Eleven Lives Lost on the Yorkshire Coast.

ON the evening of 24th September, 1935, the steam trawler Skegness, of Hull, returning to Hull from the Faroes, with eleven men on board, went ashore under Speeton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast between Filey and Flamborough. The cliffs at that point are over 400 feet high, and the shore below them is strewn with enormous boulders. So far as can be judged, it was about nine in the evening when the Skegness struck. At the moment the weather conditions were not bad.

The tide was low and the Skegness would be sheltered from the wind, which was south-east. The wind, however, was increasing and backing to north-east, and as soon as the tide began to make, less than an hour after she struck, the trawler would be in great danger. An hour or so later it was blowing a gale from the north-east, with a very rough sea and heavy rain.

The life-boat stations on that part of the Yorkshire coast are Flamborough, three and a quarter miles to the south of where the Skegness lay; Filey, four and a half miles to the north; and Scarborough, eleven miles to the north.

The First Message.

The first news that the Skegness was ashore was received at 9.15 P.M., at Scarborough, where the master of a trawler, who was at home listening in on his wireless on the trawler wave length, picked up a message from her asking for help. He went at once to his own trawler in the harbour, which had a transmitter as well as a receiver, and answered her call. He found that her master did not know exactly where he was. He said that he was not in immediate danger, and that he did not want a life-boat, but he asked that a boat should be sent out to stand by him. The weather was by that time too bad for motor boats to put out.

One, the Progress, tried, but had to put back. Meanwhile the master of the Scarborough trawler remained in communication with the Skegness. Her master now said that she was bumping hard, that he would like the help of the life-boat, and that he would try to launch a boat himself. He was told that this was madness. He must stick to his ship until help came.

It was not until 10 P.M. (after the Progress had put out and returned, and three-quarters of an hour after the first message from the Skegness had been picked up) that the Scarborough life- boat station was told. The message as it reached the life-boat coxswain was that a trawler was ashore on Filey Brigg, which is an island and reef running out from a rocky headland, six miles south of Scarborough, and five miles north of Speeton Cliffs. The coxswain at once rang up the coast- guard, who replied that there was nothing ashore on the Brigg. More messages reached the coxswain, and he again rang up the coastguard, who again assured him that there was no wreck on the Brigg.

The only certain thing seemed to be that a vessel was in danger somewhere, and the coxswain rightly decided that his duty was to remain by his telephone until the coastguard could tell him where she was.

Scarborough Launches.

At 11.10 he heard the life-boat maroons fired, went down to the life- boathouse and found that the life-boat had been launched without him. The crew had been ready assembled at the life-boathouse, and messages were continually being received that a trawler was in urgent need of help on Filey Brigg. Many fishermen and others had gathered round the house, and were demanding that the life-boat should be launched at once. The crowd had taken charge, and the second coxswain at last felt compelled to yield to its demands. Without waiting for the coxswain, he gave orders for the life-boat to be launched.

She made for Filey Brigg, and searched a long time for the wreck, but could find nothing. She then returned to Scarborough, arriving at two o'clock next morning. She had been out for nearly three hours looking for the Skegness, five miles away from where she actually was. Meanwhile the news of the wreck had been received at the life-boat stations at Flamborough and Filey, and both these life-boats and the Board of Trade's rocket life-saving apparatus at Speeton had been called out.

Flamborough and Filey Launch.

Flamborough (three and a quarter miles from the wreck) had received, shortly after ten o'clock, vague messages picked up on the wire- less, and then, at 10.30, a message from the Royal Naval Signal Station on Flamborough Head which said defi- nitely that a vessel was in distress between Flamborough and Filey, and that lights could be seen under Speeton Cliffs. At 10.55 the motor life-boat Elizabeth and Albino. Whitley was launched.

Filey (four and a half miles from the wreck) had learnt at 10.15 that lights had been seen under Speeton Cliffs, and that wireless telephone messages had been received saying that a trawler was in difficulties. At 11.10 the Filey pulling and sailing life-boat, Hollon the Third, was launched The Wreck Found.

The same message which had been sent to the Flamborough and Filey life-boat stations was sent also to the Speeton coastguard (that lights could be seen under Speeton Cliffs). This arrived at 10.30. At once the rocket life- saving apparatus was assembled and a search-party sent out along the cliffs.

