Stone Sermons: Monuments, Memory and the 'Mexico' Disaster

                                                Souvenir Newsletter of the North West Research Group of the Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society, December 1986 Frank Kilroy Collection, Lancashire Archives As a slight diversion writing a chapter for my PhD, I thought I'd add another post to my blog. The chapter is about the centenary commemorations of the Mexico disaster in 1986, which is a great way to consider the continuing relevance of the monument and how the disaster was framed almost a century later. Most of my comparisons go back to the unveiling of the Mexico monument on 23 May 1888, but I am also thinking about the immediate aftermath of the disaster in December 1886. In 1986 a committee was established by the local RNLI including Frank Kilroy, the Lifeboat Operations Manager for Lytham St Anne's, and author of The Wreck of the "Mexico" , fi...

 I have not been able to find time to add much to the blog recently as I have been focussing on writing for the PhD, but I thought I would add another short piece at the close of the year. It is particularly relevant as we have just passed the 134 th anniversary (9-10 December) of the Mexico Disaster. December 1886 would have been a particularly difficult time in the environs of St Anne's, Lytham and Southport as bereaved families tried to come to terms with the loss of loved ones and breadwinners, and communities mourned whilst local leaders instigated fundraising efforts for those families. Lytham Times , 15 December 1886 This year’s anniversary is obviously not a significant number, but it was nonetheless remembered on the 'St Anne's Past' and the 'Southport of Yesterday' Facebook sites. There are also moves to have more significant commemorations next year for the 135 th anniversary. Evidently the events of December 1886 still have resonance for many in bo...