Mr Wallace Henry Hartley, 33, was born on the 2nd of June 1878, the son of Albion and Elizabeth Hartley of 92 Greenfield Road, Colne, Lancashire. His father was a choirmaster for 25 years at Bethel Independent Methodist Church, Burnley Road, Colne. Wallace was first introduced to the violin and music as a pupil at George St. Wesleyan School and later gained experience as a member of Colne Orchestral Society. A school friend of his remarked that Wallace seemed `a nice lad, a bit what you might call roughish - a big tom boy. But he was very smart looking, a lad with a sense of fun.' Wallace and a group of boys learned to play the violin when they were around 12 years of age. His friend recalled that Wallace didn't show remarkable promise when they were learning but he `seemed to come on remarkably afterwards. At 17 Wallace was employed as a clerk with the Union Bank but in time he managed to persuade his parents to let him take up music as a career. He played at the Kursaal, Harrogate, Yorkshire, considered by many to be quite a privilege, and also led an orchestra in a Leeds cafe. He toured with the Carl Rosa Opera Company for three years and for a period was the leader of the Bridlington Municipal Orchestra.
He then turned his face towards the sea, joining the Cunard company and Mauretania, crossing the Atlantic nearly 80 times, playing music for passengers and gaining fame and popularity with his fellow bandsmen wherever he played. It was only matter of time before his expertise became known to the White Star Line and he accepted a post to become the leader of the 8 bandsman who made up the Titanic's orchestra. His home at this time was Surreyside, West-Park Street, Dewsbury, England. He had a fiancé in Boston Spa, near Wetherby in Yorkshire and spent time with her in that village the week before boarding the Titanic. After the collision he led the orchestra in playing ragtime tunes. His body was recovered from the Atlantic by the Mackay-Bennett. He was wearing evening dress with green facings and a brown overcoat. Strapped to his body was his music box and in his pockets, amongst other things, was a gold fountain pen with his initials W.H.H. The body was embalmed and returned to Halifax whereafter it was retuned to Liverpool on board the S.S. Arabic. From Liverpool the body was taken by hearse to Hartley’s boyhood hometown of Colne, and the funeral was held at the Bethel Independent Methodist church where he had been a choirboy.