AS the Titanic sunk, the eight musicians of the ship’s orchestra courageously gathered on deck and played to calm passengers’ nerves. Famously they played “Nearer my God to Thee” and other hymns as the ship was sinking.

Just after 2am, two hours and 20 minutes after they’d started playing their leader told the musicians they had done their duty and could stop.

It was too late. Within 20 minutes she had sunk and the eight musicians lost their lives.

On board the fated vessel was the great-uncle of David Daly, who is today the principal double bass of the BSO. His relative was among the survivors.

“My great uncle was travelling to America and, as the Titanic was leaving Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland he played a piece called Aaron’s Lament on the Uillean pipes,” said David.

“Although he was travelling third class steerage, he survived the tragedy – and even claimed £50 compensation for the loss of his pipes!”.

After the disaster, later in 1912 musicians of the Western Orchestral Society – the precursor to the BSO – took part in a memorial service for the eight lost musicians at the Royal Albert Hall.

Last month the BSO musicians marked the 100th anniversary of the disaster by joining with community choirs, children and ensembles in Southampton to perform The Wreck of the Titanic, written by David Bedford in 2009.

Next week, BSO musicians and a community choir will be joining forces with a youth orchestra from the French Conservatoire to take part in a commemorative concert at Cherbourg where the Titanic also docked before her fated maiden voyage.