Historic Photos

She was the busiest and the unluckiest of the boats. During one of the worst recorded storms in history in 1891 three of her crew lost their lives… it was on a stormy 9th March when the schooners Echo & Hugh Barclays where reported to be in difficulty in the bay off Lade, after being swept back to the shore three times the ‘sandal magna’ broke through the surf, only to be hit by a large wave turning her over and throwing her crew in the freezing sea, all but three crew making in ashore alive, they are laid to rest in the New Romney Churchyard, where their gravestones can be seen today.
Above is a photograph of their funeral outside the then boathouse.

Poem about loss of lifeboat crew

The best known of all the Littlestone Lifeboats was the ‘Sandal Magna’, which arrived at the New Romney Lifeboat station in 1884	She was the busiest and the unluckiest of the boats. During one of the worst recorded storms in history in 1891 three of her crew lost their lives… it was on a stormy 9th March when the schooners Echo & Hugh Barclays where reported to be in difficulty in the bay off Lade, after being swept back to the shore three times the ‘sandal magna’ broke through the surf, only to be hit by a large wave turning her over and throwing her crew in the freezing sea, all but three crew making in ashore alive, they are laid to rest in the New Romney Churchyard, where their gravestones can be seen today. Above is a photograph of their funeral outside the then boathouse. Poem about loss of lifeboat crew
	The ‘James Stevens No11’ was the new lifeboat at Littlestone in 1900, a 35 feet self righting boat, to accommodate her, a new boathouse and a launching ramp where constructed.
Rescue of 21 crew from the stranded German barque Schiller.	‘Harry Wright Russell’, introduced on 2nd august 1912 a 35 feet self righting boat
A New Era is born	1966 Crew
B Class Lifeboat Atlantic 17	B533 Atlantic 21
Current boathouse	Fred Clarke B785 - Atlantic 75 Current Lifeboat Stationed At Littlestone-on-sea