Hove in the Past: Brighton Lifeboats & Shipwrecks

Judy Middleton 2010 (revised 2024)

copyright © J.Middleton
This evocative postcard of Brighton Beach was printed in Germany and posted on Christmas Eve 1903

It was on the 15 January 1825 that Brighton first had its own lifeboat. This was not the first lifeboat in Sussex by any means because Newhaven, Rye, Rye Harbour, and Eastbourne already had their own vessels. The Brighton lifeboat was housed in a cave in the cliffs, near the entrance to the Chain Pier. Brighton had to pay for its lifeboat, and it was not until 1858 that the RNLI funded a lifeboat for Brighton.

Shipwrecked Fishermen & Mariners’ Society

Once seamen from distressed vessels were brought safely ashore, there was the problem of how best to help them. It was nearly always the case that the unfortunate sailors were completely destitute, and often they were far away from their home ports. If the ship were laden with cargo but had foundered before reaching her destination, the men could not expect any wages either. This was the reason why in 1839 the Brighton Branch of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Benevolent Society was formed.

A number of eminent Brighton men were associated with the Society. Amongst them were Sir George Augustus Westphal, a veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar; George Basevi, whose nephew was Benjamin Disraeli, and his son, also George Basevi, restored St Andrew’s Old Church in Hove; Richard Heaviside, whose wife caused a national scandal when she eloped from their house in Brunswick Square with a learned doctor of London University. The Earl of Munster was the president of the local branch, and he was the son of William IV and Mrs Jordan; he later became deranged and shot himself in 1842.

The Bishop of Chichester was patron of the Society, and he found himself in good company because there were seven clergymen amongst the committee of management. Revd H. M. Wagner was one of the vice-presidents, and sometimes took the chair at meetings; he was Vicar of Brighton from 1824 to 1870, and was responsible for the erection of several churches in the town – perhaps the best known one being St Paul’s, West Street. Revd J. S. M. Anderson from St George’s, Kemp Town, was at one time chaplain to Queen Adelaide, and he was also involved in the work of the Sussex County Hospital. Revd H. V. Elliott founded St Mary’s Hall school for girls, and was largely responsible for building St Mark’s Church, Kemp Town. Revd Walter Kelly was Vicar of Hove for 44 years while Revd James Vaughan, a celebrated preacher, was associated with Christ Church, Montpelier Road for 51 years.

The Society also acted as an insurance club for local fishermen. Around 70 Brighton fishermen showed an early interest in the scheme. But when it came to paying their dues, it was a different story. The committee members could not understand their reluctance because the subscription was only 2/6d a year, and should the father of a family be drowned at sea, then his wife and children would receive support from the society.

Unlucky Thirteen

The Chain Pier and fishing smacks by John Fraser (1883)

On 13 November 1840 the south coast was lashed by a ‘most violent hurricane’ causing three shipwrecks in one day; two of the distressed vessels were wrecked at Black Rock, and the third one at Portobello. All three ships were laden with cargoes of coal. The ships were as follows:

Mary, brig of Sutherland, Shoreham-bound, crew of six

Sir John Seale, schooner of Dartmouth, bound from Leith to Portsmouth, crew of eight

Offerton, brig of Sutherland, bound for Cowes, crew of eight

It was indeed amazing that none of the men drowned. The night was so black that the crew of Sir John Seale were quite unable to see the coast, and thus they remained lashed to the mast until daybreak. When it was light enough they managed to struggle ashore in an exhausted state but two of them had to be taken to the Sussex County Hospital.

The crew of the Offerton were saved by the efforts of the coastguards at Black Rock. In recognition of their of their efforts the Shipwreck Society of London presented their gold medal to Captain Marsh, and silver medals to Lieutenants Newnham, Pratt and Pryor. The drama was recorded in the Minutes of the Brighton Branch as follows:

‘The sea broke most furiously against the High Cliff completely covering the Beach … At this spot Captain Marsh with some of his men were twice lowered by ropes from the top of the Cliff to a slight ridge at imminent peril of their own lives, (and) were enabled to seize hold of the men belonging to the vessel as they were washed out of their boat which was swamped immediately afterwards.’

Hog boats on Brighton beach near Pool Valley in the 1820s

The Brighton Branch voted £15 towards the relief of the seamen, and Revd J. S. M. Anderson organised an impressive whip-round and collected £95; together with other donations the final total came to £130-9-10d. The money was spent on crews while they remained in Brighton, and then on their fares back to their home towns – twelve to Sunderland, six to Dartmouth, three to the Isle of Wight, and one to Southwold in Suffolk. Then £6 was given to each captain, £4-10s to each mate, £3-10s to each seaman, £2 to each apprentice. A gratuity was given to the coastguards while the residue was donated to the hospital.

A Crane for Black Rock?

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove.
There was a crane at Black Rock as early as 1825 for hoisting coal sacks up the cliff at low tide.

