John Wesley Woodward (11 September 1879 – 15 April 1912) was an English musician. Born in West Bromwich on 11 September 1879, he was the youngest of ten children born to Joseph and Martha Woodward.[1]
Known to all as Wesley, he became a professional musician, playing in Oxford, and Eastbourne. In Eastbourne, he played the cello both at the Grand Hotel and in the local orchestra.[2] While in Eastbourne he joined the White Star Line musicians, playing on transatlantic ships.
Titanic and death
On 10 April 1912, he boarded the RMS Titanic at Southampton for her maiden Transatlantic voyage. Five days later, on 15 April 1912, the ship hit an iceberg and he and the other musicians famously continued to play as the Titanic sank. Their final tune was, according to some survivor accounts, "Nearer, My God, To Thee". All members of the band, including his friend Jock Hume, drowned, and the body of Wesley Woodward was never recovered.
Legacy
A memorial plaque was erected to Woodward on the promenade in Eastbourne depicting the Titanic as it sank.[3]
