Bridlington RNLI to commemorate the Great Gale of 1871

The volunteer crew of Bridlington RNLI will return to Bridlington Priory Church on Sunday February 9 to remember those who lost their lives during the Great Gale of 1871.

On Friday February 10, 1871, 154 years ago, the so called ‘Bay of Refuge’ was witness to the storm that affected not only the town, but also many other seafarers who had taken shelter in the bay to escape the worst of the winter weather that had ravaged the coast in the early part of that year.

The day before the storm, around 400 vessels made sail from the Tyne, many bound for Paris and London, with the majority being overladen colliers, as they made use of a break in the weather.

On the evening of February 9, the wind died away and many took shelter in Bridlington Bay at anchor waiting for a favourable wind.

In the early hours of February 10, the wind started to rise. Slowly at first, but by daybreak it had increased to a full blown south easterly gale.

Many of the ships made a decision to run for the beach, heading for the sands north of the harbour, the weather had other ideas and many ended up in peril close to the Spa, south of the harbour.

Many of the crews perished in the turmoil of the sea, with conditions now hampered further as snow had started to fall heavily.

Other vessels were wrecked against the harbour walls and added to the carnage and loss of lives.

It is thought that up to 30 vessels were lost that day, and as many as 70 lives lost, although it is difficult to know the exact number.

The event was witnessed by hundreds of onlookers who had attended to watch the carnage unfold and help where they could.

At the time Bridlington had two separate lifeboats, the RNLI’s Robert Whitworth and a locally owned vessel named the Harbinger.

Both boats were launched multiple times, with both crews succeeding in saving several lives.

Tragically, the Harbinger was attempting to save the crew of the brig Delta when a wave capsized the lifeboat and six of the nine local men onboard were drowned.

Of those lucky enough to make it to shore, some of whom had even managed to carry bags of clothes with them from their wrecked vessels, were greeted by men, women and children of the town and were taken to a place of shelter to make warm, be fed and welcomed by the inhabitants.

Many of those who were not so lucky and perished in the storm were taken to the rear of the local public house ‘The Albion’ on Hilderthorpe Road, where they were carefully laid out, clothing delicately removed ready to be identified and carefully prepared for burial.

Over the next few days, many people arrived in Bridlington who had come from out of town with the sole purpose of trying to identify their loved ones.

Upon arriving at the rear yard of The Albion, they were witness to the sight of the clothing that had been carefully removed from the dead that was hanging up on lines to dry.

It was a very sad sight to greet these poor people to the town, as the clothing was in such a sorry state and resembled rags rather than clothing due to the battering they had taken in the sea.

The Reverend Neil Bowler, Rector of Bridlington Priory, will lead the service of remembrance, which begins at 10.30am. He said: “It is a privilege for me to once again lead the Great Gale service here at Bridlington Priory.

“The service gives to us all not only an opportunity to remember the tragedy and impact of the Great Gale, but also to give thanks for the bravery of the men and women who risk their lives, and in some cases lost their lives, across the generations, in attempting to save lives at sea.

“The church service and the Great Gale monument in the churchyard remind us of the selfless and unconditional acts of service to others that the RNLI have carried out in the past and continue to carry out today.”

After the service, the Reverend, volunteers from Bridlington Lifeboat and the congregation will attend the memorial in Bridlington Priory Churchyard that commemorates 43 burials there, as well as the graves of the volunteer crew of the lifeboat ‘Harbinger’ who are also buried in separate graves in the Priory Churchyard.

The disaster led MP and social reformer Samuel Plimsoll, who ironically was born on the 10 February, to petition Parliament to introduce a new law to prevent ships being dangerously overladen, by introducing the painting of a ­­­­load line on the hull. ‘Plimsoll Lines’ as they became known, are still used in international shipping to this day.

Andy Rodgers, Bridlington RNLI Coxswain, said: “The 10th February 1871 is a very important date within the town of Bridlington.

“As a close fishing community for hundreds of years, many families still live in the town today who have relatives that were victims or members of the many teams that helped with the rescue efforts, not only at sea but also on the shoreline.

“Many witnessed the terrifying power of Mother Nature on that fateful day. It is very important that the town never forgets the sacrifice that was made 154 years ago and that is why the community of Bridlington have turned out to remember that day and why the Bridlington Lifeboat volunteer crew are here today.

“I would like to thank everyone who supports Bridlington RNLI, all of you contribute to help us continue to save lives at sea.”