As a result of the crew’s rescue from the Offerton, more attention was directed to the problems experienced at Black Rock where at times the tide made access from the beach impossible. When that situation occurred, rescue was only possible from the cliff top.

On 4 October 1841 a meeting was held where Mr Johnstone produced a model of a movable cliff crane with attached cradle. This met with an enthusiastic reception, and it was resolved that the parent company should be approached for leave to use funds to construct such an apparatus. However, the company replied that it was outside their jurisdiction, and the Royal Humane Society adopted the crane instead.

Compensation

The knotty question of the Society’s precise role was to crop up more than once, and for example there was the case of John Humphrey. He and some other Brighton fishermen were stationed at Plymouth in March 1840 for the mackerel fishing when, due to a gale, they lost two fleets of nets valued at upward of £100. The loss was made worse because men in an unknown vessel smartly retrieved the nets and refused to give them back. The fishermen were thus left virtually destitute.

However, the Brighton Branch refused to offer any compensation because the accident was not accompanied by loss of life or boat. Perhaps they were being too pedantic; at any rate a letter arrived from the parent company reminding them that there was such a thing as discretionary powers, and it was the proper course to supply relief in cases of distress.

The next time Brighton fishermen were in trouble the Brighton Branch was more understanding, although hardly liberal, seeing as the men were subscribers. In 1841 John Harman’s boat John and Grace were running for the shore when the boat struck the beach. A young lad drowned and the damage to the vessel was put at £17. John Harman was awarded a mere £4 although it was noted that he had a wife and seven children to support.

Also in 1841 Thomas Wingham’s boat Love and Unity was caught in a heavy gale off Hastings, and overturned. The crew consisting of two men and a boy were trapped underneath the boat for a quarter of an hour. Nearby fishermen came to the rescue by drilling holes in the bottom of the boat to enable the crew to breathe; they were rescued with some difficulty. The boat was towed ashore, receiving another battering in the process; the damage was assessed as around £20, and the Brighton Branch awarded Wingham £7.

Sea Trials of James Peake’s Lifeboat

The problem of an overturned boat was of particular relevance to lifeboat people. In the 1850s there was great interest in improving the qualities of a lifeboats especially with regard to self-righting. The Duke of Northumberland offered a prize of 100 guineas for the best design, and such was the response that 280 models and plans were submitted. James Peake, assistant master shipwright at Her Majesty’s Dockyard, Woolwich, was pronounced the winner, and from his designs a new lifeboat was built. The design included air cases at bow and stern while the bottom of the boat was packed with cork for added buoyancy. It was known as the self-righting lifeboat, and became the RNLI’s standard lifeboat for many years.

In February 1852 the sea trials took place at Brighton, and a distinguished company gathered on the Chain Pier to watch. They included the Duke of Northumberland, Admiral Forbes, and Sir George Augustus Westphal, a long-time Hove resident. There were also two captains, three lieutenants, three commanders, Coastguard officers, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and not forgetting Mr Peake, who no doubt was somewhat anxious.

The new lifeboat arrived from Woolwich aboard the steamer Monkey. The elements decided to test the boat’s sea-worthiness before the official programme even started. The newspaper report was as follow:

‘On approaching the head of the pier, the boat while waiting for orders to haul to the wind, under a heavy spread of canvas, shipped a heavy sea which threw her on her broadside; but she immediately righted.’

The crane situated at the end of the pier was normally used to unload luggage from the steamers, but it came into the spotlight next. The gear was removed from the boat, and then the crane was used to capsize the boat twice. But it was with great difficulty that the crane managed to throw the boat keel upward. However, it ‘took only 30 seconds in the first instance, and 50 in the second, to recover herself and become perfectly upright, and in two minutes she had discharged all her water.’

Thus ended the sea trials. The boat was found to be satisfactory except for one defect common to all lifeboats of the period – she was too heavy. The sea trials had a beneficial outcome too for Sussex because £90 was subscribed towards buying and maintaining a lifeboat at Newhaven.

The Rescue of the Pilgrim’s Crew

In the 1850s there were three lifeboats at Brighton, none of which had been provided by the RNLI. They were the town boat, the Royal Humane Society’s boat, and a private boat belonging to John Wright who also owned pleasure boats and bathing machines. All three boats were involved with varying success in rescuing the crew of the coal brig Pilgrim when she got into difficulties off Brighton in October 1857.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Illustrated London News October 1857
The Pilgrim wrecked off Brighton with the Chain Pier in the background

The lifeboats had a hard time of it. Wright’s boat was quick off the mark and reached the stricken vessel first, but then she shipped a heavy sea that filled the boat to the rowlocks besides snatching away five oars. The Royal Humane Society’s boat struggled for two hours to try and reach the Pilgrim but within 20 yards of the vessel she suffered an accident, and had to return to shore.

This left just the town boat, but first of all men had to be found to man her since the town provided the boat but not a permanent crew. All the same the town boat managed to bring off five of the crew, but then the boat filled with water so rapidly that both those on board and those watching anxiously on the shore never thought she would be able to make it to the beach.

