Lives Gallery

RNLI lifeboat Arab I at the quay, Padstow, Cornwall. 1883-1900

The lifeboat Arab I under sail off the quay at Padstow with the railway yards in the background. The lifeboat has a full compliment of women and children passengers with a good sized crowd of onlookers on the quay. It is noticeable that the crew of the Lifeboat are wearing cork life jackets, however, the passengers are not. RNLI Arab I (34 foot x 8 foot) was a gift from Mr R.A.B. Preston who had been saved from his yacht Arab. She was wrecked on 11th April 1900, without any loss of crew, while assisting the Lowestoft trawler Peace and Plenty. The steam lifeboat, James Stevens No 4, was also lost on the same night, together with eight members of her crew. Three crew members of the Peace and Plenty also lost their lives. Photographer: Unknown

© From the collection of the RIC

The Hayle lifeboat New Oriental Bank (later renamed E.F. Harrison) with the wreck of the SS Escurial in the background, Portreath, Cornwall. 25th January 1895

SS Escurial, an iron built schooner-rigged screw steamer built by Alex Stephens of Lighthouse, Govan, for Raeburn and Verel of Glasgow in 1879, was outward bound from Cardiff, laden with 1, 350 tons of coal for the Adriatic port of Fiume. The weather was bitterly cold with the threat of snow. She had a bows on collision with a Welsh pilot cutter at midnight, but neither was apparently harmed. However, in the rising seas Captain Andrews was concerned about a list that she had taken on while loading at Cardiff and ordered Second Officer Nicol to inspect the foreholds. This revealed a bad leak forward of the engine room. After a long battle to reduce the water intake and the list, which was further complicated by the failure of machinery plus injuries to members of the crew, life belts were issued and distress signals fired. As dusk fell, the gale increased with the wind from due north. The Hayle lifeboat had to be taken overland to Portreath to be launched. Several attempts at rescue were made by the lifeboat and coastguard rocket. In the photograph, men can be seen clinging to the ships rigging awaiting rescue. Of the crew of nineteen, eleven lives were lost due to the rescuers being unable to reach the vessel because of the position of the ships grounding far out in the surf, the mountainous seas and bitterly cold weather. Photographer: John Charles Burrow

© From the collection of the RIC

Gertrude Lawrence by Autori

Stylised caricature of Gertrude Lawrence (1898 - 1952), British actress and musical comedy performer at the time she was appearing in Private Lives by Noel Coward at the Phoenix Theatre in London. Date: 1930

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10554534

1930, Actress, Autori, Caricature, Caricatures, Coward, Gertrude, Lawrence, Lives, Noel, Portraits, Private, Star, Stars, Stylised, Theatre