Titanic Band Memorial at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

        One little-known memorial is the plaque dedicated to the Titanic bandsmen at The Philharmonic Hall in Hope Street, Liverpool. It was installed in the hall on 4th November 1912, at the suggestion of Liverpool stockbroker Henry Rensburg, who was also a director of the Philharmonic Society. The reason for the choice of location was as follows:-  although Titanic viola player John Frederick Preston Clarke had never been a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra, he was a Liverpool man, and had played once or twice at the Philharmonic Hall. The Philharmonic Society also held a benefit concert on 10th May 1912 for Fred Clarke's wife Ellen and his sister who were resident in Liverpool. The plaque is of particular interest as it correctly describes the musicians as passengers, although Titanic buffs will no doubt quibble with the date inscribed - the ship actually sank in the early hours of the 15th April 1912.

        The plaque has had quite a varied history. On the night of 5th July 1933, the Philharmonic Hall, which had stood since 1849, caught fire and was totally destroyed. The Titanic plaque was one of only a handful of artefacts recovered from the ashes. Work began immediately on building a new hall, to the design of local architect Herbert Rowse, which was opened in 1939. Unlike most of the buildings in Liverpool city centre, the new hall emerged unscathed by the massive Luftwaffe raids of the Second World War.

        Surprisingly perhaps, the plaque was installed in a position where only musicians themselves could view it - in a corridor behind the stage, near the Green Room. In 1995 a multi-million pound refurbishment of the Philharmonic Hall was completed, making it one of the most acoustically perfect concert halls in Europe. One welcome result of this work was the removal of the Titanic plaque from obscurity and it being given pride of place in the entrance foyer of the Philharmonic Hall.

The inscription reads: THIS TABLET IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF W.HARTLEY OF DEWSBURY -BANDMASTER- W.T.BRAILEY OF LONDON R.BRICOUX OF LILLE,FRANCE J.F.CLARKE OF LIVERPOOL J.L.HUME OF DUMFRIES G. KRINS OF LIEGE, BELGIUM P.C.TAYLOR OF LONDON J.W.WOODWARD OF HEADINGTON MEMBERS OF THE BAND ON BOARD THE "TITANIC"; THEY BRAVELY CONTINUED PLAYING TO SOOTHE THE ANGUISH OF THEIR FELLOW PASSENGERS UNTIL THE SHIP SANK IN THE DEEP APRIL 14TH 1912. COURAGE AND COMPASSION JOINED MAKE THE HERO AND THE MAN COMPLETE

MusicGallery's link on the RLPO gives more info on the history of Liverpool's renowned orchestra.