New book recounts life of tragic Titanic musician

Apr 8 2011 by Admin user, Dumfries Standard Friday

THE great-niece of a courageous Dumfries musician who lost his life on the Titanic has written a book on his life.

The tragic fate of John Law Hume became inextricably linked to the maiden voyage of the famous White Star ocean liner on April 15, 1912.

John and his band refused to abandon the terrified passengers while the RMS Titanic slipped into the icy waters of the north Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg.

Amid the chaos as the ship went down, 21-year-old John and the seven other members of his band moved from the stricken liner’s lounge to the forward half of the deck to offer a little comfort and solace in the face of hopelessness and despair.

All eight members perished and John’s body was recovered without a life jacket – a poignant indication that he played to the bitter end.

And now the story of his short but remarkable life and his courage in the face of terrible adversity has been lovingly pieced together by his great-niece, Yvonne Hume.

Last year, Yvonne, a cookery writer who lives in Kings Lynn in Norfolk, published RMS Titanic: Dinner is Served – a collection of recipes from the Titanic’s original menu, which included a short biography of John.

She said: “As my research continued I realised that, although John was only 21, he led a very interesting life. It wasn't long before I felt the need to write a full biography and show what a hero he was.”

The biography is called: RMS Titanic: The First Violin. Yvonne’s research started in the Ewart Library in Dumfries, and took her to ENSARM (Nova Scotia Archives and Record Management) in Canada.

“As I am a relative it was important that this book was written with complete accuracy and avoided any form of guesswork or artistic licence,” she said.

“The Humes are very proud of John. To continue to play on deck; to keep a sense of calm for the frightened passengers, is an action that leaves me feeling very emotional and proud. It is hard to believe that a 21-year-old could be so brave.”

Yvonne approached the last surviving passenger of the Titanic – Millvina Dean – to write a foreword.

“I met her in her nursing home in Southampton, then aged 96. She was so pleased to be in touch with me as she always felt that the bandsmen were very courageous.

“I feel honoured to have a foreword written by Millvina, who sadly passed away on May 29, 2009.”

The First Violin, illustrated with historic pictures, including many of Dumfries, starts from the 1800s and goes right through to 1914.

Beginning with the circumstances that put John on board, the book follows his story from childhood, through the sinking to the bitter court battles that followed, as the mother of his unborn child fought for financial aid to raise him.

It covers chapters on the history of Dumfries, the musical heritage of the Humes, the other White Star liners, the other band members, the iceberg, the aftermath and Millvina Dean.

Since writing the book, Yvonne has learned much about her great uncle and has some fascinating tales.

“My great grandfather, Andrew Hume, was absolutely distraught at losing his eldest son,” she said.

“During this dreadful grief he received a bill, from Black Bros musical agency, for repairs to John’s uniform. His wages were also docked because he didn’t complete the journey!

“One spooky thing that I found out is that John’s Titanic ticket number was 2-50654; my date of birth is 50654!”

On a brighter note, Yvonne said: “John is buried in the Fairview cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and one day I received a letter from a schoolgirl named Marie-Eve.

“She was doing a project at school about Titanic and became fascinated with the band, in particular John Hume. She enjoyed reading stories of how fun-loving he was. Marie-Eve puts flowers on John’s grave for me and, when I pay my respects to John at his graveside, Marie-Eve and I will be meeting for the first time.”

RMS Titanic: The First Violin is published in hardback by Stenlake Publishing Limited.