There were still three men left on board the Pilgrim; Wright made two more attempts, and the town boat ventured out again, but the sea was far too rough. By this time some of Wright’s crew had endured more than enough of being battered by the sea, and deserted. Wright feared he would not be able to put to sea a fourth time. Then Captain Mansell of the Hove Coastguard agreed to let him have four of his men, and this time the last of the crew were brought safely ashore.

The whole drama had been watched by thousands of people on the beach who cheered loudly when they saw the crew being rescued but the loudest cheer was for John Wright when his boat came in for the fourth and most successful time.

The shipwrecked men were taken first of all to the Wellington Inn in Pool Valley to thaw out in front of a roaring fire, although two of them were so chilled they could not stop shaking. After a meal the men were taken to the Town Hall where they had a hot bath and were given a complete set of new clothes. They spent the night at the Cricketers’ Inn in Pool Valley, and the next day returned to Portsmouth, their train fares having been paid for them; also Alderman Cordy Burrows presented a half-sovereign to each of them.

A fund-raising campaign for the shipwrecked men and their rescuers realised the sum of £267-10s-6d. Wright received £20 for the use of his boat, and every man who assisted in the launchings to those who succeeded in rescuing the crew received £9 each. The seventeen men involved in the rescue were as follows:

Town Boat

Atherall, Thomas

Care, Thomas

Coates, Walter

Collins, Frederick

Gunn, Nathaniel

Measor, Wiliam

Taylor, John

John Wright’s Boat

Atherall, James

Marchant, Charles

Mover, John

Spicer, John

Wright, John

Wright, John, junior

Hove Coastguards

Gillard, John

Goodman, George

Harris, James

Pratt, James

There was no mention of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Marines’ Benevolent Society. It seems probable the local Brighton Branch had folded by then, and it is a fact that by 1844 there were no entries in the Minute Books.

Three weeks after the wreck of the Pilgrim, a public meeting at the Town Hall considered the desirability of forming a local branch of the RNLI and stationing ‘one of the Society’s boats on our beach.’ The following year (1858) the first RNLI lifeboat to be stationed at Brighton arrived. She was a self-righter, and remained for nine years but there does not seem to be any record of her name – if indeed there was one.

Launches to the Barques Vizcaya and Aurora

February 1859 was a busy month for the lifeboats. After a fierce storm a large barque was observed, the mast gone, and the vessel drifting down the Channel about four miles out.

Although the waves were large John Wright’s boat was quickly launched. However, the men at the Greenway Preventive Station at Rottingdean had also spotted the vessel. Their small 4-oared galley set out under the direction of Richard Millard, a veteran boatman. Onlookers were anxious about the craft because she was such a small boat and there was a heavy sea running.

But the galley reached the drifting vessel before John Wright’s boat arrived. When the said boat did arrive the men were astonished to find that they were not welcome. This was because the galley’s crew did not want to share their salvage prize. The vessel had been abandoned and the only living creature on board was the ship’s cat. John Wright soon settled the argument by pointing out that the flag of distress was still flying at the mast-head, and therefore he was perfectly entitled to come aboard too. When both crews were aboard, the distress colours were quickly hauled down to forestall claims by any other boats in the offing.

The drifting vessel was the Spanish barque Vizcaya of Bilbao, in ballast, and she had collided with the Dutch ship D’Elmina laden with a general cargo of rice, sugar, spirits, and a small amount of coffee. All the crew of the Vizcaya were taken safely aboard the D’Elmina, which was later taken in tow by the tug-boat Don from Shoreham. The Don towed her as far as Spithead where the Portsmouth tug that had been telegraphed for, took over the task.

Meanwhile, back at Brighton the lifeboats were coming home. The scene was described by the Brighton Herald: ‘It was afternoon when they were descried in the direction of the Pier, and a cry went up the “lifeboats are returning” soon caused cliffs to be lined, even the carriages stopping … The boats came bravely in, with their colours flying, amidst the shouts of the assembled spectators.’

The same newspaper also carried a report of another vessel in distress, this time the barque Aurora, 335 tons. She was seen over a mile from Rottingdean and all three lifeboats were alerted. It was thought best to transport the new lifeboat by road to Rottingdean and to launch the boat from there. Unfortunately, the journey proved to be incredibly slow, taking well over two hours despite the best efforts of four horses. The lifeboat plus crew were just too heavy, and it was felt that eight horses would have been more realistic.

In the event, it did not matter because none of the lifeboats managed to get near the vessel. John Wright’s boat was out on the sea for over an hour to no avail. But early the next morning he reached the ship at last. On board were Captain J. Inge, and his wife who was ill with seasickness and fright, plus twelve crewmen. There was no immediate danger, and Wright’s men stayed on board in case they should be needed.

Eventually, the Paris came out from Newhaven to tow the Aurora into port. The captain gave Wright £6 as a gratuity for himself and his men. It was stated that the danger encountered in going to the assistance of the Aurora was far greater than on any previous occasion on which the lifeboat had been used: ‘Fifty times she was filled and as often emptied herself instantly, the only inconvenience being that the crew were drenched and drenched again to the skin.’

