And the Band Played On: The Titanic Violinist & the Glovemaker: A True Story of Love, Loss & Betrayal

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And the Band Played On: The Titanic Violinist & the Glovemaker: A True Story of Love, Loss & Betrayal

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 178 ratings · 47 reviews

The amazing true story of one of the band members who famously played as the Titanic sank, written by his grandson

On 14th April 1912, whenthe Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank, 1,500 passengers and crew lost their lives. As the order to abandon ship was given, the orchestra took their instruments on deck and continued to play asthe ship went down. The...more

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published May 26th 2011 by Hodder & Stoughton

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May 09, 2013 Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-goal-2013, e-books, titanic

Just finished this and I'm somewhat overwhelmed by the whole thing. I started reading it because it is a book related to the Titanic. I had seen a brief bit of the documentary mentioned in the book and thought the story would be interesting.

Interesting it was! Jock and Mary are not the main characters of this story. Their stories would be a great story, but it wouldn't be all that interesting, especially in current times. Young man and women fall in love, conceive a child before legal marriage,...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This book started really strongly but began to fade toward the end as the trauma of the Titanic sinking faded to the background and the tale of a Scottish family began to take precedence. Not that the latter story isn't interesting, it just doesn't have the enormity of the disaster, made even more dramatic through the stories of the ordinary people who were involved.
The story of the band playing Abide With Me as the Titanic went down is well known, probably thanks to the movie, but you wonder h...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Aban (Aby) rated it 3 of 5 stars

The author, Christopher Ward, is the grandson of the violinist, Jock Hume, who played in the band on the Titanic. (His book commerates the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the great liner.) It focuses on events surrounding the disaster and also on the lives of the families of Jock and of his fiancee, Mary Costin. There was much in the book to hold my interest, especially the efforts to recover the bodies. I was saddened, though not surprised, to read that social class played a significant rol...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Cliff rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

The book was lent me by a friend who is an enthusiast for Titanic lore.

The author, Christopher Ward, had a career as a journalist and later a publisher. He is the grandson of scotsman Jock Hume, one of the eight Titanic bandsmen who famously played on the deck to help maintain morale as the ship sank. Jock died, leaving a partner, Mary, to whom he was not married, who was pregnant with the author's mother.

Ward explains in the introduction that the book started as a family history project compil...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Pamela Todd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, historical, non-fiction, read-in-2011

The instant I spotted this book, I knew I had to read it. Not only was it about one of my favourite moments in history, it featured around my home town, and one of the town's best loved heroic figures.

The author, the grandfather of Jock Law Hume, member of the Titanic band, started this book with no idea what it would become. The idea came as part of a family project tracing ancestors, but only when Ward realised how complex the history was, did he realise just how amazing a story there was to...more The instant I spotted this book, I knew I had to read it. Not only was it about one of my favourite moments in history, it featured around my home town, and one of the town's best loved heroic figures.

The author, the grandfather of Jock Law Hume, member of the Titanic band, started this book with no idea what it would become. The idea came as part of a family project tracing ancestors, but only when Ward realised how complex the history was, did he realise just how amazing a story there was to be told.

Grief, love, loss, betrayal, tragedy. The sinking of the Titanic did more than claim thousands of souls on board, it created a ripple effect of tsunami proportions for the ones unfortunate enough to be left behind.

When Jock, aged twenty one, boarded the ill-fated vessel, he left behind a pregnant fiancee, an estranged family and a community of people who loved him. Though the book is primarily about the author's grandfather, it does not end with his death. Rather the opposite. And the Band Played On is more about the people Jock left behind, and the way their lives were irrevocably changed after the sink went down.

I found the book to be immensely intriguing and very interesting - not to mention absolutely heartbreaking. It was odd to be reading a book and recognising all the places mentions (and even a few shivers at a few buildings mentioned where I used to work). More than a few times I had to put the book down as I couldn't see the pages through my tears. The author didn't hold back on anything, and instead unleashed the cataclysmic devastation that so many families felt in 1912.

Ward put me on the stern on the Titanic countless times, and threw me head first into the households of the Costin's and the Hume's - not to mention the ice deck of the Mackay-Bennett, the vessel charged with the immense task of retrieving the bodies the Titanic left in the Atlantic.

I cannot recommend this book enough. As the author said, a generation grew up with the shadow of the Titanic looming over them. I dare anyone to read this book and not feel the ship looming over them. (less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Lili rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biographic, novel, paperback, history, classics, my-bookshelves, a

This is a fascinating and extremely interesting book to read; not just the story of the tragic loss of 1,497 souls aboard the White Star Liner “The Titanic”, but the history of one family whose lives were blighted by the death of one of those lost souls; their son, brother and sweetheart, Jock Hume.
From a genealogical point of view it is an interesting excursion into providing some proven facts, however many questions remain unanswered. It may well be that from the writing of this history furthe...more This is a fascinating and extremely interesting book to read; not just the story of the tragic loss of 1,497 souls aboard the White Star Liner “The Titanic”, but the history of one family whose lives were blighted by the death of one of those lost souls; their son, brother and sweetheart, Jock Hume.
From a genealogical point of view it is an interesting excursion into providing some proven facts, however many questions remain unanswered. It may well be that from the writing of this history further facts may surface.

