| Born | John Law Hume (1890-08-09)9 August 1890 Dumfries, Scotland |
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| Died | 15 April 1912(1912-04-15) (aged 21) RMS Titanic, Atlantic Ocean |
| Occupation | Violinist |
John Law Hume (9 August 1890 – 15 April 1912) was a Scottish violinist on the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage. He died in the disaster.
John Law Hume (also known as 'Jock') was born on 9 August 1890 in Dumfries, Scotland and lived with his parents at 42 George Street, Dumfries. He had already played on at least five ships before the Titanic. He was recruited to play on the maiden voyage due to his good reputation as a musician.
He boarded the Titanic on Wednesday 10 April 1912 in Southampton, UK. His ticket number was 250654, the ticket for all the members of Wallace Hartley's orchestra. His cabin was in the 2nd class quarters.
After the Titanic hit an iceberg and began to sink, Hume 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 lifeboats. Many of the survivors said that he and the band continued to play until the very end. One second class passenger said: "Many brave things were done that night, but none were more brave than those done by men playing minute after minute as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea. The music they played served alike as their own immortal requiem and their right to be recalled on the scrolls of undying fame."
Hume was 21 years old when he died, unaware that his fiancée, Mary Costin, was pregnant with his child. His body was recovered by the CS Mackay-Bennett, a cable repair ship, owned by the Commercial Cable Company, registered in London. He was buried in grave 193 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on Wednesday 8 May 1912. A memorial was erected for John Law Hume and Thomas Mullin (third class steward) in Dock Park, Dumfries. It reads:
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In memory of John Law Hume, a member of the band and Thomas Mullin, steward, natives of these towns who lost their lives in the wreck of the White Star Liner "Titanic" which sank in mid-Atlantic on the 14th day of April 1912. They died at the post of duty. |
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Hume and the other members of Wallace Hartley's orchestra were all members of the Amalgamated British Musicians Union and were employed by a Liverpool music agency, C.W. and F.N. Black, which supplied musicians for Cunard and the White Star Line. On 30 April 1912 Jock Hume's father, Andrew, received the following note from the agency:
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Dear Sir: We shall be obliged if you will remit us the sum of 5s. 4d., which is owing to us as per enclosed statement. We shall also be obliged if you will settle the enclosed uniform account. Yours faithfully, C.W. & F.N. Black |
The letter caused controversy at the time when it was reprinted in the Amalgamated Musicians Union's monthly newsletter. Andrew Law Hume decided not to settle the bill.
Read more about this topic: Musicians Of The RMS Titanic
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