Double lifeboat disaster ends in the death of 27 crewmen

Coxswain William Johnson looks out to sea atop the memorial to the 1886 St Annes lifeboat disaster which stands on the seafront at St Annes in Lancashire.

When the Hamburg-registered barque, Mexico went aground in a gale near Southport in Lancashire on December 9, 1886, two lifeboats were lost while making rescue attempts. The Eliza Fernley from Southport capsized with the loss of 13 of her sixteen crew, while the St Annes lifeboat, Laura Janet was launched to assist. At some point, this craft was overturned by waves and all fourteen crew members drowned. It was the largest loss ever incurred by the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. All the crew of the Mexico were later saved by a third lifeboat.

Fingers pointing Upwards

In revisiting my folder of images taken in Fleetwood Cemetery earlier this year, I came across one of the most ornate representations of a finger pointing heavenwards I have seen. It is on the headstone that marks the grave of Richard Price who died in 1875.

I then came across another on the grave of Matthew Till who died in 1920. Here, the message clasped in the hand is pretty stark. It simply states: "We Shall Meet".

Scritch, Scratch!

I can remember being at Primary School and being taught to write with a dip pen. The nib would be dipped into the inkwell and then moved across the paper. Scritch, scratch it went. Oh, those were the days, weren't they.

You can imagine my pleasure when I noticed a hand with a pen on the front of a gravestone recently. A writer's grave, I thought, but I was wrong. It marked the grave of a lawyer. It was still a very fine example of graveyard symbolism. Alfrey Percy Ames was his name - born 1872 and died 1953.

Naming of Names

As I was leaving the Fleetwood Cemetery in Lancashire, I approached more recent graves from behind and noticed that a large number of them had a single surname or forename on the reverse. I guess that when someone is visiting a plot where most of headstones are similar in shape or colour, it is is much easier to find someone with the name on the back. Has anyone come across this custome anywhere else?

A Balloonist's Grave

Twenty years ago, I happened across a military cemetery in Aldershot - a town then known as the home of the British Army. It was full of fascinating characters whose remains were buried there. Opening another dusty box today, I found this photograph that I had taken of the grave of a military balloonatic [I tend to describe early baloonists thus as they must have been mad to take such flights!

The sword draped cross marks the grave of Lt Caulfield of the Royal Engineers who lost his life while on duty in the Military Baloon 'Thrasher'. A guide to the cemetery notes:

Lieutenant William Caulfeild, Royal Engineers. Killed along with fellow Officer, Lt Martin-Leake RAMC, whilst demonstrating to King Edward VII and Prince Fushimi of Japan, military balloon ‘Thrasher’, on 25 May 1907 at Aldershot. The balloon headed SW and was last seen close to Abbotsbury, Nr Weymouth only 40 feet from the ground. One of the balloonists shouted to a nearby farmer to catch the trail rope, unfortunately he failed to do so and the two men were never seen again. The next day the trawler ‘Skylark’ picked up a tangled mess of cordage and fabric – all that remained of the ‘Thrasher’.

If they were never seen again, why the grave? Perhaps someone out there knows the reason? It would be nice to hear why
.

Hands clasped in Memory 2

Since my last post, I have revisted the folder of photographs taken in Fleetwood Cemetery and think I may have found two female hands clasped on a gravestone. The clothing on the wrist of the hand on the right is slightly worn, but sufficiently 'frilly' to look feminine. I compared it to others in the same cemetery and the only other variation from the jacket sleeve with shirt cuff bearing a cufflink was what seemed to be a knitted [perhaps Fairisle?] pullover sleeve. The latter being a popular item of clothing among males working in the then Fleetwood fishing fleet.


It is quite an interesting gravestone and besides, possibly, hiding some tragic event, it also demonstrates the potential for confusion when first read.

Robert C Stirzaker
Son of John and Mary Stirzaker
Who died February 28, 1893
Aged 24 years

Also Martha, Wife of Robert, the aforsesaid
Died April 6, 1893, aged 25 years

Also Daniel C Stirzaker, their son
Died October 3, 1893, aged 23 years

. . . . . .

Also the above John Stirzaker
Who died February 5, 1907
Aged 69 years

Also Mary Stirzaker
Wife of the Above
Who died May 31, 1911
Aged 72 years

Once we have worked out that Daniel is the son of John and Mary and not of Robert and Martha as the inscription seems to indicate - the confusion - we are left with the fact that a man, his wife and his brother died within a few months of each other.

I have not looked at Census Returns or Death Certificates, but Margeret Pangert is fond of inviting people to use their imagination to come up with a reason for something. So I'll start:

I immediately thought that illness might have been involved - husband and wife - and maybe the brother killed himself in grief. Then, I thought that, perhaps, the brother had an affair with the wife, the husband killed himself and the errant wife couldn't live with her guilt . . . Maybe, then, the guilt of unintentionally causing the deaths of the other two weighed heavily on his mind . . . ?

That's my thoughts, but my writers' imagination has probably worked overtime. What do you think happened?

Hands clasped in Memory

The other day I was thinking about hands on gravestones, sometimes pointing heavenwards or sometimes clasped. The latter can be seen in profusion in Fleetwood Cemetery in Lancashire. As is the norm with the clasped hand symbolism, one hand is female, the other male. Has anyone ever seen two male hands or two female hands on a gravestone?

I was taken with the clasped hands on the stone pictured above this post. On occasion, as with this example, a finger points down to earth. I seem to remember it indicates a continuing connection with life on earth - perhaps with one partner surviving the other? What do others think?