Christopher Ward gives a moving and poignant account of his grandfather, Jock Hume, a member of the courageous band who continued to play until they could physically play no more. “that sad sweet solemn hymn” ‘Nearer My God To Thee’.

He recounts the details of the wreck, the band, their bravery, the recovery of the bodies. Later he delves into the instability and rascally behaviour of Jock’s father, his sister’s mental aberration and court case. There are untold titbits about the Astors, yet lacking is his mother’s life history? Johann the child born after her father’s untimely death on the Titanic, early life is somewhat a mystery.

For instance we do not know how his mother rose from a virtually penniless orphan to someone who mixed with the wealthy and great. Johann (now known as Jackie) was widowed at a young age, left with two young children to bring up. The book tells us she was lucky and that Anna Neagle and Jack Wilcox employed her, but where did the experience come from to fill such a role. I imagine it to be a well-paid position because the author and his sister attended boarding school. We must assume Johann possessed an immense entrepreneurial spirit that enabled her to rise from her humble beginnings.

The author I think is on the wrong track when he states his grandmother Mary abandoned her child Johann (his mother) after she married. Perhaps, it was more a case of the grandmother wished to keep the child with her and that Johann wanted to stay with her grandmother, who had after all reared her from a baby. I cannot believe Mary would have not seen her child or her mother after her marriage, Susan had always been so very supportive of Mary.

I found disconcerting the suggestion there may have been abuse (to his mother) involving Menzies and his wife, without substantiating the fact or even elaborating on what was meant by the statement.

Johann it seems didn’t talk about her early life, so it is probable there is a hidden secret. The book records that the years and timing do not fit. The guess is there is something she didn’t want known so perhaps it is a secret that should remain hidden!

I applaud the author it is a well written book, a book of two parts, the Titanic and the Family and it certainly gripped me, kept me involved, above all kept me fascinated as you can see by the above, I wanted, needed, to know more. My guess, this is exactly how the author feels. Well done!

(less)

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Apr 14, 2012 Edwina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, english-authors, biographies

Prompted to read this given the 100th anniversary of sinking of Titanic. I'd watched Ward interviewed on BBC Breakfast last year and remember thinking that I might like to read his book but didn't know much about it beyond the mention on the TV.

There were some aspects that were fascinating (and new to learn) eg the story of the Mackay-Bennett's role in retrieving bodies, the story of Andrew Hume and his business as a violin player and maker, one families experiences at the hands of the White St...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Dem rated it 4 of 5 stars

On 14th April 1912, 1,497 passengers and crew lost their lives on The Titanic's maiden voyage. As the ship sank the orchestra took their instruments on deck and continued to play.

A young man by the name of Jock Hume who played the violin with this Orchestra lost his life that night while his finance Mary who was expecting their first child was awaiting his return back home in Scotland.

This is a fascinating story of the Hume and Costin Family and offers a different side of the Titanic story as t...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Niffer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: misc-non-fiction

Generally a good book and definitely a quick read but sometimes the author veered away from the main concept of his story a bit. As he was writing about his own family, I think it was difficult sometimes for him to report the facts without them being overshadowed by some of the bitterness of what happened. There was also a parallel story about another woman who survived the Titanic that seemed a bit superfluous to this story. I think that the author intended to provide an interesting juxtapositi...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Diane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very interesting to journey with this family as they deal with the aftermath of losing their son & brother in the disaster. The father of the victim is especially disturbing as is the way the various companies dealt with the victim's families. Many things were brought to life that I never thought about before when thinking about this event. For example, the challenges faced by the crew of the ship that was sent out to recover the bodies from the ocean, and the families that waited for that s...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Tara rated it 2 of 5 stars

This really was a fascinating story, but the reading was difficult at times. The author jumped around in time quite a bit without much transition and it became very confusing. He had a tendency to use adjectives to describe characters but didn't explain further what he meant (for example describing someone as arrogant but not backing it up with examples)and was often repetitive and long winded in the imagery.

He billed the book as one that would discuss class differences and while he did that he...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Alison rated it 3 of 5 stars

The early 20th century is a period in history that fascinates me. I've never read a book about the Titanic but I chose this because it comes from a family history perspective and starts with the sinking of the Titanic.

I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. The chapters on the recovery a d processing of the bodies was both fascinating and horrifying and not something I'd really thought about.