The contemporary newspaper do not clarify which lifeboat was which. John Wright had his own lifeboat in 1857 but he was also coxswain of the RNLI lifeboat during the 1860s at least. The term ‘John Wright’s boat’ in this context is ambiguous, but as the boat was described as new, it might well be the RNLI one.

copyright © J.Middleton
Clem Lambert painted this scene, as well as many other Brighton views that became popular postcards

The Storm of 1866

On 2 June 1866 a fierce storm wrecked havoc along the south coast and the RNLI lifeboat was launched twice on the same day. First she went to the aid of the French barque Atlantique of Nantes, which struck the beach opposite the Albion Hotel, destroying part of the groyne. The captain and most of the crew managed to scramble ashore except for the unfortunate mate who was carried away by the waves and drowned. His body was washed up on shore around one hour later.

Then the lifeboat was called out to the coal brig Transit of Shoreham, which had run aground on the east side of the Chain Pier. The vessel was knocked into pieces within a few minutes leaving the shore strewn with coal and timber.

Further west the collier Pike was wrecked on the east side of Shoreham Harbour.

The schooner Mary Ann was beached on the west side of Shoreham Harbour.

The Brighton fishing smack William and Mary ran ashore at Southwick.

The lugger Eliza split into pieces.

The First Robert Raikes Lifeboat

Brighton's Robert Raikes lifeboat and crew, this photograph taken about 1870.
From left to right: Bassett (Whistler), John Taylor, Harry Mayers, unknown, George Self, (Second Cox) Hummy Downes, Tom Atherall (Coxswain), A H Sutherland, Bill Baker, Marsh Mayers. Lying on the beach are Tom Harman and Tome Bassett. Standing in the black top hat on the right is H.M. Jenner, the Honorary Secretary of the Brighton Branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

In 1866 there was much discussion at Brighton about a new lifeboat and lifeboat house. The old lifeboat house was situated at Middle Street Gap but the question of where the new one should be sited caused some controversy. Everyone agreed about the desirability of a new boathouse – it was just that nobody wanted it near their particular patch. In the case of Hove, the Brunswick Square Commissioners were equally anxious not to have such a structure near their elegant properties.

Sir Francis Moon collected sixty signatures requesting that the new boathouse should not be allowed to obstruct the sea views of people living on the front. Various sites were discussed:

The beach near the Toll House on the western boundary

The beach near Hove Coastguard Station

The appropriation of one the esplanade arches

By contrast, ordinary folk just wanted a new lifeboat house built, and they petitioned for a public meeting to discuss the matter.

Furthermore, the council only had to find a suitable site because the RNLI had offered to ‘send down a most excellent boat, and to erect, at their own expense’ a boathouse on the beach.

The debate took place in January 1866 but it was not until June 1867 that the corporation seal was affixed to the lease of a piece of land in front of the Bedford Hotel. Naturally enough, the proprietors of the said hotel were not happy about the outcome, and a letter was written to the Brighton Gazette complaining that the roof of the boathouse was 18 inches above the level of the esplanade. There was supposed to have been a bridge to link the boathouse roof with the esplanade, but in view of the complaint, it was decided not to go ahead with the plan at present.

The new lifeboat finally arrived in the autumn of 1867 with a suitable ceremony both on the beach and in the Dome. On 1 October there was a public demonstration of the lifeboat, and although the public enjoyed the spectacle it was unfortunate that hardly any money was donated to the RNLI. A letter to this effect was published in the Brighton Gazette and an appeal was made for funds with a gentle reminder that the boathouse had cost £700, and that there had been great difficulty in finding a site.

It is remarkable that the children attending the London Sunday Schools funded the boat, which was named Robert Raikes after one of the founders of the movement. The children collected £580, and that was enough to finance two lifeboats that served Brighton, one after the other – the first one from 1867 to 1874, and the second Robert Raikes from 1874 to 1888.

In a parallel situation in 1877, children from the Jews Infant School, Commercial Street, Aldgate, collected money for the Newhaven lifeboat to be called the Michael Henry. The Jewish children collected over 400 guineas, which Miss Hannah de Rothschild presented to the RNLI. This boat was the first of a succession of Michael Henrys, all paid for by Jewish children.

The Second Robert Raikes

The second Robert Raikes sprang to national prominence because of a November gale in 1875, and a full-page engraving of the boat being launched in very heavy seas appeared in the Illustrated London News. The publicity also carried bitter undertones because there were aspects of the event that brought recriminations from those who felt the honour of the town was at stake but who did not understand the sea.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Illustrated London News 27 November 1875
Robert Raikes II Lifeboat, with the Chain Pier in the background

There was one undisputable fact – and that was the refusal of some of the crew to take their places in the lifeboat. Thomas Atherall, the coxswain, was obliged to launch the boat with a crew, two-thirds of whom were volunteers. It was obvious that the terrible storm when the Pilgrim foundered was still fresh in their minds, even though it was eighteen years after the event. In mitigation of the crewmen’s refusal, it was stated that when the Pilgrim foundered, these men had been driven ashore three times whilst attempting to reach the vessel. Nevertheless the men were dismissed from the service.

