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Great Storm of 1901 - Editorial
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Heroism during The Great Storm of 1901
The Great Storm of 1901
The Inga
On the Trail of Buried Treasure
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Heroism during The Great Storm of 1901
Location: North Tyneside
There were many acts of heroism performed in the Great Storm. Some were recorded and a number of gallantry awards were rightly given. Some no doubt went unrecorded.
We would like to pay tribute to all those individuals who attempted to help others and to the 200 or so seafarers who lost their lives in the Storm of the 12th -14th November 1901 and have no other memorial.
However there are a number of acts that deserve special mention:
The wreck of the Juhrneeks
This ship capsized off Sharpness Point at Tynemouth and the 4 crew were flung into the mountainous seas running between the Castle and the North Pier.
The Tynemouth Volunteer Lifebrigade and members of the coastguard were standing by on the cliffs. One of the sailors was seen from the cliffs trying to swim for the shore.
Michael Lowes of the Tynemouth Volunteer Lifebrigade took a lifejacket with a line attached and climbed down off the pier into the boiling surf below. He was knocked off his feet by a huge wave and lost to sight amongst the huge rolling boulder stones at the base of the pier. It was feared he was lost, but he miraculously reappeared and struggled bravely to reach one of the sailors. Coastguard Fletcher and another Brigadesman William Wilson then joined him. They reached the sailor and started to bring him to shore but another huge wave hit them. A spar that the sailor had been holding hit Michael Lowes on the head and stunned him. The sailor was swept from his rescuer’s grasp but luckily swept up onto the shingle 20 or 30 yards away. Fred Newton from the Lifebrigade seized him and with the help of Coastguard Baird and Mr. Gibbs dragged him to safety.
Mr Fletcher and Mr. Wilson managed to drag the stunned Michael Lowes ashore where Dr. Wilkinson tended him.
As a result of this dramatic rescue a number of gallantry awards were made. The board of trade made money awards to Coastguards Craven, Baird and Fletcher. They awarded Michael Lowes £8 and Brigadesmen Newton and Wilson £2 each. In addition Michael Lowes was awarded the prestigious Tynemouth Medal Trust Silver Medal at a Civic Ceremony on 4th January 1902.
On 26th February 1904 the Russian Consul Baron Heyking and Lord Armstrong attended a civic ceremony in North Shields to present the silver medal of the Imperial Russian Society for Saving Life on the Waters. Each medal came with a diploma signed by the Russian Empress Marie Fedorovna. Medals were presented to Michael Lowes, William Craven, George Fletcher, George Bird, Frederick Newton, William Wilson and Samuel Gibbs.
The Harriot of Goole
Just off the new south pier at Sunderland the Harriot came to grief. Two of her crew were washed away and drowned. The other two members of the crew jumped into the sea and were swept close to the crowds of spectators on the shore.
It was at this point that Joseph Wardropper plunged into the sea from the sea wall with a lifebelt and managed to get it over one of the sailor’s shoulders. The two men were then hauled towards safety by some of the crowd of onlookers. They were hauled almost to the top of the sea wall but the sailor slipped from Mr. Wardroppers grasp and fell back into the sea. Mr Wardropper was pulled to safety with great difficulty.
A second attempt was made to rescue the sailor by John Hutchinson. He too was defeated by the strength of the sea and was almost drowned himself before he managed to get ashore. The sailor was eventually swept onto the shore where the crowd of onlookers managed to revive him. His companion managed to get to land in a less exhausted condition and recovered as well.
John Whale of South Shields
He was awarded the Tynemouth Medal Trust Silver Medal for his part in rescuing the crew of the Christiani that was wrecked on the Groyne at South Shields. He apparently boarded the ship via the bowsprit taking a line with him. The crew then used this line to get ashore. It appears that he also rescued a steward from the rigging and brought him ashore.
The Crew of the Caister Lifeboat
While this act was outside of our region it sums up the heroism always displayed by the crews of the R.N.L.I.
The Lifeboat at Caister in Norfolk was launched to go to the aid of a ship in distress in the Great Storm. On her way back in to Caister she was overturned in the swell and 9 of her crew tragically died. A memorial was erected in 1903 to the men and it still stands in the churchyard at Caister.
As a contrast to this heroism, local newspapers reported the arrest of 2 men in South Shields for stealing items from one of the wrecks.
Thanks for their assistance great or small:
Bill Butland, Ron Young, Richard Larn, Rachel Peacock, Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, Alex Hastie, Chris Lambert, Tom Fennelly from South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade, Staff at Tyne and Wear Archives and Newcastle Central Library.
Dave Heslop and Tyne and Wear Archaeological section, Staff at Durham Record Office.
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