The first few years after I was made second coxswain in 1951 were quiet for Sheringham lifeboat. Merchant shipping safety had improved, with radar and other navigational aids being installed in vessels. Pleasure craft were becoming popular on the South Coast but less so off Norfolk, although we did save 2 from a racing dinghy ‘Meringue’ in 1952.
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| 'Foresters Centenary' Returning: early 1950's |
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| Sheringham lifeboat: Early 1950's |
During the early 1950’s, other ports on the East Coast suffered loss of life not only from lifeboat work but also from fishing. Many of these crews were known to us as we had friends and relatives up and down the coast. We knew more about the goings-on at Flamborough and Filey, Yorkshire, 100 miles along the coast than we did about Fakenham 10 miles or so inland. During these years every other edition of the quarterly Lifeboat journal had the report of an East Coast lifeboat tragedy, which were often within sight of land, close to shore or harbour entrance.
The following summary confirms Henry's reminiscences of the 1950's:
The loss of the Davies brothers at Cromer from ‘Boy Jimmy’ in 1953 affected us in Sheringham as we worked the same fishing grounds as them.
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| Wreck of 'Boy Jimmy' at Cromer |
Earlier in 1953 a widespread disaster occurred along the East Coast – the North Sea Floods.
The greatest peacetime natural disaster for UK in the 20th centurary was the East Coast Floods of 31st January- 1st February 1953. Henry wrote the following description of the events which devastated both sides of the North Sea with the loss of over 2000 on the Benelux coasts and many hundreds on the English and Scottish East Coasts, as well as out at sea. The height of the storm and floods occurred at night time and Henry wrote the following word picture of the event as it occurred at Sheringham.
A Day in January 1953 – A Day To Remember
During the winter of 1952 -53, we were whelking off Cley, when the weather permitted. On Thursday 29th January it was fine but a very cold day. We went to haul our pots in ‘Our Boys’, a round trip of four hours and we obtained a good haul of whelks. We didn’t intend to go any more that week, the weather forecast was not good for Friday 30th with a low glass and dropping.
On the Saturday we all got our boats up off the beach and on to Beach Road after hearing of a Northerly gale in the forecast.
The following photos (1 to 3) were taken during a sudden storm in the 1990’s. Although unexpected, it was a small fraction of the power of the 1953 floods.
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| Bringing a 'Our Boys' onto Beach Road (1) |
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| A Stormy View (2) |
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| On the East Beach (3) |
We had taken this precaution many times in the past and the boats would be kept off the beach and up Beach Road until the weather moderated.
During Saturday 31st the barometer continued to fall giving us a warning of some very bad weather to come – little did we know how bad it was going to be. Nevertheless, we took the precaution of moving the boats further up Beach Road. As we left the sea front that Saturday we all knew we were in for a bad night.
We heard at 5pm on the 31st that the sea had broken through the defences at Cley and Salthouse about 10 miles to the west of Sheringham, and that the coast road was flooded. As a result, we decided to move the boats a third time, to the top of Beach Road.
The sea by this time was at the bottom of Beach Road (Photo 1) and had reached the top of the West End gangway by the Henry Ramey Upcher lifeboat shed doors. At the East End beach it was now depositing stones, and wooden pieces from boats that had washed off the West End beach. A huge wave lifted ‘Liberty’, the Craske’s hoveller, and left her on top of the wall at the top of the gangway.
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| 'Liberty' on the Wall at the West End Gangway |
We heard reports of hundreds of people having to leave their homes along the coast. The North Sea Surge, as it was later called, had gone past Suffolk and reached the Essex coast by this time, which as about 9pm.
All this time we wondered about the lifeboat at the end of the prom. You couldn’t get near the cliff edge as the huge seas were crashing on to the bottom and washing away the footings.
We decided to meet at Henry ‘Downtide’ West’s, the coxswain, in Cremer Street. From there, we set off at about midnight with our torches as many of the street lights were out. As we got near the front, the sea was roaring so that you couldn’t make yourself heard. At the bottom of the Coastguard slope we found that part of the promenade had gone and that we were climbing in and out of huge holes in the concrete, where electric cables were exposed.
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| Damaged Promenade at Coastguard Slopes |
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| Sheringham Lifeboat House on 2nd February 1953 |
We got to the boathouse in about half an hour and it was a sight that I shall never forget. It was as if the lifeboat shed had been bombed.
The concrete walkway at the seaward side had all gone and we could not get in the back door, so we somehow made our way to the front, and here we saw the damage the huge seas had done. Not one piece of the big doors was left and all the windows were out.
The lifeboat and carriage had washed into the viewing platform on the cliff side of the building. For hours the boat house must have been awash as the tide had left about 2 feet or more of stones, cliff sand and all sorts of debris on the floor of the boathouse.
