Rye Harbour will remember its lost heroes on Sunday, November 15, 87 years to the day since one of the worst disasters in lifeboat history took place on our shores.
In 1928, the Mary Stanford lifeboat went out, in terrible conditions, in response to a distress call from a Latvian ship. All of the 17 man crew were killed. This was a huge loss for the small community, which is still felt even to this day.
They had tried, again and again, to launch their boat and eventually succeeded. But, despite their best efforts, their boat was no match for the waves and went down – with the loss of all on board.
The service will take place at 3pm at the Church of the Holy Spirit at Rye Harbour.
Painting: Sue Anderson