Commemoration Marks 70th Anniversary of Lifeboat Disaster

A commemorative service is scheduled for Sunday, honoring three lifeboat crew members who perished during a storm seven decades prior. Jack Cammish, Jack Sheader, and Francis Bayes lost their lives after falling from their vessel on 8 December, 1954, as they accompanied fishing boats into Scarborough’s South Bay. Fred Normandale, a 76-year-old fisherman who was a child at the time of the disaster, recalled his parents speaking about the incident in hushed tones. He stated: “It was devastating. My dad joined the lifeboat service immediately after, took the place of one of the ones who was lost and he said it nearly happened again.” The lifeboat, which was a self-righting prototype, had been dispatched to assist after strong winds and frost led to several trawlers and cobles encountering difficulties. Mr. Normandale elaborated: “It’s very distinctive in everyone’s memory. It was a really hard frost, a really white frost and there wasn’t a breath of wind.” He continued: “There were quite a few cobles out at sea and the wind was freshening so the lifeboat went for the other cobles one at a time.” He added: “And it got them all in but one – the Rose Mary.” He further recounted: “The lifeboat crew turned around and went back again and as they got down the back of Marine Drive word came through that the Rose Mary was in Whitby.” He concluded: “So they turned around and came back but there was such a big sea run in at that point and the lifeboat kept running and running until it broached and tipped over.” He specified: “Five of them had gone overboard. They got two of them back on but there was three men lost; Jack Cammish, Jack Sheader and Francis Bayes.” Mr. Normandale mentioned that the individuals rescued from the water, Ernie Eaves, Bob Crawford, and Micky Scales, recounted tales of the disaster, and he recalled hearing these stories during his childhood. He stated: “There was always conversations and two of the survivors were in the warehouse baiting lines and they would talk to the women about it – and if you’re a little boy and you sit and don’t say nowt you can hear anything.” Among the anecdotes he recollects is how local vehicle owners assisted rescuers in locating the bodies of the deceased men. He explained: “Because it was dark early, people who had cars lined up on the seafront and shone the headlights out into the sea hoping to be able to find people. And there weren’t many cars about then.” Cammish and Sheader each possessed approximately 40 years of experience with the lifeboat service, whereas Francis Bayes, the youngest of the three, had joined the crew solely because his father, Old Frank, was unwell on that particular day. Bayes was engaged to a woman he encountered in Scarborough during the war, where she served with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. The individuals who survived provided their testimonies of the event to a Scarborough Evening News reporter soon after their rescue, with one reportedly still “shivering with cold”. The commemorative service will take place at St Mary’s Church and is set to include a performance by the Filey Fishermen’s Choir, along with a presentation by Colin Woodhead, chairman of the Scarborough Lifeboat Station. Mr. Normandale emphasized that it was “essential” for the tragedy to be commemorated. He remarked: “It’s almost gone from living memory. There’s few older than me who remember it. In the next 20 years it will only be history.” Established in 1801, Scarborough stands as one of the longest-operating stations. Currently, the RNLI manages it, deploying two lifeboats from its facility on the West Pier. For highlights from North Yorkshire, listeners can tune into BBC Sounds; the latest episode of Look North is also available, or individuals can submit a story for consideration here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.