Anniversary
Today is the 25th anniversary of loss of the Penlee Lifeboat "Solomon Browne" and its crew.
I quote from the Penlee Lifeboat website (http://www.penlee-lifeboat.ik.com/):
On 19 December 1981 the Penlee lifeboat 'Solomon Browne' was lost with all hands in hurricane conditions while going to the aid of the Coaster 'Union Star' which had engine failure and was being swept towards the southern coast of Cornwall. The coaster was also lost and there were no survivors. Coxswain William Trevelyan Richards was posthumously awarded the Institution's Gold medal while the remainder of the crew, Second Coxswain/Mechanic Stephen Madron, Assistant Mechanic Nigel Brockman, Emergency Mechanic John Blewett, crewmembers Charles Greenhaugh, Kevin Smith, Barrie Torrie and Gary Wallis were posthumously awarded Bronze medals.
Looking at the names, then and now, associated with the Penlee Lifeboat there are many that fit somewhere into our Drew family bramble bush.
I quote from the Penlee Lifeboat website (http://www.penlee-lifeboat.ik.com/):
On 19 December 1981 the Penlee lifeboat 'Solomon Browne' was lost with all hands in hurricane conditions while going to the aid of the Coaster 'Union Star' which had engine failure and was being swept towards the southern coast of Cornwall. The coaster was also lost and there were no survivors. Coxswain William Trevelyan Richards was posthumously awarded the Institution's Gold medal while the remainder of the crew, Second Coxswain/Mechanic Stephen Madron, Assistant Mechanic Nigel Brockman, Emergency Mechanic John Blewett, crewmembers Charles Greenhaugh, Kevin Smith, Barrie Torrie and Gary Wallis were posthumously awarded Bronze medals.
Looking at the names, then and now, associated with the Penlee Lifeboat there are many that fit somewhere into our Drew family bramble bush.
posted by Geoff_D @ 8:06 am
1 Comments:
At 2:18 am,
Mary said…
Yes, today is the 25th anniversary of that terrible tragedy. I knew personally several of the crew who lost their lives. Coxwain Trevelyan Richards lived next door to my late grandmother Minnie Harvey nee Drew. In fact on the previous day - Saturday, 18th December he had gone to the shops for her as she was by then 90 years old. I played with Barrie Torrie when young and still living in Mousehole - he was my age. His grandfather, Adam Torrie, who was originally from Ireland, had been a crew member on the 'Baltic' which was wrecked off Mousehole Island in November 1907. Adam Torrie married the harbour master's daughter and remained in Mousehole. It was, of course, William Stanley Drew who led that rescue. I also knew the Blewett family and John Blewett.
May God bless all their souls!
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