There were those who felt the lifeboat had not been launched quickly enough. But Captain Maquay, coastguard, stated that considering the circumstances the boat was launched very quickly. At a special meeting of the Brighton branch of the RNLI in December 1875 the Hon. Secretary H. M. Jenner was exonerated in this respect for it was his decision as to when the boat should be launched. The meeting came to the conclusion that he had ‘exercised a wise discretion in not launching the Life Boat on Sunday the 14 November before the tide had half ebbed, as otherwise, the result would have been in all probability, destruction to the boat, and death to her brave crew.’

Once launched, the Robert Raikes made her way towards the Broughton of Liverpool, laden with coal from Sunderland, and flying distress signals. She was around four miles off Brighton, her mizzen mast had gone, and her sails were blown to ribbons except ‘her fore-topmast stay-sail, under which she was endeavouring to get clear of the cliff to the eastward of the town.’

In less than an hour the Robert Raikes had rounded under the lee of the vessel and three fruitless attempts were made to throw a line aboard. They all failed and the Robert Raikes was swept away to leeward. It appears that Tom Atherall was under the impression the vessel was driving, whereas her anchor was down and the cable held so that he overshot the mark.

Whatever the exact circumstances, by this time the lifeboat’s crew were exhausted and the Robert Raikes was obliged to make for Newhaven. According to Mr Jenner when the bedraggled crew arrived on shore, they were not received as they should have been, and he was ashamed of Newhaven people for acting in this way. After the weather moderated the Newhaven harbour tug took the Broughton safely in tow, and there had been no loss of life.

The man at the centre of the row was H. M. Jenner who had been Hon. Secretary of the Brighton Branch of the RNLI since 1873, having joined the committee in 1871. In addition to giving an account to his local branch, he also had to answer questions at a Town Council meeting about the conduct of the crew and the management of the boat. Nor was the Press silent, and Jenner particularly resented one letter that was published alleging a stigma rested on the town.

On top of all this, Jenner received a snipe from an unexpected quarter when he read a letter from the secretary at the RNLI headquarters stating that the expenses incurred were the most extraordinary that he had ever come across. This missive infuriated Jenner so much that he announced he had no option but to resign. However, his colleagues hoped he would not give up his post ‘in consequence of a bit of red-tapeism.’ In fact Jenner did not resign until March 1877. In December 1875 the RNLI endeavoured to make amends by resolving to present Jenner with their thanks inscribed on vellum.

Some people were obviously disgusted at all the controversy. One such lady was the Baroness Rothschild who wanted to demonstrate the town’s gratitude. Therefore, in 1877 she entertained the men of the Robert Raikes and their wives to dinner at the Auction Room, Western Road, Hove. Tom Atherall, the coxswain, occupied the vice-chair, and Mr Jenner proposed a toast to the health of the Baroness, and said the men had done their duty and a ‘braver crew never manned the boat.’

Rescue of the Ida’s Crew

In January 1887 the barque Ida was observed heading straight for the West Pier, but fortunately the captain managed to alter course sufficiently to avoid it. The barque finally came to rest stranded on the beach opposite the Grand Hotel. Then she rolled over on her port side with waves washing violently over her. Hundreds of spectators flocked to the beach ‘hoping that those on board the ill-fated barque would escape with their lives, although as to this doubts were felt.’

Before the vessel was stranded, a rocket was fired, but it fell astern; the rocket frame was then moved and a second rocket was launched that went across the Ida’s fore and main masts. However, the actions were of no use as it seemed the mixed race crew were ignorant of this life-saving device.

The rocket apparatus had been in use at Brighton for some time. In October 1859 experiments were carried out with Dennett’s rockets, and it it may be that the same make was used for the Ida.

For the experiments Robert Horne Penney lent his brig Mendora, which was anchored off the head of the Chain Pier. By means of the rocket, some apparatus was fired from the pier to the Mendora, and consequently a man was safely transferred from the ship to the pier.

The beach was a scene of confusion when the Ida was wrecked; hundreds of sightseers jostled for space with men attempting to move the rocket frame and fire rockets. The police were in attendance but there were only six of them. In the chaos a live rocket was left lying on the beach, and it accidentally went off, killing an onlooker, Mr E. H. Jones.

This lead to a Board of Trade Inquiry into the tragedy but there was conflicting evidence about whether or not the cap on the rocket had been knocked off.

Meanwhile, the lifeboats had been launched. They were the Robert Raikes under Thomas Atherall, and the town boat under Fred Collins with the crew William Bassett, John Gunn, James Gunn, S. Smith and J. Taylor.