I did get slightly irritated by the author's description of events and how his Great G...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic book one I couldnt put down .... I saw a programme recently during the Titanic fest where by Andrew Hume grand daughter from his surviving son said she thought her grandfather a wonderful man a totally different story to one painted by the author's mother Andrew Humes illigitimate grand daughter where he and his second wife regularly beat up the children left at home so in the end they ended up troubles people and left home asap they could. He even took the money that was paid to his d...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

On 14th April 1912, when the Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank, 1,500 passengers and crew lost their lives. As the order to abandon ship was given, the orchestra took their instruments on deck and continued to play as the ship went down. The violinist, 21 year-old Jock Hume, knew that his fiancée, Mary, was expecting their first child, the author's mother. A century later, Christopher Ward reveals a dramatic story of love, loss, and betrayal, and the catastrophic impact of...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Elina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My eagerness to read this book was peaked by the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy. I did not expect to plow through it in 3 days, thought. What a fascinating story! Most non-fiction literature about the Titanic that I have come across focuses on the sinking, how it could have been prevented, and ends shortly after the survivors are picked up. This book, however, gives an in depth look not only at one family's aftermath of the tragedy, but also the recovery of the floating dead,...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Lawrence Windrush rated it 1 of 5 stars

A violinist plays Nearer my god to thee as icing tongues of water grip his ankles and then he dies of hyperthermia in the dark Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the New World. It's a familiar story with an added twist, the author was his grandfather. His mother was born months later and so this slight memoir descends into petty squabbles about rights to a bereavement fund, and fraud. It has a dank tone of resentment and the chief character of the story Jock the violinist never comes alive. One me...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I loved this book. I would have given it 5 stars if the author had spent more time on what his mother was like when he was a child & before she died, he very briefly mentions it. Didn't really understand why he puts so much details about the Astors in the book, they are not really a part of his family's story.

Would love more info about the other branches of his family, hopefully his research will uncover more & he will update it.

This book is interesting as it is a different perspective...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Claire McAlpine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

A family history of the family of the 21 year old violinist Jock Hume, who played until the boat went down and lost his life in the freezing waters. He left behind him a pregnant fiancé, a scheming father and a revenge seeking sister. Recounted by his grandson, this book looks at the aftermath of this tragic event; sadly it spends a little too many pages focused on discrediting the father than it does on the lives of young Jock, his fiancé or his daughter, whose lives were a little less sensatio...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Jilly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really interesting read about the sinking of the Titanic and how it effected the lives of this family and so many other Titanic family members the world over. This coming from an author who just went about wanting to know more about his family and not realizing how his family was connected to the Titanic and just how much that has effected the lives around him.

From bills for buttons to mass graves at sea this is a honest and very real story that at times is rather hard to read because of the gre...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Diana rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have just started reading this and it's very relevant. My grandfather was born in Dumfries and my grandmother supposedly had second sight and saw the sinking of the Titanic. This might have been related to the fact that her own father drowned in the Bay of Biscay, 14 years before. I am about to embark on writing a story about my grandfather's death so this book is so relevant. I can't wait to continue with it.

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May 09, 2012 Diane Maxwell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Interesting account of what happened after the titanic sunk. However, author apparently thought it necessary to ruin a good story with endless information about Andrew Hume. It's a very subjective account (obviously), incredibly speculative, and facts tend to be loosely tied in fiction. Disappointed author didn't elaborate on his mothers story which touched on briefly sounded far more interesting than the Hume family and would have been relevant to the legacy of this Grandfather. That's all I'v...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Angeli rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you are a Titanic enthusiast, a professional musician who wants to try to play at cruises, and a person who is a fan of early 1900's, this is the PERFECT book for you!

and in my case...

I REALLY LOVED THE BOOK! It's one documentary-type book that will truly be in my heart...seriously.
It's a read that you won't easily forget. :)

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Feb 17, 2012 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A story of the Titanic that is not over-shadowed by the ship itself. It tells the story of John Law Hume and Mary Costin as well as their families and all of the love, loss, betrayal and fraud surrounding them.
Written by Hume's grandson originally as a family ancestry project, you truly live inside the information the author has presented. Written in a simple style and incredibly easy to follow this is a fantastic beginning point for anyone interested in Titanic history. The story of the Titani...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Sasha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this thorough look at the Titanic tragedy. The story of Jock Hume, the violinist in the band who went down playing while the ship sank and so much more about the actions of White Star Line and the repercussions on so many people touched by the sinking.

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Apr 15, 2012 Ingrid Lola rated it 4 of 5 stars

It seems that most complaints with this book are the choppy narrative and the research. I didn't have a problem with either of these things. I loved the author's personal connection to the story. Full review here: http://thebluebookcase.blogspot.com/2...

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Dec 04, 2012 Ellie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Being a huge Titanic fan I picked this up and even though I didn't enjoyed it as much as I hoped to it was certainly an informative read.

The author is actually the grandson of the famous violinist Jock Hume that played on the luxurious liner with his band until the water had washed over their feet. The book is mainly about Ward's journey in obtaining this information, the life of Jock Hume and the result of his death on his family.

Although this book focusses more on Jock Hume than the actual s...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Mo22 rated it 1 of 5 stars

I haven't finished this yet. I'm as you know a Titanic lecturer and writer. I've spotted a few mistakes so far. Not awfully keen on this but will press on and finish it.
Later - I couldn't finish it, miles of bookcases filled with books about Ttanic, a lot of them are much better than this.

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May 05, 2012 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars

This launches at the moment the Titanic goes under. Touching and shows that a corporation is all about the bottom line, then or now.

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Aug 19, 2012 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

For history buffs of this period, and Titanic enthusiasts. Great story, by the grandson of one of the ship's musicians

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May 06, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

A book that shows the other side to the life, money and greed around the titanic. Wonderful book.

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