The Life Savers

The roots of organised life-saving were laid down as early as the 18th century with the creation of community volunteer groups. Specialised lifeboats came into being and, with the help of funding from Lloyd"s of London, there were 26 lifeboat stations by 1825.

Shipwrecks and the subsequent loss of life were widespread at the time and life-saving apparatus and regulations were issued to the Coast Guard, it was not until the Merchant Shipping Act of 1845 that it was given any direct responsibility.

Illustrated London News, December 1886;

"The marine department of the Board of Trade now maintains about three hundred stations furnished with complete life-saving apparatus - 195 on the coast of England and Wales, 45 on those of Scotland, 51 on the Irish coasts, and others in the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and Heligoland, besides supplying many more with life-belts and lines. The apparatus is under the charge of the Coast Guard, wherever there is a Coast Guard station, and in many cases there are companies of volunteers, not connected with the Life-boat service, who are enrolled up to a number sufficient, with the Coast Guard, or in the absence of the Coast Guard to provide 25 men for working the apparatus.

They are to be under the orders of the local Coast Guard officer, the Customs Officers, the receivers of Wreck "or under the superintendence of some person of influence in the neighbourhood". The first enrolled Volunteer Life Brigade, in December 1864, was at Tynemouth, on the coast of Northumberland, this example was soon followed at South Shields, at Cullercoats, and at Sunderland, and subsequently on the Cumberland coast, at Whitehaven, and Workington, and on other coasts of Great Britain."

Rocket Cart Apparatus consisted of: Whip Block and Tally Board Hawser Cutter Heaving Cane & Line Rocket Machine Fuze Box Rocket Whip, Hawser and Breeches Buoy Cliff Ladder Wagon Light Rocket Line Box Portfire Showing Rocket Line "faked" in Box Triangle Anchor Cliff Rescue Helmet >>>
Lifesaving Apparatus