We inspected the lifeboat with our torches and were thankful that there wasn’t any damage to the hull, but a lot of glass spread all over the canopy and deck. After a look in the upstairs watch-room and workshop, we decided that nothing could be done that night and the best thing was to get home and meet at the Admiralty Arch at 9am and make our way to the boathouse once it was safe enough to do so.
The sea was still very rough the following morning and we got to the boathouse at 10am. The boathouse looked a sorry site, like a ruined building.
During the night word had got round the whole town that help would be needed at the lifeboat house and that wheel-barrows, shovels and brooms would be required. Throughout the morning workmen from builders, painters, shop-keepers, bakers etc. arrived. It seemed that half the town turned up to help. We appointed a tea boy as there would be many stops for a cuppa. We left the clearing up of the floor to the many volunteers, while we, the lifeboat crew, got on with looking over the lifeboat.
Teddy ‘Lux’ Craske, the First Mechanic, reported to Coxswain ‘Downtide’ West that all was OK in the engine room. Also, we had to make sure that the sea had not got into the water-tight lockers. During the morning we heard that both our flank stations, Wells and Cromer were ‘Off Service’ due to storm damage. So, as we were in the same situation, for the time being all North Norfolk lifeboats couldn’t put to sea.
Work continued at a good pace to get our lifeboat back on service. Teddy Craske got the boathouse generator working in case we had a night call. The huge winch needed drying out before it could be started.
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| Winch and Tractor in the Boathouse |
By this time all ropes were run out, cleaned and hung up, as was all the launching gear. All stones, cliff sand and beach material had been cleared from the boathouse but it took time to hose down afterwards. Lifeboat clothing needed drying before we moved the lifeboat.
While all the helpers were still there it wasn’t long before we had the lifeboat back in the centre of the boathouse. After making sure all was as it should be, we phoned Cromer Coastguards and reported that Sheringham Lifeboat was ready for service at around 4pm on Sunday 1st February 1953.
The turntable was not operational as it was full of stones etc. up to the decking. So we phoned the Coastguard to say that we would not be able to launch for one hour on either side of High Water. Launching would have to be down the West slipway.
All the sea-front from the boathouse to Beeston Hill had suffered damage at the foot of the cliffs. The whole of the East Coast of England and Scotland had become a national disaster area with urgent repairs required.
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| Promenade Damage near the Lifeboat Station |
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| Wall and Old Lifeboat Slipway Destroyed at The Mo |
First Lifeboat Call After the Floods
Later on Monday 2nd February, Cromer Coastguard phoned the lifeboat Honorary Secretary to say that a flare had been seen North of our station. It was believed to be from a Consul aircraft that may have come down in the sea.
Maroons were fired. The weather had moderated during day but the tide was half out, so it would be a low-water launch through the deep channel at Skelding Hole.
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| 50 Volunteers Launching 'Foresters Centenary' 2nd Feb 1953 |
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| 'Foresters Centenary' being Pulled onto the Sands |
Once on the sands the tractor did the rest.
We had a crew of nine in the ‘Foresters Centenary’. When far enough out, the carriage retaining ropes were released and the tractor crew reversed to pull us off the carriage and give us a good launch at 2.15pm.
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| 'Foresters Centenary' Launching on 2nd Feb. 1953 |
The Coxswain made for the deepest part of Skelding Hole. It was rough but with good visibility. As we came to the first sea we took a bit of water on board. The second sea stopped the lifeboat in her tracks – some say she went backwards.
The Coxswain asked the First Mechanic for more speed – “Give her the lot, Teddy!” he shouted. Back came the reply from Teddy “She’s got the lot and had the lot since we’ve been off!”
We made a little more speed as we went further through Skelding Hole. Cromer Coastguards asked us to go North North East and search inside Sheringham Shoal. The weather was getting better all the time. We searched about 4 miles off with good visibility.
After one hour Cromer Coastguards called and suggested that we make a search further out, just inside Sheringham Shoal. It was far too rough to go across the Sands. We saw nothing.
As it turned out to be one white flare, Cromer Coastguards suggested a search further East for half an hour. Again nothing was seen, then we were told to return to station at 5.30pm..
As we came nearer the shore, we could all see the coast from Cromer to Weybourne and how the North Sea ‘Surge’ had done so much damage.
It was found out later that the Consul aircraft had landed safely, so this service launch was classified as ‘false alarm with good intent’.
As the sea went down, we moved our boats down Beach Road and later on to the beach ready to get to sea to find our whelk pots. We knew that they would be all tangled up, and that would be the end of whelking for that Winter. A small price, compared to the many lives that were lost at other places all along the East Coast.
