Determination Above and Beyond

[Daft Bat]

These days, if we think of lifeboats being launched from land, it might be the picture of the boat sliding down a ramp from the boating shed into the sea. Motors start up and the vessel speeds out into the waters to rescue those in danger.

But 127 years ago that was not the case. Lifeboats were powered by oarsmen wearing rudimentary life-jackets and battling the elements together. Such was the case today, 12th January 1899, when word reached the Lynmouth Lifeboat Station that the Forrest Hall was drifting ashore at Porlock Weir, a bay on the edge of Exmoor.

However, the weather was so bad that it was impossible to launch the lifeboat from Lynmouth. The decision was taken: haul the boat overland to Porlock Weir itself, which was far more sheltered. The boat was over 30 feet long and weighed 10 tons but, with the help of over 100 volunteers and 18 horses from a local farm, it was hauled on a 13-mile journey that included a climb over Countisbury Hill and a trek across Exmoor.

The sea was reached at 6:30am the following day and the Lifeboat launched, the rescuers now battling the stormy seas just using oars. Their heroic and incredibly difficult rescue meant that the 18 crew of the Forrest Hall all survived.

 

[Bay Horse]

That was an incredible feat. It's quite a hilly area.

(We burnt our clutch out on Porlock Hill in 1983, still with our 'Just Married' sign on the back of the Cortina ).

 

[Anthony J Corps]

That was an incredible feat. It's quite a hilly area.

(We burnt our clutch out on Porlock Hill in 1983, still with our 'Just Married' sign on the back of the Cortina ).

That was a good start to married life

 

[Anthony J Corps]

These days, if we think of lifeboats being launched from land, it might be the picture of the boat sliding down a ramp from the boating shed into the sea. Motors start up and the vessel speeds out into the waters to rescue those in danger.

But 127 years ago that was not the case. Lifeboats were powered by oarsmen wearing rudimentary life-jackets and battling the elements together. Such was the case today, 12th January 1899, when word reached the Lynmouth Lifeboat Station that the Forrest Hall was drifting ashore at Porlock Weir, a bay on the edge of Exmoor.

However, the weather was so bad that it was impossible to launch the lifeboat from Lynmouth. The decision was taken: haul the boat overland to Porlock Weir itself, which was far more sheltered. The boat was over 30 feet long and weighed 10 tons but, with the help of over 100 volunteers and 18 horses from a local farm, it was hauled on a 13-mile journey that included a climb over Countisbury Hill and a trek across Exmoor.

The sea was reached at 6:30am the following day and the Lifeboat launched, the rescuers now battling the stormy seas just using oars. Their heroic and incredibly difficult rescue meant that the 18 crew of the Forrest Hall all survived.

Quite incredible Just shows what humans can do when organised in a team Think something similar in the north east but unsure

 

[AnnB]

Porlock Hill was (is) one hill too many for many people we always tried to avoid it like the plague. The steepest 'A' road in the country

 

[Chimp]

We have a Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLARS) manufacturer in our town, they design tractors and trailers specifically for the RNLI to launch and recover Shannon-class lifeboats. Not bad for a town that is 45 miles from the nearest beach, I think the only other manufacturer of this type is in Honiton, Devon.

 

[Londoner]

Today our lifeboat is launched from a slipway if the tide is in or hauled to the water by a tractor when it is out. The local Archive has several pictures of the earlier boats being hauled by dozens of people before and after launch, long before the current slipway was built.

 

[Bay Horse]

Ours has a new slipway and station - and a Shannon-class lifeboat. Again, there are a lot of old photos showing boats being manually taken down across the sands to the water.

One Remembrance Sunday, at the local cenotaph, the lifeboatmen's pagers went off just as we were singing 'for those in peril on the sea'.

 

[BernardOC]

These days, if we think of lifeboats being launched from land, it might be the picture of the boat sliding down a ramp from the boating shed into the sea. Motors start up and the vessel speeds out into the waters to rescue those in danger.

But 127 years ago that was not the case. Lifeboats were powered by oarsmen wearing rudimentary life-jackets and battling the elements together. Such was the case today, 12th January 1899, when word reached the Lynmouth Lifeboat Station that the Forrest Hall was drifting ashore at Porlock Weir, a bay on the edge of Exmoor.

However, the weather was so bad that it was impossible to launch the lifeboat from Lynmouth. The decision was taken: haul the boat overland to Porlock Weir itself, which was far more sheltered. The boat was over 30 feet long and weighed 10 tons but, with the help of over 100 volunteers and 18 horses from a local farm, it was hauled on a 13-mile journey that included a climb over Countisbury Hill and a trek across Exmoor.

The sea was reached at 6:30am the following day and the Lifeboat launched, the rescuers now battling the stormy seas just using oars. Their heroic and incredibly difficult rescue meant that the 18 crew of the Forrest Hall all survived.

Have been to the Lynmouth Museum and seen Porlock Hiil. Incredible feat!!
My3xGGF was In Lifeboat Crew in Northumberland . The off Dungeness, Kent as Chief Life boatman.
Escapades like Lynmouth bring home the grit of the Crews.