William's poems were sold to raise money for the new lifeboat at Cloughey. Here's a history of the Cloughey lifeboat, kindly supplied by the RNLI. (copyright on this article belongs to the RNLI):
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The Graveyard of the East Coast
Station Historical Notes
Cloughey, Co Down (1885-1965)
Cloughey-Portavogie, Co Down (1965-1981)
• The Station was established by the Institution in 1885.
• The meaning of the word "Cloughey" is "The Stony Place" and this rightly describes the coastline around the bay which is composed of rough and jagged rocks which have claimed many a gallant ship and crew. The shore from Ballyhalbert to Millisle has often been referred to as "the graveyard of the east coast".
• Cloughey lifeboat coxswains are always Young! Every coxswain since the establishment of the station in 1885 until George Young reverted to Motor Mechanic in 1954 was a Young (except for the period 1916-1919).
• 1908 - On 14 November the lifeboat rescued the crew of 26 of the barque Croisset of Rouen. The French Government awarded Gold Medals to the coxswain and the chief officer of coastguard, Silver Medals to the rest of the crew, and an Aneroid Barometer to the Honorary Secretary (Mr J McMullan).
•1913 - Decided that the practice of using horses be discontinued and that in future the boat and her carriage be transported by means of manual labour.
•1924 - Bronze Medal awarded to Acting Coxswain Andrew Young for the rescue of 5 persons from the Brig Helgoland which had run ashore on 11 January 1924. The coxswain of the lifeboat was away from the station; the second coxswain, his brother, was dying but a third doctor Andrew, left his brother's bedside to take charge of the lifeboat. The Helgoland had sunk and the crew were in the rigging. She lay surrounded by rocks and the night was very dark. There was a strong SSE gale and showers of sleet and hail. Andrew Young found on his return that his brother had died two hours after the lifeboat had been launched.
•1937 - A fire at the building yard of Messrs Groves & Guttridge, Cowes, destroyed a new lifeboat for Cloughey that was waiting to be shipped to her station.
•1939 - On 9 May the s.s. Arantzazu-Mendi of Bilbao went aground on Butter Paddy Shoals outside Kearney Point. Efforts were made to salve her and on 17 June there was a salvage party on board when the weather changed. Seas 15ft high were breaking over the steamer and were sweeping clean over her after part from which everything movable had been swept away. The 11 men on board were on the fore deck knee deep in water. For this rescue of the 11 men, Coxswain Robert Young was awarded the Silver Medal and Motor Mechanic George Young the Bronze Medal.
•1950 - Two ex-coxswains, Andrew Young (80) and his brother John (75), were drowned when their fishing coble Ricia was lost on 25 May.
• Coxswain George Young was accorded the Vellum Thanks for the rescue of the crew of seven of the South Rock light-vessel on 3 February.
•1955 - Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum accorded to Coxswain Walter Semple for the rescue of 11 persons from the Norwegian m.v. Roskva on 21 January.
•1962 - Coxswain Walter Semple was awarded the Bronze Medal for the rescue of five people from the Dutch m.v. Frida Blokzul on 7 March.
•1965 - ON 857 stationed at Portavogie on 26 November and ON 902 stationed at Cloughey was withdrawn and the station closed.
•1978 - Lifeboat station closed from 26 October because of extensive redevelopment at Portavogie Harbour. Lifeboat ON 857 stored at Robertson's Yard, Sandbank.
•1981 - Station permanently closed in July.
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Coxswains
Frank Young 1885-1890
John Young (1) Oct 1890-18/4/06 (Brother of Frank above)
Robert Young 19/4/06-9/10/1916 (Brother of Frank and John above)
Hugh Palmer 10/10/16-3/10/19
John Young (2) 17/10/19-30/10/27 (Son of John Young (1))
Andrew Young 25/11/27-31/12/35 (Brother of John (2))
Robert Young 1/1/36-29/8/49 (Nephew of John (1))
George Young 30/8/49-30/6/54 (Grandson of John (1))
Walter Semple 1/6/54-31/3/66
John Donnan 1/4/66-23/2/79
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Lifeboats
Faith (1885 - 1906) 54 lives rescued
John (1906 - 1931) 131 lives rescued
William Maynard (1931 - 1939) 36 lives rescued
Herbert John (1939 - 1952) 67 lives rescued
Constance Calverley (1952 - 1965) 21 lives rescued - this was the lifeboat William's poems helped to fund
Glencoe Glasgow (1965 - 1978) 27 lives rescued
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Friday 18 January 2008
Sunday 13 January 2008
Coroner's Inquest into Robert's Drowning
I was sent the following report yesterday by a very helpful Gloucester Library, who keep copies of all the old local newspapers. It makes for sad reading, and shows what happens when a wee country boy from a Christian home gets into the wrong company. I'm sure Robert, and thousands of young men like him at the time, went to sea full of hope and excitement. Never did he think he'd end up drunk and dead, lying cold on a stretcher near a goods shed on a far-off quayside, aged just 20.