The town boat managed to reach the wreck before the Robert Raikes. The Ida had a crew of fourteen hands, and ten of them managed to clamber into the town boat and were landed safely. But one man had a narrow escape when his leap fell short and he was nearly dragged under the ship. Three men, one of whom was black, jumped straight into the sea, and with great difficulty managed to swim ashore with the aid of lifebelts. The exhausted black man was dragged unconscious from the sea, and carried to the police station where Dr Taaffe applied restoratives and managed to revive him.

The wreck proved to be a popular attraction for Brighton urchins, especially when at low tide, they could clamber aboard and help themselves to the biscuits still on board. They also discovered the flour casks and pelted each other until they all resembled white millers. The wreck was sold for £250.

The John Whittingham Lifeboat

In 1879 Brighton’s new lifeboat was the John Whittingham, and she went on trials the same year; it was not altogether satisfactory because the valves would not work.

It was Mrs Whittingham who wanted to honour the name of her husband, and in her will she left £300 to Brighton for a new lifeboat bearing his name. The RNLI, instead of being delighted, baulked at having another ‘named’ lifeboat at Brighton, and even decided to waste money on going to the Court of Chancery about the matter. But Brighton Council were quite happy to go ahead and comply with the terms of the legacy, and thus the Master of the Court of Chancery ordered the will to be honoured. It is interesting to note that Mrs Whittingham made a similar bequest to Falmouth.

By the 1880s the Lifeboat Station had moved to a position between the piers and opposite the Grand Hotel. In 1886 the local branch of the RNLI received a letter from Brighton’s Town Clark, F. J. Tillstone, stating that they were granted a lease of the new boathouse for one shilling per annum. In 1887 Messrs Lockyer’s tender of £96 for fitting up the arch was accepted. In October of the same year the Town Council resolved that the John Whittingham and the Robert Raikes should have joint use of the arch, and they authorised door communication between the arches.

In February 1888 the Robert Raikes, having been formally condemned by the inspector, was sold off to William Beck of 123 King’s Road for £16, including the gear.

The John Whittingham served as Brighton’s lifeboat for 50 years before being put up for auction in August 1932. No bid was made at the sale, and she was sold the next day by private treaty for £15. The sale included the following items:

Copper tanks

Four pairs of oars

Fifteen cork life-jackets

One anchor

One boat hook

Six coils of rope

One hosepipe

Rocket apparatus

Four wheels pair-horse carriage and carrying barrow

The Smack Volante

In 1885 the fishing smack Volante was seen flying distress signals off Brighton. The Robert Raikes was launched, and on reaching the vessel found she was firmly grounded. All attempts to get her off proved to be unsuccessful, and since there was a rough sea and a strong wind, the five seamen were taken aboard the lifeboat. The John Whittingham was also launched. The crews were as follows:

Robert Raikes

John Stow

James Ashurst

John Spicer

Charles Marchant

James Atherall

James Harris

George Goodman

John Gillard

John Pratt

John Whittingham

Nathaniel Gunn

F. Collins

J. Taylor

W. Mason

J. Ashurst

T. Carr

Walter Coates

Sunlight no. 2 Lifeboat

Lever & Son of Warrington, proprietors of the famous Sunlight bars of soap, presented this lifeboat to the RNLI in 1888, having already presented Sunlight no. 1 to the institution six months previously.

There was an upsurge of donations to the RNLI in 1887, and it is incredible to note that in that one year no less than 80 new lifeboats were donated to the institution. It probably had something to do with the Mersey lifeboat disaster in 1886 when two lifeboats capsized, and 27 men were lost. At the subsequent Inquiry, some improvements and modifications were brought forward with a view to greater safety.

For example, Sunlight no. 2 was ‘fitted with everything that modern science can effect to make it serviceable for saving life.’ This included ‘water ballast fittings consisting of two tanks amidships flush with the deck; each holding about four hundred pounds, which can be filled with water and emptied in the space of a minute. She has copper air cases instead of the wooden ones, (as) in the Robert Raikes and great self-righting power, being able to right herself with all her gear, sails set and crew underneath – even when the anchor is fast in the ground – in the short space of half a minute.’ She was built of Honduras mahogany, and her keel weighed 9 ½ cwt; she was some 35-ft in length, and 7 ½ feet wide and had ten oars, double banked.

Brighton RNLI Brighton crew at the Crystal Palace in May 1897 previous to a demonstration of the 'Launch of the Life Boat'. The men shown are: J. Harman, C.Johnson (Man in uniform is the Rigger from the RNLI), W. Philpotts, C. Lind (Bow), C. Gibbs, E. Johnston, J. Wyatt, J. Humphrey (Coxwain), F. Yates, J. Brooks, M. Harman, J.Gunn, and Mr Boyle, Organising Secretary of the Lifeboat Saturday Fund.

