellite) TV and find some stuff to ping on.

[Tony in Hawaii]

Please add me to your ping list, thanks!

[Tony in Hawaii]

Maybe the 3D version of “Titanic” (1997) will come with a music-only soundtrack option. I love the visuals of that movie and the music, but the dialogue is pathetic.

[re_nortex]

Please add me to your ping list, thanks!

You've been added to our growing interest group and I've sent a confirmation via FReepmail.

Welcome aboard! The ping list that is...not the Titanic. :-)

[nutmeg]

Maybe the 3D version of “Titanic” (1997) will come with a music-only soundtrack option. I love the visuals of that movie and the music, but the dialogue is pathetic.

I agree, Tony... the dialogue ruined the movie. Especially any dialogue that came out of Leonardo DiCaprio's mouth.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[PghBaldy]

On a side note, I watched a documentary a while back, in which a survivor’s account was mentioned: that whenever he (or she) heard the crowd at a baseball game, he would recall the screams that night.

[PghBaldy]

It was Frank John William Goldsmith

Every time the crowd cheered during a home run, the sound reminded him of the screams of the dying passengers and crew in the water just after the ship sank; as a result Frank never took his children to baseball games.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_John_William_Goldsmith#cite_note-Echoes-5