| The RNLI rescue of 525 souls from the
wreck of the White Star liner "SS Suevic" is remembered in a reconstruction of
the event. The 12,000 tonne liner SS Suevic was on her way to Southampton from
Australia when in dense fog and a strong gale, she struck the Stag Rocks, on
the Maenheere Reef, off the Lizard, Cornwall, England. |
| RNLI Volunteer Crews from the
Lizard, Cadgwith, Coverack and Porthleven rowed out repeatedly to the Suevic.
The rescue was the largest in the 183-year history of the RNLI. They were in
open boats and at the mercy of the sea. They went back to the Suevic time and
time again. It took volunteers 16 hours to rescue all of the people on
board. |
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| Six Silver RNLI medals were
later awarded, two of them to SS Suevic crew members who time and again climbed
down the side of the stricken ship to hand children to the waiting lifeboat
crews. A commemoration certificate, presented to the Lizard station to mark the
centenary of the rescue on March 17, 1907, now hangs in the Lizard boathouse.
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| The medals were awarded to:-
Edwin Rutter, Coxswain Superintendent Cadgwith Lifeboat, William Mitchell,
Coxswain Superintendent of The Lizard lifeboat and Edwin Mitchell, Assistant
Coxswain at The Lizard, Suevic crew members, George Anderson and William
‘Bill’ Adams and to the Rev. ‘Harry’ Vyvyan, the Honorary
Secretary at Cadgwith. |
|
| The commemoration certificate, signed by
the RNLI chief executive Andrew Freemantle and chairman Admiral Sir Jock
Slater, is to hang in the boathouse. Here being presented to Phil Burgess,
Coxswain of the Lizard lifeboat by Bob Drew, descendent of the Cadgwith
coxswain Edwin Rutter. |
 |
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| RNLI's Tamsin Thomas
and Bob Drew with commemoration certificate and medal. |
Silver
medal presented to Edwin Mitchell, Assistant Coxswain at The Lizard |
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