The Royal National Lifeboat Institution was founded in 1824 – in Cullercoats the first lifeboat arrived in 1852
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution was founded in 1824. In addition to establishing lifeboat stations, the RNLI also awarded medals for acts of outstanding bravery in saving life at sea, whether from a lifeboat, another boat or from the shore.
Such an award was made in 1827, when its Silver Medal was given to Alexander Donkin of Cullercoats, who pulled the master of the sloop “James” from the sea. A rescue had initially been attempted by a local boat manned by 9 men but they were driven back from the wreck by the violent seas.
The Boats at Cullercoats
In 1848, a coble manned by seven local men was taking a pilot to a ship bound for South Shields when it capsized, with the loss of all aboard. The grave of those from the same family can be seen in the cemetery in the grounds of Tynemouth Priory, close to the Coastguard SAR centre.
The disaster deeply affected the Duke of Northumberland, who owned much of the land around Cullercoats, and he provided funds so that the RNLI could establish a lifeboat station at Cullercoats. His Grace responded to an even greater lifeboat disaster on the River Tyne, when 20 of the 24 man crew of the lifeboat “Providence” were lost in 1849, by sponsoring a competition for a new design of lifeboat which would right itself if capsized. The winning design was further improved and the resultant lifeboat and its launching carriage were delivered to Cullercoats in 1852.
The lifeboat, named “Percy”, was powered by 10 oars and was stored in a stone-built boathouse, 36 feet long by 15 feet wide, built at the Duke’s expense. She was soon to be used and saw regular service in escorting the local fleet of cobles when they were in danger from bad weather, as well as performing rescues on larger ships which came to grief on the local coast. In 1859, the “Percy” was found to be suffering from dry rot and was replaced with a slightly larger boat, again built at the Duke of Northumberland’s expense and again called “Percy”. This boat performed a famous rescue in 1861, when because of bad weather which prevented her being launched at Cullercoats, she was dragged several miles along the coast to Brier Dene to go to the rescue of the crew of the brig “Lovely Nelly”. The lifeboat was dragged by six horses and many of the men and women of the village, a deed which is commemorated in a painting “The Women” kept at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle.
In 1866, “Percy” was replaced with a lifeboat donated by Mr Peter Reid of the London Stock Exchange. The new lifeboat, “Palmerston”, was also built to a 10 oar design and served at Cullercoats until 1884. During her career at Cullercoats, “Palmerston” saved 65 lives.
We have already seen that lifeboats at Cullercoats had been provided by the generosity of individuals. In 1884, an act of corporate generosity by the Co-operative Wholesale Society presented Cullercoats RNLI with a new boat. Built to celebrate the Society’s 25th anniversary, the new boat was called “Co-operator No. 1” and continued in service at Cullercoats until 1907. During that time, the present boathouse was built in 1896 and paid for by the Co-operative Wholesale Society. With occasional modifications to suit the needs of the different lifeboats at the station, the building has continued to provide a safe haven for the lifeboat and its crews for over a hundred years. Survey work in the last year or two has revealed the building to be in very sound condition, capable of lasting for years more without major repair work.
The Co-operative Wholesale Society’s generosity was demonstrated again in 1907, when it funded the next replacement at Cullercoats, also called “Co-operator No. 1”. The Society even arranged to have the new lifeboat christened by the same lady, Mrs Bailey, who had christened the original boat 23 years earlier. This new boat was to remain in service until 1937 during which time it rescued 102 people.
The crews of the Cullercoats lifeboats were drawn, by and large, from the fishermen of the village and performed many of their acts of rescue for the benefit of their friends and neighbours in the fishing community. It was tragic, therefore, that, in 1929, James Scott and William Taylor, the Coxswain and the Bowman of the Cullercoats lifeboat were drowned in a fishing accident off Marsden.
Until 1937, all the lifeboats at Cullercoats had been “Pulling and Sailing” types, which were propelled by oars and, when suitable, sails. The lifeboatmen used the sails only for travelling to the scene of a rescue, provided the weather was suitable. Once they were in the area, they used the lifeboat’s oars, which gave them greater control over the boat since they could instantly go forward, astern or spin round with a few strokes of the oars. This changed in 1937, when the first motor lifeboat was placed on station at Cullercoats. She was the single-engined “Richard Silver Oliver”, which also had sails for use in the event of engine failure. “Richard Silver Oliver” had a short and tragic career at Cullercoats. During an exercise on April 22nd 1939, the lifeboat was overwhelmed by a freak wave off Tynemouth and 6 of the 10 people aboard were drowned.