I wonder if Robert's parents were ever sent this information at the time? We will probably never know.
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From the Gloucester Citizen, Monday 13th March 1911
DROWNED IN THE CANAL AT GLOUCESTER
Inquest on an Irish sailor
The Coroner and Waterside Chains
The Coroner for the City of Gloucester (Mr Charles Scott) held an inquest at the Lower George Hotel, Gloucester, on Saturday evening, into the circumstances attending the death of Robert Thompson (20), able seaman, of Ballyfrench, Co. Down, Ireland, employed on the steamship, Ashford, who was drowned in the Berkeley and Sharpness Canal near Gloucester Docks on Friday night.
John McCleod, of Glasgow, steward and cook on SS Ashford, stated that on Friday the ship was lying at the Great Western Wharf. Thompson went ashore about 6 o’clock, and witness followed about 8.30. They met in the Ducie Arms (nb, if you click here you'll see that the Ducie Arms in Longsmith Street, Gloucester, was described at the time as "...being frequented by women of bad character... that drunken persons were seen coming out at closing time, that there was filthy language, fighting, general disorderly behaviour and indecency outside..."), where there were also several of the other men employed on the ship. They left the house together at 11 o’clock when Thompson was rather the worse for liquor. (The image above is of a drink token from the Ducie Arms)
When they reached the Great Western Wharf Thompson was a few yards in front of the witness, and the others were a little distance behind. When they were about 60 yards from the ship Thompson crossed the railway line, between the trucks, and walked along the quay wall, witness losing sight of him owing to the trucks being between them.
Shortly afterwards witness heard a splash, and immediately ran to the side of the canal, when he saw Thompson in the water. He shouted to him to catch hold of a chain which was hanging from the wall, and ran along the quay to find a rope or a buoy. He met Harding, the crane man, who procured a rope, and they returned to the place where the man had fallen in, but could not see him. It was nearly an hour and a half before they discovered the body.
William John Harding, crane driver, in the company of GWR Company, living at 10, Carmarthen Street, Gloucester, stated that he was on duty at the Great Western Wharf at 11.30pm on Friday night when he heard shouting, and going in the direction of the sound, he met the last witness, who told him what had happened. He looked into the water, and saw a splash, as though from the man’s arm, and then ran and fetched a rope. When he returned there was no sign of the man. He then ran to Llanthony Bridge, where there were several of the other sailors belonging to the ship. He told them of the occurrence, and they procured a drag, and hastened to the spot. They dragged where they had last seen Thompson, and recovered the body in about an hour and a half.
In reply to the juryman, witness said there were no chains running along the quay wall, but there were ladders going down to the water’s edge at intervals.
The Coroner: “If there were chains running along the wall near the water’s edge a good many lives might be saved, but they have not got them. The question has been raised many times, but they will not put them.”
Replying to other questions, witness said there were lamps in the yard, but they were always turned out as soon as the men had finished work on the ships. The night was dark and rainy.
P.C. Conduit was informed of the accident when on duty at the Cross at 2.35pm on Saturday. He proceeded to the Docks, and saw deceased on a stretcher near the goods sheds. He tried to revive the man without success.
The jury received a verdict of accidental drowning. The foreman, Mr R T Manning, suggested that a rider should be added referring to the necessity for a horizontal chain along the quay wall.
The Coroner said he had tried over and over again to get a chain of this kind fixed, but his efforts had been fruitless.
A juryman: “They have one in the Docks”
The Coroner: “I know, but there was a great objection to that. If you have chains you must have rings to which to fasten them, and when ships go alongside the wall they scrape against them and get damaged. I think they have found out now – though it took them a good many years – that this objection can be overcome by putting pieces of wood round the rings. However, I will write a letter to the railway company and call their attention to it.”
end.
I wonder if Robert's parents were ever sent this information at the time? We will probably never know.
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From the Gloucester Citizen, Monday 13th March 1911
DROWNED IN THE CANAL AT GLOUCESTER
Inquest on an Irish sailor
The Coroner and Waterside Chains
The Coroner for the City of Gloucester (Mr Charles Scott) held an inquest at the Lower George Hotel, Gloucester, on Saturday evening, into the circumstances attending the death of Robert Thompson (20), able seaman, of Ballyfrench, Co. Down, Ireland, employed on the steamship, Ashford, who was drowned in the Berkeley and Sharpness Canal near Gloucester Docks on Friday night.
