Memorial Service at Bridlington.

THIS year, as for many years past, Bridlington held a memorial service for the six Bridlington life-boatmen who lost their lives in the great gale of 10th February, 1871.

An additional interest was given to the service this year by the fact that in January the remains of a boat were found by Mr. Alfred Hudson, of Brid- lington, at Kirkham Abbey on the Derwent, and these remains are thought to be the Harbinger, the life-boat from which the men were lost. It is known that after the gale the Harbinger lay for some time in the harbour at Bridlington, and then went to Stamford Bridge on the Derwent, being converted into a house-boat. The remains which were found by Mr. Hudson were little more than a skeleton and were being broken up for firewood.

The gale which burst on the North- east of England on 10th February, 1871, was of unusual severity, and at Bridlington there was the terrible spectacle of no fewer than seventeen ships ashore at the same time, rapidly breaking up. There were, at that time, two life-boats at Bridlington, a 32-feet self-righting life-boat stationed there by the Institution, and a smaller boat, not self-righting, locally built and locally owned, which was not considered suitable for work in a heavy sea. This was the Harbinger.

Both life-boats were launched, and did most gallant work. The Institu- tion's life-boat rescued three crews, and then for two hours was struggling unsuccessfully to reach a vessel which in the end turned completely over, with the loss of her whole crew. By this time the life-boatmen were so exhausted that some of them had to be carried up from the boat.

Meanwhile, the small life-boat had rescued five crews. She had then put out again to the help of two more vessels, but in getting alongside of them she was capsized, and six of her crew of nine were drowned. The record of this terrible day was that eight crews were rescued and six of the rescuers lost their lives.

Two Survivors.

For some years a memorial service for the six men was held every year.

About twenty years ago it was revived by Mr. C. H. Gray, who has more than once been Mavor of Bridlington, and since 1916 has been the honorary secretary of the Institu- tion's life-boat station. It has been held annually since then. This year it was held at the Priory Church, on the anniversary day itself, 10th Feb- ruary, which fell on a Sunday. It was preceded and followed by a pro- cession, headed by the Bridlington motor life-boat, in which the Town Council, and the representatives of many organizations took part.

In the evening there was a concert at which nearly 3,000 people were present.

The back-cloth of the stage was a picture of Bridlington Bay as it was at the height of the great gale, and on the stage were two men who were out in that gale. One of them, John Newby, now eighty-eight years old, is the only local survivor of the fishermen who were afloat in the bay that day, and the other, George Knowsley, now eighty-nine, is the only man still alive of the Harbinger's crew..