London Philharmonic musician, 79, recovers violin left on train

A 79-year-old professional violinist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra has been reunited with his missing violin, with help from the BBC, after he suspected it had been stolen from a train. Joseph Maher believed his 20th Century violin had been taken from overhead storage on a Thameslink route to Cambridge, after he got off the train without it at Blackfriars on Friday. Maher said inside the violin case were two bows, one of which he had owned since he was 18 and was of great personal value. Thameslink said Maher had been reunited with his violin on Tuesday morning, after it was located by a member of staff in Brighton. Speaking at the time of the loss, he said of his oldest bow: "It's your arm. I had just had it refurbished by the original maker. It was totally personal." Maher, from Haywards Heath, said a replacement violin would cost about £15,000. Maher said he realised he had left his violin on the train immediately after departing at Blackfriars. He said station staff rang through, but he was told the train could not be checked for the violin until it reached Cambridge. "It was an hour and 20 minutes until Cambridge," he said. "They checked and I was told there was nothi

Apr 14, 2026 → Apr 14, 2026