Talk:Penlee lifeboat disaster
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can you explain what "solomon Brown " is and what's happened
- Everything is clearly explained in the article. Icundell 23:21, 23 May 2006 (UTC)
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WikiProject Irish Maritime is an attempt to expand, improve and standardise the content and structure of Maritime, seafaring and inland waterways articles associated with the island of Ireland. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this notice, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion. |
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[edit] Tribute poem
I have removed the section from the article that contained the memorial peom (more appropriate in Wikisource?) but the text is below:
[edit] A Tribute
The year 2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster. The following poem was written by Brian O’Dowda (Bodowda@ntlworld.com) in January 1982 and is dedicated to the heroism of the Solomon Browne’s crew.
Duty
- Teatime in Cornwall on a Saturday night,
- Just six days to Christmas, the storm at its height
- A maroon was sent up that brought men at the run,
- But this was Penlee, and the year eighty-one.
- Cox Richards saw the fearful might of the sea
- And breathed a soft prayer that the boat would slip free
- He’ll not get her launched, the experienced ones knew,
- But William calmly selected his crew.
- He turned back Neil Brockman though eager and brave,
- And slipped the ‘Browne’ towards the wild tempest wave.
- “Just one from each house” His cry lost on the storm,
- But out of such wisdom legends are born
- James Madron, Nigel Brockman, say their names with pride,
- With Barry Torrie and Gary Wallis; but why had they died?
- For a Lloyds Open Charter and a deadly delay,
- While a tugboat stood handy – but would owners pay?
- Kevin Smith was on leave but he didn’t wait,
- With Charles Greenhough and John Blewett went to their fate.
- To man the swift lifeboat and take on the storm
- For saving men’s lives is why they were born.
- And what a staggering total of lives they had won
- Solomon Brown’s tally had reached ninety-one!
- She crashed through the gale for the three-hundredth time
- To raise her saved number to around ninety-nine.
- They succeeded at first past their own wildest dreams
- To pluck frightened victims from the coaster’s deck beams
- One, two, three four were hauled safely aboard
- While a Culdrose Sea King could do naught but record
- The fantastic bravery of the Solomon’s crew
- Returning time after time – what more could they do?
- In sixty-foot seas that were December cold
- That fearless young crew that would never grow old
- But the heroic rescue was doomed from the start
- When the furious storm played her own heartless part
- Reclaiming those lives so desperately won
- From Mousehole and Penlee, in the year eighty-one
- Brian O’Dowda January 1982
-- ALoan (Talk) 10:56, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] BBC documentary
In August 2006, the BBC had a very good documentary on the disaster on TV. It had a long interview with the helicopter pilot who tried to help and saw parts of what happened. Oddly, he was an American Navy pilot on exchange with the Royal Navy at the time.
It was very moving and could be a source for additional information here.