Sunlight No 2 arrived at Brighton by railway and was kept at the station for a few days until the official launching. On the great day the boat was conveyed to the foot of Cheapside and from there to the sea-front accompanied by a procession that included a military band and the Brighton coastguards. At the sea-front Alderman Cox, chairman of the local committee of the RNLI, made a speech in which he referred to the Sunlight Soap company in ‘eulogistic terms’. After more speeches a short service was held, conducted by the vicar of Brighton, Revd J. J. Hannah, and the mayoress christened the boat by breaking the bottle hung at the side. Then the cox, Bob Collins, and his crew launched the boat. The following Press report is rather charming:

‘The mayor, nothing loth to invigorate enthusiasm, got on a stand and called for cheers to be given for the boat and the crew, which were lustily responded to by those present. Meanwhile the boat had glided gracefully through the water, and the jolly crew, unable any longer to restrain their feelings, threw up their hats in delight, and gave vent to cheer after cheer, which must have told well for the condition of their lungs.’

The Barque Vandalia

In March 1889 the barque Vandalia was sailing up the Channel when she was in collision with a steamer. The 1,422 ton Vandalia was bound from New Jersey to London, via New York, with a cargo of petroleum. At the time of the accident the Vandalia was close-hauled and all the lights were burning brightly. The vessel’s bows were stove in, and the steamer’s anchor fell on board and killed one of the crew. The rest of the crew abandoned ship, and after a ‘rough time of it’ seven of them landed at Bognor and twelve others and the captain landed at Pagham.

Meanwhile the Vandalia continued on her eastern drift, and when she reached Shoreham, two steam tugs went out to lay by her. She then moved on to Brighton where she grounded around 1 ¼ miles off West Street Gap. Then with the tide washing out her cargo, she lifted off and drifted westwards, finally coming to rest around 800 yards from the east end of Hove Sea Wall.

Today, we are familiar with the dreadful pollution caused when tankers, such as the Torrey Canyon come to grief. It is interesting to note what happened to the Vandalia’s cargo. The petroleum was packed into stout wooden barrels, and while some barrels were damaged, the majority of them floated to the beach undamaged. The scene was described by the Brighton Gazette as follows:

‘Yesterday was a gala day on the Brighton front and thousands watched the two tugs stripping the vessel. Barrels of oil continued to float to the shore and all the morning fishermen and boys were at work hauling them up. From Middle Street to the end of Hove Sea Wall numerous collections of 20 to 30 barrels can be seen and men were soon marking those they had pulled out in the hope of a small salvage. The telescope men were in great requestion and in the afternoon were besieged by people who wanted to have a better view of what was being done on board.’

There were many small boys on the look-out for firewood, and broken barrels were soon purloined, while the newspaper-boys shouted ‘Exciting Scene on the Brighton Front’ and sold their papers fast. The day was very mild and it was noted that carriages and bath-chairs had not been seen in such abundance since the Season. One of the Brighton lifeboats paid a visit to the wreck by way of practice, which was an extra spectacle for sightseers.

If it had not been for the two fatalities, the atmosphere would have been positively festive. The second death occurred when Mr Cook, one of the crewmen from the famous pleasure yacht Skylark, died suddenly when he was helping to haul up barrels.

The Vandalia stayed on the beach for four days before she was re-floated and towed to Shoreham by the tugs Stella and Mistletoe, where she was repaired temporarily. The steamer with which the Vandalia collided was thought to be the Duke of Buccleuch with crew of 54 men that disappeared at this time.

Why wasn’t the Lifeboat launched sooner?

In November 1891 the Ville de Napoleon went ashore at Portslade, and the coastguards managed to rescue every man on board by means of the rocket apparatus.

Within an hour the John and Robert went aground in a similar manner also at Portslade. But unfortunately this time the men were so exhausted by their ordeal that they were unable to make use of the rocket apparatus, which was in perfect working order. The only man to survive was the mate.

Then came the usual recriminations, and where was the lifeboat? But the mate firmly stated a lifeboat would have been useless because the vessel was stranded in heavy surf with a strong wind blowing on shore. In short, it would have been a suicidal venture. There were nasty allegations of cowardice and neglect. The watchers on shore ‘underwent the agonising suspense of witnessing in sheer helplessness the drowning of fellow creatures within a stone’s throw of the sea.’

The Brighton Gazette remarked dryly ‘we can imagine what our cheaply indignant protestants and fault-finders would have had to say had a lifeboat catastrophe added to the loss of life.’

A Board of Inquiry was set up a mere fortnight after the tragedy, and judgement was delivered on 25 November 1891 by the Hon. W. Chetwynd, chief inspector to the Lifeboat Institution. His report brought to light certain under-currents and a lack of liaison between responsible people.

First of all, he criticised the spirit of ‘cussedness’ which prevailed amongst the long-shoremen and had a great deal to do with the affair. A prime example of this attitude came from one witness at the Inquiry who declared he had seen the wreck some three hours before it became known at the Lifeboat House, and yet he did not consider it was his business to inform the responsible officers who were only a five-minute walk away. Nevertheless, he felt it was his duty to give evidence at the Inquiry. Chetwynd’s conclusions can be summariesd as follows:

1. The coxswain of the Shoreham lifeboat was quite right not to attempt to cross the bar, but he had shown great apathy in refusing to take the boat either up the canal or the south channel to be hauled over the beach and launched.

