The men below are (clockwise from upper left) Tom Morris, Herbert Downing, James Miller Ward, Jack Butcher, Walter Ward, Jack Easter, and Charles Crisp. They were the crew the Aldeburgh Lifeboat, and all lost on December 7, 1899 when their boat capsized shortly after launch. James and Walter were brothers. The BBC made this composite from family photos. R.I.P.
Below is Second Coxswain Charlie Mann of the Aldeburgh Lifeboat crew from the 1909.
Although his photo has been handed down, I wasn't able to find out any stories about his work,
other than that he was a successful fisherman when not saving lives.
And the work goes on today. This is "Karl" who followed Charlie Mann
in a long line of Aldeburgh Second Coxwains 110 years on. Keep safe, Karl!
Aldeburgh, in Suffolk (one of the original seven of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms), is best known today for holding the annual Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts which was founded in 1948 by the composer Benjamin Britten and his lover Peter Piers and where they settled upon their return from America at the end of WWII. So important and influential a relationship, upon Britten's death in 1976, the late Queen sent her condolences to Peter Piers, effectively acknowledging the relationship. My sister worked for the Festival in her first job after graduating in music. In several of Britten's works you can quite honestly hear the sea which the RNLI kept safe.
ReplyDeleteThese really are handsome fellows. Look how their clothes have changed. I am fascinated with the cork gilets.
I believe the late Queen's favorite version of the National Anthem was a special arrangement done by Mr. Britten. There's a stunning rendition from the Proms on Youtube. When asked about it, she said, "Yes, it's my favourite, and I've heard that song quite a few times."
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