Every year at this time, the villagers of Rye Harbour in East Sussex gather at their church to honour the crew of the Mary Stanford lifeboat. On 15 November 1928 in a dreadful storm the seventeen RNLI volunteers responded to a call for help from a stricken vessel off Dungeness: not one of them survived. Particularly poignant is the fact that a candle is lit in memory of each crewman by a direct descendant, many still living in the village. In the context of the painful losses of the pandemic those attending were perhaps better able to appreciate the impact on the Rye Harbour community at the time.
The Mary Stanford shanty composed by Martin Bruce puts it like this:
‘For ever will the memory live of seventeen men so true,
Who left their homes and families: the Mary Stanford crew,
Facing wind and weather in the hope of saving lives at sea.’
Today’s lifeboat station proudly maintains the values exemplified by these brave men who put their duty before all else.
The service this year is on Sunday, November 20 at 3pm. The church is normally packed but those who cannot get a seat are able to witness the laying of red roses on each crewman’s name on the memorial in the churchyard. The wreath laying also takes place at this time.
Image Credits: kt bruce .