In terms of loss of life, the Mexico Disaster, as it
has become known, is still the most significant lifeboat disaster in the United
Kingdom. The events of the night of 9 December 1886 in the Ribble estuary have been
well documented, particularly in books and pamphlets by Frank Kilroy, Gilbert
and John Mayes, David Forshaw and J Allen Miller /Andrew Farthing. Anyone wanting full accounts of the events
should consult these works (see 'Sources' below) but here are the essential
details.
A few days before the Mexico disaster the lifeboats Laura
Janet and Charles Biggs (from Lytham) had gone out to rescue the
crew of a coast steamer, the Yan Yean, which had attempted to anchor in
the Ribble estuary in adverse weather conditions but ended up on a sandbank and
taking in water. The crew took to the rigging, only being rescued at the last
moment. This was the first successful rescue by the St Anne's lifeboat station.
The storm that had wrecked the Yan Yean worsened and
on Wednesday 8 December became full storm force. In the wake of this the German
barque Mexico, after trying to anchor in the estuary, was grounded close
to Southport and sent up a distress flare at 9pm on Thursday 9 December. Lifeboats
from Lytham, St Anne’s and Southport were launched to attempt a rescue. The men
of the Lytham boat successfully saved the crew of the Mexico but the
captain of the German vessel said that he had not seen any other lifeboats and Charles
Biggs's crew were unaware of the fate of the boats from Southport and St
Anne’s.
There were two survivors from the Southport vessel who managed
to get out of the boat when it hit sand and made for the shore. One of these two,
Henry Robinson, had been assisted by a man called Rimmer who reported the incident
to the Birkdale police and news of the disaster spread. The Eliza Fernley
had actually got within twenty yards of the Mexico when she was turned
over by a large wave and would not right herself. Most of the crew were trapped
underneath and succumbed to the cold and lack of oxygen. Searches along the shoreline
soon began to find bodies. Some had already passed away whilst others lasted a
short while before dying. There was one other survivor, John Jackson, who had
been washed ashore and managed to walk back home.
Meanwhile there was no news of the Laura Janet. A
telegram from Southport reported that three unidentified bodies had been found
and William Yates, Landsman at the St Anne's station went by train to Southport
to identify them. He later telegraphed back to St Anne's that the upturned boat
had been found and nine bodies of the missing crew had been recovered. All the remaining
bodies were discovered soon after apart from that of a Thomas Bonney which was
washed up in Southport in the following March.
The bodies of twenty-two men were laid out in the stables at
the Palace Hotel in Birkdale, Southport which had become a makeshift mortuary.
Many people in the town came to view the bodies and there are several accounts
in newspaper reports. There were also some harrowing descriptions of the scenes
in sermons given at local churches and subsequently reported by the press. The bodies
of the St Anne's men came home by train and were returned to the families in Lytham
and St Anne’s prior to the funerals which took place on Tuesday 14 December.
| Postcard commemorating the crew of the Eliza Fernley |
The story is a truly tragic one and it was one which at the
time precipitated concerted efforts to raise funds for the families of the deceased
in both St Anne's and Southport. A
central disaster fund was established and subsequently local committees in both
towns administered the funds and made provision for the families over a number
of years. The minutes of the St Anne’s Disaster Committee give a fascinating insight
into Victorian philanthropy which is becoming part of my wider research.
Once such provisions were established surplus funds were then
made available for monuments in the local areas. Southport has a memorial in
Duke Street Cemetery and there is also an obelisk on the promenade which commemorates
the loss of life in the Mexico disaster as well as the work of local lifeboat
crews generally. In the Lytham St Annes area, along with the promenade
monument, there are memorials in graveyards at St Cuthbert's Church, Lytham and
St Anne’s Church, St Anne's as well as Layton Cemetery, Blackpool. My focus is
the promenade monument at St Anne's and future posts will look more closely at its
design, commissioning and unveiling.
Sources
Forshaw, David. On Those
Infernal Ribble Banks: A Record of Lifesaving By the Lifeboats of Lytham St
Annes. 2nd ed edition. Great Northern Pub, 2006.
Kilroy,
Frank. The Wreck of the 'Mexico'. Rev. ed.]. Lytham: R.N.L.I., Lytham
St. Annes Branch, 2012.
Miller,
J. Allen. The Great Lifeboat Disaster of
1886. Edited by Andrew
N. Farthing. Southport: Sefton Council, Leisure Services Department, 2001.
Andrew Walmsley, July 2020
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/history/about/people/andrew-walmsley
Jackson was a relation from me ,T or J not certain
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