The women of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea are certainly no strangers to the peril that the North Sea can bring; whether that was waiting for the catch to come ashore or mourning those who never did make their return. The involvement of the town’s women with the lifeboat institution resulted in a much-needed life-saving service being provided.
A pamphlet entitled “Royal National Lifeboat Institution Newbiggin 1851-1951″ (NRO 7847/11) provides more details…
“The good ladies of Newbiggin have always played an important part in the work of the local Lifeboat station, in fact, it is doubtful whether they could have been done without”.
“When the launchings were necessarily hand-operated, it was the women who took the lion’s share of the work that was handed out. It was usually the cry of “of every man to the boat and every woman to the rope” and they certainly more than pulled their weight”. The women would wade out in to the water, often up to their necks, undoubtedly weighed down by layers of clothing, heaving a rope and putting themselves in a position of great danger ensuring that the Lifeboat was successfully put to sea. Then repeating the whole exercise when the Lifeboat returned to shore.
In February 1940 the women towed the lifeboat a mile overland when it was launched away from its usual station. For their actions the women received the RNLIs ‘thanks on vellum’; “It took more than rock and sand to stop the “weaker sex” on that occasion when the call for assistance was made”.
By the time the pamphlet was published in the early 1950s it was their fundraising through the Women’s Lifeboat Guild that was instrumental to the continued success of the Lifeboats in the town; “Although the days are gone when every woman, no matter how young or old they were, used to play their part in launching the boat and wearily dragging it back to the boat station, they still do a useful job”.
Elsewhere in Northumberland, Margaret Armstrong from Cresswell became known as the ‘second Grace Darling’ for her involvement in rescuing those aboard a struggling steamer. Originally published in February 2018, here is Margaret’s story….
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