And the Band Played on . . .: The Titanic Violinist and the Glovemaker: a True Story of Love, Loss and Betrayal - Softcover

Ward, Christopher

3.82

852 ratings by Goodreads

9781444707953: And the Band Played on . . .: The Titanic Violinist and the Glovemaker: a True Story of Love, Loss and Betrayal

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1444707957 ISBN 13: 9781444707953

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 2011

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On 14th April 1912 the Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank. Fifteen hundred 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. They were still playing when the ship went down.

The violinist, 21 year-old Jock Hume, knew that his fianc�e, Mary, was expecting their first child, the author's mother.

One hundred years later, Christopher Ward reveals a dramatic story of love, loss and betrayal, and the catastrophic impact of Jock's death on two very different Scottish families. He paints a vivid portrait of an age in which class determined the way you lived - and died.

An outstanding piece of historical detective work, AND THE BAND PLAYED ON is also a moving account of how the author's quest to learn more about his grandfather revealed the shocking truth about a family he thought he knew, a truth that had been hidden for nearly a hundred years.

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Review:

Tragedy has a long reach, and heroism is a great burden...Their story plainly told, is intended as a parallel to the events of 9/11 and the consequences for so many lives thereafter. (The Times)

Christopher Ward's book about his 21-year-old grandfather...has produced a fascinating tale. This is the moving story of Jock Hume, a member of the Titanic's band, which played on for as long as possible. Everyone of them died. (Press Association)

A gripping and moving account not just of the sinking of the Titanic, and the wretched class system which bedevilled the aftermath, but of the long-term impact on survivors and dependants. What started out as a story for the author's children and grandchildren has turned into a terrific read for everyone. (Alastair Campbell)

'A moving homage to all of the men, women and children who heard the last music played onboard the SS Titanic, and to the people they left behind'. (Scotsman)

'Christopher Ward's clever and touching account of his grandfather's death'. (Scotsman)

Gripping and in places deeply disturbing human stories of the Titanic disaster and its diverse sequels. A major contribution to family and to social history by the grandson of the young violinist playing in the Titanic as the ship sank. (Professor Asa Briggs, author of A Social History of England)

'As Christopher Ward delved into his past he unearthed a story of true love, which turned to hate with the sinking of the Titanic'. (Sunday Express)

A heartbreaking story, wonderfully told. (Julian Fellowes, author of Gosford Park)

Book Description:

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON brings to life the trauma of the Titanic through the true story of one family.

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