Titanic violinist Wallace Hartley remembered

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Sunday’s centenary of the sinking of the Titanic brought an outpouring of tributes and remembrance. The 1912 tragedy claimed the lives of more than 1,500 passengers and crew who drowned or died in the icy waters of the Atlantic. Among the casualties was a brave violinist named Wallace Hartley.

Leading a small band of musicians, Hartley kept performing for passengers as the Titanic gradually sank into the ocean. The instrumental ensemble is believed to have played hymns, including ‘Nearer, My God, To Thee.’ Hartley and his fellow musicians perished with the ship.

On Sunday, a concert was held in Hartley’s hometown of Colne, England, to pay tribute to the violinist. The BBC News reported that the concert featured a performance by Jonathan Evans-Jones, who played Hartley in the 1997 movie ‘Titanic,’ directed by James Cameron.

Hartley was only 33 years old when the Titanic sank. Certain accounts say that the violinist and his band members performed in the first-class lounge as the ship was going down, and then later performed outside on deck.

Hartley’s body was eventually recovered and buried in Colne.

Memorial services for the Titanic were held in a number of places on Sunday, including the Atlantic site of the sinking, aboard the cruise ship MS Balmoral; in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the ship was built; and in Southampton, England, where the ship departed for its ill-fated voyage.

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-- David Ng