John McCleod, of Glasgow, steward and cook on SS Ashford, stated that on Friday the ship was lying at the Great Western Wharf. Thompson went ashore about 6 o’clock, and witness followed about 8.30. They met in the Ducie Arms (nb, if you click here you'll see that the Ducie Arms in Longsmith Street, Gloucester, was described at the time as "...being frequented by women of bad character... that drunken persons were seen coming out at closing time, that there was filthy language, fighting, general disorderly behaviour and indecency outside..."), where there were also several of the other men employed on the ship. They left the house together at 11 o’clock when Thompson was rather the worse for liquor. (The image above is of a drink token from the Ducie Arms)
When they reached the Great Western Wharf Thompson was a few yards in front of the witness, and the others were a little distance behind. When they were about 60 yards from the ship Thompson crossed the railway line, between the trucks, and walked along the quay wall, witness losing sight of him owing to the trucks being between them.
Shortly afterwards witness heard a splash, and immediately ran to the side of the canal, when he saw Thompson in the water. He shouted to him to catch hold of a chain which was hanging from the wall, and ran along the quay to find a rope or a buoy. He met Harding, the crane man, who procured a rope, and they returned to the place where the man had fallen in, but could not see him. It was nearly an hour and a half before they discovered the body.
William John Harding, crane driver, in the company of GWR Company, living at 10, Carmarthen Street, Gloucester, stated that he was on duty at the Great Western Wharf at 11.30pm on Friday night when he heard shouting, and going in the direction of the sound, he met the last witness, who told him what had happened. He looked into the water, and saw a splash, as though from the man’s arm, and then ran and fetched a rope. When he returned there was no sign of the man. He then ran to Llanthony Bridge, where there were several of the other sailors belonging to the ship. He told them of the occurrence, and they procured a drag, and hastened to the spot. They dragged where they had last seen Thompson, and recovered the body in about an hour and a half.
In reply to the juryman, witness said there were no chains running along the quay wall, but there were ladders going down to the water’s edge at intervals.
The Coroner: “If there were chains running along the wall near the water’s edge a good many lives might be saved, but they have not got them. The question has been raised many times, but they will not put them.”
Replying to other questions, witness said there were lamps in the yard, but they were always turned out as soon as the men had finished work on the ships. The night was dark and rainy.
P.C. Conduit was informed of the accident when on duty at the Cross at 2.35pm on Saturday. He proceeded to the Docks, and saw deceased on a stretcher near the goods sheds. He tried to revive the man without success.
The jury received a verdict of accidental drowning. The foreman, Mr R T Manning, suggested that a rider should be added referring to the necessity for a horizontal chain along the quay wall.
The Coroner said he had tried over and over again to get a chain of this kind fixed, but his efforts had been fruitless.
A juryman: “They have one in the Docks”
The Coroner: “I know, but there was a great objection to that. If you have chains you must have rings to which to fasten them, and when ships go alongside the wall they scrape against them and get damaged. I think they have found out now – though it took them a good many years – that this objection can be overcome by putting pieces of wood round the rings. However, I will write a letter to the railway company and call their attention to it.”
end.
Monday 7 January 2008
Robert's Grave and the visit to Gloucester
We took a bit of time out from staying with Hilary's family in England to drive to Gloucester to find Robert Thompson's grave. It's hardly any surprise that there is no grave marked - he was buried in the common ground in Tredworth Road Cemetery. In physical terms it's just a big grassy area at the corner of the cemetery, but the office there has a detailed map of the plots so we could work out reasonably accurately where his remains lie. Interestingly he's buried in the Catholic area - I wonder what the family would have made of that back in 1911 if they'd known!
He was buried in Plot 3010A, and his funeral service was held by a Mr E Bodenham. listed in the records as a "Lay Missionary". So we laid some flowers on the spot, planted a wee sod of grass from Ballyfrench that Fred had dug up for me the Sunday before, and took some photos.
Then we went down into Gloucester, to see Llanthony Dock (which the cemetery records said was exactly where he drowned). It's now the location of the National Waterways Museum for Britain, and (ironically) has lots of lifebuoys along the dockside. Maybe there weren't any lifebuoys there in 1911. Robert may well have walked down this dockside, only to be dragged back along it a short time later as a lifeless corpse. So I'm now wondering if there are local newspaper reports of his death held in the Gloucester libraries?
The pic below is of Jacob and Maggie Jane at the Museum (sadly for them the cafe and gift shop were both closed!) - Hilary and Charlie were snoozing in the car.
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