James Murray
WORKING by moonlight, a small but brave band of men did battle in the service of their country night after night for the six long years of the Second World War. But it wasn’t Hitler’s forces they were up against. Their enemies were storm-tossed seas, hurricane-force winds and the blackout. Because these were the men of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution… an ocean-going Dad’s Army of volunteers, with an average age of 55.
They were not allowed to use any lights in their hunt for stricken sailors or downed aircrew, so they often had to drop their oars or cut their engines to call out into the inky gloom and pray for a reply.
Yet over the course of the war they managed to save nearly 7,000 lives, an average of 21 per week.
So as Britain celebrated the 75th anniversary of VE DAY this week, the RNLI asked the Daily Express to shine a light on the wartime recruits who risked their own safety to save others all around Britain’s shores.
Whether they were scooping up Spitfire and Hurricane pilots downed over the English Channel or crews from vital convoy ships torpedoed in the North and Irish Seas, they knew only too well that their lives were on the line.
These days, all-weather, self-righting lifeboats race to the rescue at a speed of 25 knots, but during the war many lifeboats were powered by oars or sails. Even the motor boats they had could only reach six knots per hour.
“The valiant work of our volunteer crews during World War Two demonstrates the courage and determination of our volunteers to save lives at sea, whatever the condition,” says Hayley Whiting, the RNLI’s Heritage Archive and Research Manager.
“Twelve lifeboat crew lost their lives during rescue efforts and seven lifeboats were lost in various ways, from air raids on lifeboat stations to being captured.The RNLI presented 204 gallantry medals for bravery.
“The volunteer crew kit then consisted of sou’westers, hand-knitted woollen items, scarves and socks along with kapok life jackets which were made from a cotton-like material, an improvement on the previous cork lifejackets.”
TRAWLING through the archives, Hayley came across a blackand-white picture of the Peterhead crew, based near Aberdeen. In the shot Coxswain John McLean looks a picture of calm in the middle of his rugged-looking crewmen, but on the night of January 23, 1942, they needed every ounce of strength in their bodies.
Two steamers from Whitby, Yorkshire, the SS Runswick and SS Saltwich, had collided in gale-force winds off Peterhead Bay.
The lifeboatmen brought both vessels into the bay, but then the winds turned to hurricane force as another vessel, SS Frida, needed help.
As winds drove the Runswick inshore, the lifeboat crew got back in their boat to rescue the 44 people aboard the vessel.
With the breakwater wrecked, the two other vessels were being blown on to the rocky foreshore and certain death. For 50 minutes John McLean held on to the hull of SS Frida, allowing 26 to jump aboard before going back to save 36 others on SS Saltwick.
For saving 106 men in total McLean was given an RNLI gold medal, a volunteer was awarded a silver medal and the crew received bronze medals. Another heroic