RNLB Mary Stanford (ON 661)

On the night of 14 November 1928 a south-west gale swept up the Channel with winds in excess of 80 mph (128 km/h). Just after 4:00 am on the 15th, the small Steamer Alice of Riga, laden with a cargo of bricks, was in collision with the larger German vessel Smyrna. In the collision the Alice lost her rudder and had a hole torn in her side. The weather was then too bad for the Smyrna to effect a rescue, and at 4:27 am the Ramsgate Coastguard Station received a message passed on by North Foreland Radio – "Steamer. Alice of Riga. Leaking. Danger. Drifting SW to W 8 miles from Dungeness 04.30". The Rye Harbour Coast Guard Station was informed at 04:55 am, and maroons were fired just after 5 am to summon the lifeboat crew.

The lifeboat crew responded to the maroons. It was practically low water and, in the severe weather, it took three attempts to get the boat away, at 06:45. All of the crew by now would have been wet through. It was just beginning to break daylight, when at 06:50 Rye Coastguard received the message saying that the crew of the Alice of Riga had been rescued by the Smyrna. This message had originally been received by Ramsgate Coastguard Station at 6:12 am. As it was not a 'life saving message' it was not considered to be 'entitled', i.e. priority. There was then a further delay in sending the recall to Rye Coastguard when an attempt to call Dungeness via Lydd proved futile.

The recall reached Rye Harbour lifeboat station just 5 minutes after the Mary Stanford had been launched. Flares were fired to recall the lifeboat but, due to the severe conditions, they were not seen. At around 09:00 the mate of the S.S. Halton saw the lifeboat 3 miles (5 km) W.S.W from Dungeness and all appeared well. A bit later the lifeboat was also seen by a boy sailor on the Smyrna. About 10:30 a young boy, Cecil Marchant, collecting drift wood at Camber saw the lifeboat capsize. He told his parents who reported it to Jurys Gap Coastguard. Soon rumours were going around Rye Harbour village that the boat had 'gone over', and the vicar thought that he had seen this from an upstairs window at the Vicarage. By 12 noon it had been confirmed as the lifeboat could be seen bottom up floating towards the shore. Within ten minutes, Rye Harbour Coastguard was informed and the maroons were fired to assemble the launchers. It is said that over 100 men rushed to the shore where the upturned lifeboat lay. A tank was brought along from Lydd Camp to right the lifeboat. Over the next two hours the bodies of the crew were washed up, a total of 15 on that day, with efforts made to revive the bodies. They were taken to Lydd for formal identification.

Eva Southerden, 15 at the time, remembers her father Charles, returning home that night and breaking down as he told his wife he could not see Charlie (Charlie was found later that night). There was speculation as to the cause of the capsize and it was unclear why the lifeboat was in the position where it capsized. It is unlikely that it was making for Rye Harbour, as the boathouse is 1+1⁄2 miles to the west. Also, in these prevailing weather conditions, it was usual for the lifeboat to shelter east of Dungeness or go into Folkestone. A popular view why the lifeboat was in that position was that either John Head or Henry Cutting, or both, had been washed out of the boat and that the lifeboat was looking for them.

On the evening of the following day, an inquest was opened at Rye Town Hall, with the Rye Borough Coroner Dr. T. Harrett presiding. The seaworthiness of the lifeboat and competence of the crew were called into question, but it was emphatically stated that the boat and her crew were absolutely efficient. After evidence of identification and eyewitness accounts were given, the inquest was adjourned until the following evening, when accusations were made about the suitability of the lifejackets. They were said to be perished and worn. As a result, they had become waterlogged and would weigh a man down and drown him. In response the RNLI stated that the Kapok No 3 Lifejacket was adopted by the RNLI in 1917 and were delivered to Rye Harbour in September of that year. The lifejackets were tried in a heavy gale on 30 October 1917, and later voted 11 – 6 by the crew as being the most preferred type. The Coroner recorded a verdict of death by accident. In response to the accusations, the RNLI asked the Board of Trade to hold a full enquiry into the disaster.

On Tuesday 20 November the funeral was held of fifteen of the crew, buried in a communal grave. Hundreds of mourners from all over the country attended.[2] Members of the Latvian Government were among the dignitaries present, recognising that the men had lost their lives going to the assistance of a Latvian vessel. When Henry Cutting's body was found at Eastbourne 3 months later, it was bought back home and interred with his fellow crew members. John Head's body was never recovered.

The Board of Trade Court of Enquiry sat at Rye Town Hall on 19, 20 and 21 December and the following 1, 2 and 4 January. After their deliberation the court announced:

"As there were no survivors of the crew, the cause of the Lifeboat capsizing is a matter of conjecture, but from the evidence available we are of the opinion that whilst attempting to make the Harbour on a strong flood tide and in high and dangerous breaking sea, she was suddenly capsized and the crew were thrown into the water, two men being entangled under the boat. The broken water and heavy surf caused the loss of the crew".

The Mary Stanford remained at Rye Harbour until the inquiry was over. In January 1929 she was taken to the RNLI depot at Poplar in east London, where she was broken up.

The dependants of those who died were pensioned by the RNLI, with the local fund raising over £35,000.[1]