Disaster Strikes
Briefly put, “Richard Silver Oliver ” launched at 2 p.m. on exercise and headed northwards to St Mary’s Island into a moderate northeasterly gale. She then turned south and ran before the wind with a drogue (or sea anchor) to near Tynemouth Pier. She then turned towards the shore. Some 300 yards off Sharpness Point, with the seas on her beam, an exceptionally heavy sea was seen bearing down on the lifeboat. Coxswain Brunton put the helm hard over but before his action could have the effect of bringing the boat’s head to the oncoming sea, the wave broke over the full length of the lifeboat. She instantly capsized and began to drift towards the shore. This took place just before 3 p.m.
Bowman Jacob Brunton was thrown clear as the lifeboat overturned and he managed, finally, to struggle ashore. The District Engineer, John Smith, was aboard the lifeboat and he had been trapped beneath the upturned hull. Emerging from the hull, he climbed aboard the hull and was washed off twice before giving up the struggle and striking out for the shore, which he reached, only to immediately collapse unconscious. Crew members Oliver Tweedy and James Carmichael had also been trapped beneath the hull but contrived to get clear and cling to it until it washed ashore in King Edward’s Bay.
Although the police, ambulance, coastguards and Tynemouth Lifeboat had been alerted immediately, by 3.30 p.m., their services were no longer needed, since the remaining 6 bodies had all been washed ashore. The lost lifeboatmen were Coxswain George Brunton, Second Coxswain Redford Armstrong, Motor Mechanic Leonard Abel, Assistant Mechanic John Heddon Scott, together with Station Honorary Secretary Lt. Commander Lionel Blakeney-Booth and his 16 year old stepson Kenneth Biggar, who was a Naval cadet.
The lifeboat itself suffered only superficial damage and, after righting on the beach where it came ashore, returned to Cullercoats under its own power. Although a new crew was quickly formed, they refused to have a non-righting lifeboat like “Richard Silver Oliver” and the station had to be temporarily closed while a new boat was obtained.
A New Crew Steps Forward
The station re-opened in February 1940 with the lifeboat “Westmorland”, which had previously served at Berwick. “Westmorland” saw service throughout the Second World War when she saved 95 of the total of 101 lives rescued during her Cullercoats career, which ended in 1951. During the stay of “Westmorland” at Cullercoats, a tractor was used for the first time. This did away with the need to have large numbers of people on hand to launch the lifeboat, many of them having to work deep in the pounding and, often, freezing surf. Sadly, an accident during the recovery of the lifeboat after an exercise in 1950 crushed one of the shore helpers who later died of his injuries. His widow was awarded a pension by the RNLI.
The next lifeboat at Cullercoats was the “Isaac and Mary Bolton”, a twin-engined self-righter with a speed of 7½ knots. By one of those strange coincidences, the first effective service of the new lifeboat was to the coble “Elizabeth Taylor”, which happened to be crewed by the Second Coxswain of the Cullercoats lifeboat and his brother! “Isaac and Mary Bolton” continued in service for 12 years until 1963, saving 31 lives.
In November of 1963, a new lifeboat, “Sir James Knott”, an Oakley class boat with a top speed of 8½ knots was stationed at Cullercoats. Again, the boat had largely been provided by generous donations from a private individual, this time one with local connections. She is shown below at her naming ceremony.
At about the same time, the RNLI introduced the first of its inflatable rescue boats, stationing one at Cullercoats in 1965. Requiring a crew of only two or three, and using a succession of fast, inflatable lifeboats, known as D and C Class boats, Cullercoats lifeboatmen took to these boats like the proverbial duck to water to perform some notable rescues which earned letters of appreciation from the RNLI. One of these boats had been provided by the North Shields branch of the Round Table. These boats were for summer duty only, since they could not yet stand up to the onslaught of winter seas and weather.
As a result of an RNLI review, it was decided to stand the Cullercoats station down from year-round duty and in 1969, “Sir James Knott” was assigned elsewhere, having saved 14 lives during her stay at Cullercoats. She left Cullercoats on Monday 19th May.