Just after midnight it found the Skeg- ness. It could see the light of an electric torch on board. The Flam- borough motor life-boat arrived about the same time, and went as close to the cliffs as she dared. For about two hours she cruised up and down, but in the darkness and driving rain she could see no sign of the wreck. There was one flicker of light under the cliffs, but it went out at once.

At one in the morning the Filey pulling and sailing life-boat arrived and spoke the Flamborough life-boat.

Both life-boats could see the lights of the coastguard on the top of the cliff, 400 feet up, but of the wreck herself nothing, and on that rock-strewn shore, with a very heavy sea running, it was impossible for a life-boat to anchor and drop down unless she knew not only exactly where the wreck was, but how she lay.

At last the life-boats gave up the search. Filey beat home again and reached her station at three in the morning. The Flamborough life-boat could not come ashore at Flamborough in the gale that was blowing, and went on to Bridlington Harbour, where she arrived at 3.15 A.M.

Rockets Blown Back.

The efforts to reach the Skegness from the cliffs above had also failed.

The life-saving apparatus had arrived shortly before one in the morning.

So fierce were the wind and rain that the men had to crawl on their stomachs to reach the cliff-edge. A big lamp was set up, but its light could not reach the wreck. All that the coastguard had to guide them was the electric torch on the wreck, but after half an hour this was not seen again. A rocket was fired horizontally from the cliff, but the gale blew it back on to the cliff.

Two more rockets were fired. They were both blown back. At 1.50 A.M.

a searchlight was rigged up. In its light men could be seen in the trawler's wheel-house, alive, and three more rockets were fired, but from that height, and in the gale blowing, it was impossible to reach the wreck.

After three o'clock there was no sign of life on board the Skegness, but the district inspector of coastguard on Speeton Cliffs decided to make one more effort. About four in the morn- ing he sent an urgent request through the Filey life-boat station for the motor life-boats at Scarborough and Flamborough to be launched again.

Scarborough and Flamborough Launch Again.

The Scarborough boat got away at 4.30. The Flamborough crew, after leaving their boat at Bridlington, had returned home by motor. They ar- rived just after the message from the district inspector was received. Stop- ping only to get into dry clothes, they went back to Bridlington, and at five o'clock put out again.

The Scarborough life-boat was the first to reach the wreck. This was at six o'clock. It was then possible to see the trawler. Her funnel and wheel- house had been washed away, and there was no sign of life on board.

The watchers on the cliff signalled to the life-boat to return to her station.

She arrived there again at 8.20 in the morning.

At 7.30, an hour and a half after the Scarborough life-boat had reached the Skegness, the Flamborough life-boat arrived. She, too, saw what Scarbor- ough had seen—a wreck, swept from end to end by heavy seas, on which it was impossible for anyone to be alive.

The watchers on the cliff signalled to her to return to her station. It was still impossible for her to land at Flam- borough, so she went on again to Bridlington, arriving at 9.30 A.M.

The Filey life-boat had been out once, for nearly four hours; Scar- borough twice, for over six and a half hours; and Flamborough twice, for nearly nine hours.

The Inquest.

At the inquest the master of the Scarborough trawler, who first picked up the call from the Skegness, said that the message as sent by him to the coxswain of the life-boat was that the trawler was under Speeton Cliffs. This statement was repeated in letters to the press. The life-boat coxswain gave evidence that the message was that the trawler was ashore at Filey Brigg.

On this point it is sufficient to say that the two men of the motor boat Progress, which went out in the hope of helping the Skegness before the message of her distress was sent to the life-boat, both affirm that they were told that she was ashore at Filey Brigg, and that no other place was mentioned.

The coroner's jury found that every- thing possible had been done by the three life-boats and the life-saving company.

Of the three life-boat crews the Flamborough men had the hardest time. They were awarded increased money rewards, and a letter of ap- preciation was sent to them and to Mr. John W. Bayes, the honorary secre- tary of the station. The awards were as follows :—• Filey : £1 5s. Od. to the coxswain and each member of the crew; the total awards, including those to the helpers, being £26 2s. Od. ; Scarborough: £2 4s. Od. to the coxswain and each member of the crew ; the total awards, including those to ninety helpers at the first launch, and sixty-seven at the second, being £69 9*. Od.; Flamborough: £3 14s. Od. to the cox- swain and each member of the crew ; the total awards, including those to the launchers, being £36 7s. Od.

The total of the awards to the three stations was £131 18s. Od..