2. The coxswain of the Brighton lifeboat acted wrongly and in direct contravention of lifeboat regulations in not at once returning to the station and assembling a crew to take the boat to the scene when he heard about the second wreck. Instead, he proceeded to the wreck by himself.

3. There was a delay in sending the boat because no horses could be obtained to pull her the carriage. The lifeboat was then heaved along by manpower until she reached Hove when some of the volunteers were so fed up they refused to go further.

4. Arrangements should be made at once with owners of suitable heavy horses so that they could be hired when needed.

5.There were crowds of people witnessing the scene within yards of the Lifeboat House, and yet not one of them made sure the lifeboat was on her way.

6. Except for two men, the late crew had left the boat when the coxswain resigned. This was a good opportunity to enrol a double crew so that this situation would not arise again.

7. All possible steps must be taken to ensure close co-operation between the Coastguard and Lifeboat Station.

8. The Hon. Secretary had taken office under difficult circumstances and worked zealously and prudently.

One of the recommendations was acted upon swiftly, and that was the question of strong horses. On 8 December it was recorded in the Minutes that an agreement had been reached with Messrs Stapleton and Wooley to ‘horse the boat’ for ten shillings per man and horse. This met with general approval. The Brighton Gazette had already commented that it was ‘monstrous to expect a crew to exhaust themselves before starting on a perilous mission … in dragging a cumbersome vessel along the coast.’

The William Wallis Lifeboat

The question of hauling a lifeboat about on land raised the idea of stationing one at Hove. At the end of the Inquiry just referred to, a gentleman handed in £500 for this express purpose. The Hove Commissioners received a letter from Joseph Eward, mayor of Brighton, stating the money was the ‘free and generous gift of Mr William Wallace of 2 East Street, Brighton, to the Hove Commissioners on condition that it be used for the placing of a Lifeboat in Hove, bearing the name of William Wallis.’ While the cautious Hove Commissioners deliberated upon the matter, the money was deposited in the Union Bank.

A sub-committee was appointed to report back on the question of a lifeboat at Hove. They certainly looked the gift horse in the mouth because they came to the conclusion it would not be worth the trouble. They worked out that the average cost of a lifeboat with equipment was £700, the boathouse would cost £350, and the annual expense of maintaining a Lifeboat Station would be around £70. There was also the question of maintaining a crew. If they accepted the £500, they would be liable for all the other costs. Since there was already a lifeboat at Brighton, and another at Shoreham that had recently been ordered to a new station outside the harbour, the sub-committee did not consider that Hove needed a lifeboat of its own. Mr Wallis was of course thanked profusely, but his kind offer was declined.

However, there was to be a lifeboat named after William Wallis finally. The thoughtful man left £1,000 in his will to the RNLI. And the new boat that arrived at Brighton was the William Wallis. She was a 35-ft self-righting boat, soundly constructed of Canadian elm and English oak, and rowing ten oars, double-banked.

She turned out to be by far the busiest of the Brighton lifeboats, and was launched on no less than 23 occasions. In fact she lasted until the Brighton Lifeboat Station closed on 7 July 1931.

It was rather sad when the aged lady was sold cheaply at auction on Wednesday 23 September 1931 to Captain A. W. R. Trusler of Southwick. The report in the local Press was headed ‘cost £1,700, sold for £35.’

Brighton's West Pier Lifeboat

In Edwardian times there was a small lifeboat on Brighton's West Pier for inshore rescue work, which could be lowered from its davits, and launched quicker than dragging Brighton's large lifeboat across the pebble beach.

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See Also Shipwrecks at Hove & Portslade page

Sources

Log – extracted from letters, minute books and records returned to the RNLI, and extracted by H. Lowder King (c. 1930) Brighton Local History Library

Minute Book – belonging to the Brighton Branch of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Benevolent Society 1939-1844. Brighton Local History Library

Brighton Gazette – 15 January 1852 / 5 February 1852 / 20 May 1852 / 29 October 1857 / 5 November 1857 / 10 February 1859 / 7 April 1859 / 20 October 1859 / 18 January 1866 / 15 February 1866 / 6 June 1867 / 17 October 1867 / 20 November 1875 / 25 November 1875 /2 December 1875 / 9 December 1875 / 11 January 1877 / 9 March 1878 / 21 January 1888 / 16 February 1888 / 9 March 1889 / 14 November 1891 / 19 November 1891 / 26 November 1891

Brighton Herald – 10 October 1857 / 12 February 1859 / 11 October 1890 / 31 August 1875

Illustrated London News – 27 November 1875

Minute Book – General Purposes Committee, Hove, 1881-1901

Middleton, J. Lifeboats and Shipwrecks at Victorian Brighton (1982)

Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove

11 June 2024

Brighton Lifeboats & Shipwrecks