{"id":2010,"date":"2020-11-16T09:31:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T09:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=2010"},"modified":"2020-11-16T09:29:14","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T09:29:14","slug":"weymouth-lifeboat-stories-of-heroism-at-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2020\/11\/16\/weymouth-lifeboat-stories-of-heroism-at-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Weymouth lifeboat \u2013 stories of heroism at sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Weymouth<\/span>, for obvious reasons has a\u00a0<\/span>close and<\/span>\u00a0varied<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>relationship with the sea<\/span>, whether that be through trade<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0fishing<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>naval activity<\/span>\u00a0or the attractiveness of the town and its beaches to tourists<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0 Whilst the\u00a0<\/span>sea\u00a0<\/span>appeals to us for the\u00a0<\/span>aforementioned reasons<\/span>, it also present<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0very real dangers.\u00a0 The\u00a0<\/span>Dorset coastline<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>either side of Weymouth<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>become the final resting place of hundreds of vessels, many of which resulted in the\u00a0<\/span>loss of life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>In response to the human tragedy unfolding at sea<\/span>, the\u00a0<\/span>Royal National Lifeboat Institution<\/span><\/a> as it became known in\u00a0<\/span>1854<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0was formed<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Weymouth\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>first lifeboat<\/span><\/a>\u00a0was\u00a0<\/span>funded through the patronage of the Earl of Strafford and\u00a0<\/span>the service launched in 1869.\u00a0 Most\u00a0<\/span>RNLI heritage<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>including its archive<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is held at the organisation\u2019s headquarters in Poole<\/span>.\u00a0 However, you will find\u00a0<\/span>33 entries relating to \u2018lifeboat\u2019 within<\/span>\u00a0DHC\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0online catalogue<\/span>.\u00a0 In addition, the purchase of one item at auction, thanks to generous funding from\u00a0<\/span>Dorset Archives Trust<\/span><\/a>\u00a0casts some light upon the early years of Weymouth\u2019s lifeboat\u00a0<\/span>and its crew.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
D-3186\/1\/1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(duplicate)\u00a0<\/span>Return of Service<\/span><\/i>s<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>1<\/span><\/i>8<\/span><\/i>74-1882<\/span><\/i><\/a> describes a series of instances where the Weymouth lifeboat and its crew came to the rescue of\u00a0<\/span>various distressed vessels.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Each entry in the volume\u00a0<\/span>records in some detail each instance of the<\/span>\u00a0lifeboat\u2019s activities<\/span>\u00a0starting with a precis of how the stricken vessel had\u00a0<\/span>come to be where it was<\/span>\u00a0and the weather conditions at the time<\/span>.\u00a0 This is followed by a series of\u00a0<\/span>details<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>about the vessel (tonnage, crew size,\u00a0<\/span>port of origin and destination,\u00a0<\/span>number of lives saved \u2013 and number lost).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Also listed are the names of each of the lifeboat crew<\/span>\u00a0and an injunction to note \u2018any special case of individual exertion\u2019.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The pecuniary\u00a0<\/span>side to maintaining the lifeboat service also forms part of the record with an entry\u00a0<\/span>for \u2018amount, if any, of reward received locally or from elsewhere\u2019.\u00a0 Also detailed in a separate section\u00a0<\/span>are the direct costs<\/span>\u00a0of paying expenses to the crew, paying anyone who assisted in the \u2018launch and haul up of the lifeboat\u2019 and\u00a0<\/span>where necessary the cost of\u00a0<\/span>transporting the lifeboat overland to its launch point.\u00a0 When all details were completed, they were signed off by the coxswain and\u00a0<\/span>honorary secretary of the Weymouth lifeboat station.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>As perhaps might be expected in cases where life and limb were very much at risk,\u00a0<\/span>detail<\/span>s were very important.<\/span>\u00a0 A paragraph summarising the incident was also included to be incorporated into the minutes of the RNLI\u2019s central committee.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, in\u00a0<\/span>none of the\u00a0<\/span>instances recorded in the volume was loss of life<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>experienced<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>One incident\u00a0<\/span>on 2-3<\/span>\u00a0April 1874 relates how a Brazilian vessel<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>en<\/span>\u00a0route from London to Rio de Janeiro\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>rendered helpless due to its \u2018<\/span>disabled engineer\u2019<\/span>.\u00a0 Stranded off<\/span>\u00a0Lulworth<\/span>\u00a0\u2018in a most dangerous place\u2019<\/span>\u00a0during a \u2018hurricane<\/span>\u2026so thick they could not see the shore\u2019<\/span>\u00a0t<\/span>he ship was successfully\u00a0<\/span>boarded and pulled by tug to safety<\/span>.\u00a0 The cost of the<\/span>\u00a0lifeboat<\/span>\u00a0launch was\u00a0<\/span>\u00a313 and 4 shillings<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

This single<\/span>\u00a0archival<\/span>\u00a0item contains within it\u00a0<\/span>a range of fascinating information<\/span>\u00a0and reminds us, if it were ever necessary of the perilous nature of seafaring \u2013 and the bravery of those who\u00a0<\/span>then and now risk their lives to save others.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Weymouth, for obvious reasons has a\u00a0close and\u00a0varied\u00a0relationship with the sea, whether that be through trade,\u00a0fishing,\u00a0naval activity\u00a0or the attractiveness of the town and its beaches to tourists.\u00a0 Whilst the\u00a0sea\u00a0appeals to us for the\u00a0aforementioned reasons, it also presents\u00a0very real dangers.\u00a0 The\u00a0Dorset coastline\u00a0either side of Weymouth\u00a0become the final resting place of hundreds of vessels, many of which resulted… Read more Weymouth lifeboat \u2013 stories of heroism at sea<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,250,109,251,16],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2010"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2010"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2015,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2010\/revisions\/2015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}