With the introduction, in April 1991, of the Atlantic 21 class of inflatable boat to Cullercoats, the station was able to return to all-weather operation. The first to serve at the station was “Guide Friendship I” a relief boat which arrived in 1991, although Cullercoats took delivery of its own brand-new boat “Edmund and Joan White” on October 1st 1992. This boat has taken part in a number of courageous rescues which have earned her crew the Thanks of the RNLI, an award which recognises the courage, skill and seamanship of its recipients.
Over its history to date , the RNLI at Cullercoats has launched over 720 times and saved well over 840 lives, not counting those whom it has “merely” helped.
The Lifeboat People
Cullercoats RNLI, like many other lifeboat stations, has been blessed by the skill and courage of its crews and the generosity and dedication of its shore helpers for over 150 years.
Men of Cullercoats have three times been awarded the RNLI’s Silver Medal for courage, together with a number of lesser awards. Based on the fishing families of the village, the crew nevertheless has contained men from all walks of life in the area. In the days of pulling lifeboats, a crew of fifteen or more was needed and several members of the same family would find themselves in the lifeboat. On one occasion during World War II, all seven men aboard had the name Taylor, for instance. Outstanding family names in the crews down the years include Brunton, Lisle, Oliver, Stocks, Storey and Taylor, although this is not intended to diminish the memory of the courage of those families whose members were less frequently aboard the lifeboat.
The women of the village have more than played their part. They were always among the first to help at a launch in the days before tractors, risking injury to get the boat away, and they continue to work tirelessly behind the scenes. The fishwives of Cullercoats, such as Bella Matheson, Polly Donkin and Mrs Tom Lisle who were each awarded Gold Badges by the RNLI, have played a prominent part in raising local awareness as well as money.
These notes are based on the Cullercoats Lifeboat Station History written by Jeff Morris, to whom grateful thanks are extended
The following are taken from The RNLI Archive Department.
1827 A Silver Medal was awarded to Alexander Donkin for rescuing the Master from the wrecked sloop James.
1852 An RNLI lifeboat station was established and the first boathouse was built.
1853 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain John Redford (1853) for rescuing a young boy from a wrecked fishing boat. Two other people drowned.
1866 A new boathouse was built at the foot of the cliffs.
1896 A new boathouse and slipway were built from funds from the Co-operative Union, the donors of the lifeboat.
1897 All the fishermen aged between 21 and 55 years who were considered suitable were enrolled as crew members.
1898 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Andrew Taylor on his retirement.
1939 On 22 April, when out on an exercise launch, the lifeboat was caught by an exceptional sea and capsized. Of the 10 people on board, four managed to struggle ashore but the other six, including the Coxswain and the Honorary Secretary, were drowned. There is a memorial window in the local Methodist Church to those lost.
1939-1945
During the Second World War the Cullercoats lifeboat launched 15 times and saved 95 lives.
1950 On 30 May, Shore Helper Thomas Stewart tragically died from injuries received when the lifeboat slipped back as she was being placed on the carriage.
1952 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.
1965 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established with a D class lifeboat arriving in May.
1969 The all weather lifeboat was withdrawn from service in May.
1984 The D class lifeboat was withdrawn and replaced with a C class.
1991 The C class lifeboat was withdrawn from the station and replaced by a B class, Atlantic 21, lifeboat.
1992 The boathouse was converted to house the Atlantic 21 and launching tractor.
1995 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman Brian Gould when the lifeboat rescued five people from a speedboat which had capsized in breaking seas.
1996 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman Robert Oliver and Framed Letters of Thanks were awarded to Crew Members Mark Charlton and David Pendlington for a service to rescue a lifeguard trapped on a rocky ledge in a rising tide.
The Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award for the most meritorious service performed by an Atlantic 21 lifeboat during 1996 was awarded to Helmsman Robert Oliver.
2002 A Vellum was awarded to commemorate the completion of 150 years as a lifeboat station.
2003 A boathouse extension was completed.
2007 The new Atlantic 85 lifeboat Hylton Burdon was placed on service.
A boathouse extension was completed.
2010 Framed Letters of Thanks were awarded to Crew Members Robert Oliver, Peter Clark, Grahame Wood and Gary Hawksford for a service to rescue a man being washed up and down the sea wall at Whitley bay in a four to five meter sea swell.
At Cullercoats lifeboat station the following awards have been made:
Framed Letter of Thanks 3
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 2
Silver Medal 3
