PLUCKED FROM THE SEA
I thought you might be interested in my Titantic story. I was called by a researcher one day about 10 years ago to see if I knew more about a violin that had been found floating in the sea following the sinking of the Titanic after its collision with an iceberg in 1912. He told me that the violin had for a while been owned by my mother and that it was to be sold by auction within a week or two and that I might want to attend the auction. I then received a catalogue from the auctioneers advertising its sale. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. However, the auctioneers wrote to tell me that the violin had been sold for three times its estimate which amounted to £900,000.
Following its retrieval from the sea, the instrument was taken to Nova Scotia for identification purposes. There was a plaque on it showing that it had been presented to its owner, called Wallace Hartley, to commemorate his betrothal. From this name, further information could be gleaned, including that he was the bandmaster playing as the ship sank. After a long while, the violin was returned to the fiancée back in England who was called Maria Robinson and who lived in Boston Spa. Years later, following her death, it became the property of her sister who lived in Bridlington. Eventually, it was passed to the Salvation Officer of the Bridlington Corps, who in turn gave it to my mother. He knew that she was a violinist and tutor of the violin and considered that she would be the best person to make use of it.
Some years later, when World War II started, my mother decided to leave Bridlington, where she had a house, and move inland. On clearing the house out, she wrote to her pupil, Eve, to tell her that if she would like the violin she could have it. Her offer was accepted. So it would appear that many years later the instrument was sent for sale to the auctioneer along with two books in which a copy of my mother’s letter to Eve appears, which is how the auctioneer tracked me down. I wrote to him to thank him for letting me know after the sale and said myself and my brother had no claim on it as my mother had given it away. I suppose back then we didn’t realise the value of such items.
Jessica Bramley, Pontefract, Yorkshire