Mexico Lifeboat Disaster

Have you seen this statue of a lifeboat man, held high against the seafront at St Annes? It’s a tribute to the Mexico Lifeboat Disaster – one the RNLI’s worst-ever tragedies – where crew from Lytham St Annes lost their lives.

The Night of the Mexico Lifeboat Disaster

The Mexico was a German cargo ship, a barque on its way from Liverpool to Guayaquil in Ecuador. However, on 9 December 1886, a full WNW gale wrecked it in a gale off Southport. The Captain of the ship sent out distress signals, fearing the vessel would be blown onto sandbanks and to her doom.

The Lytham, St Annes and Southport Lifeboats answered the call. Although rushing to save the crew of the Mexico, by this time she was blowing down the River Ribble.

• First, the Eliza Fernley lifeboat launched from Southport. It capsized, losing 14 of the crew of 16.

• Shortly afterwards the St Annes lifeboat ‘Laura Janet’ set sail. Exactly what happened to it remains unknown – but the next morning the lifeboat was found, washed ashore. Three dead bodies still clung to it. All the crew of 13 men lost their lives.

• A third lifeboat, the Charles Biggs from Lytham, also launched. On its first rescue they successfully saved the twelve crew of the Mexico.

Don’t miss a thing. Get VFC newsletters direct to your inbox.

Sign up to receive interesting information, news & events every week. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms, conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Don’t miss a thing. Get VFC newsletters direct to your inbox.

Sign up to receive interesting information, news & events every week

  By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms, conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

The Mexico Disaster – the RNLI’s worst loss of life

To date, the Mexico Lifeboat Disaster is still the worst loss of RNLI crew in a single incident. In total, 27 men lost their lives, leaving 16 widows and 50 orphans behind. A tragedy of national importance, an appeal launched to raise money to help the families, and for a memorial. It was this fundraising which led to the first RNLI flag days. Generous donors included Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm.

This is the memorial of a lifeboatman looking out to sea, you can find it on the promenade at St Annes, not far from the Pier and paddling pool.

Other Mexico Disaster Memorials

There are other local memorials to the disaster. Find them in the lifeboat house at Lytham St Annes and at St Cuthbert’s Churchyard, Lytham. There’s also one in the churchyard at Southport.

Local RNLI Heroes in Layton Cemetery

Denys Barber is a local historian and tour guide at Layton Cemetery. Thanks to him for this information about one of the RNLI graves at the Cemetery.

During the successful rescue of the Mexico’s crew, 27 of the 29 gallant Lifeboatmen drowned. This was the worst tragedy, involving the greatest loss of life, in the history of the RNLI. One of those gallant Lifeboatmen was 19 year old James Harrison. He was in the St Anne’s Lifeboat “Laura Janet” and lies buried in Layton Cemetery.

Memorials in St Annes Parish Church Graveyard

Both the Laura Janet Memorial Cross and the nearby gravestone of Sir Charles Wright Macara are situated in St Annes Parish Church churchyard. They’re fitting reminders of the 1886 Mexico disaster in which all 13 crew members of the Laura Janet, the St Annes lifeboat, drowned.

The red sandstone Laura Janet Memorial Cross sits atop the communal grave to five of the lifeboatmen. It’s next to the gravestone of cotton magnate and St Annes resident Sir Charles. After the disaster, he instigated the fund-raising Lifeboat Saturdays which became the current RNLI flag days.

A public appeal called for memorials to be built in their honour and so the 2.5m-tall memorial cross was funded by donations. Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm 1 contributed to the cross and to other memorials on the Ribble estuary.

Modern Day Protection

Lytham St Annes Civic Society completed the documentation required for the listing of the St Annes Parish Church memorial and gravestone. Finalised in May 2015, the Mexico Lifeboat Disaster memorials are now all Grade Two-Listed.

Marion Coupe, then Civic Society chairman, said: “By 2008 the Laura Janet Memorial Cross was in a dangerous state and we raised £16,000 to restore it. It was a great community effort but worth it. This tragedy is very important in the history of the area. On the anniversary of the disaster in December 2009 it was re-dedicated. These are two important monuments with a heart-rending story to tell.”

The cross bears a plaque detailing the names of the five St Annes crew buried in the communal grave:

• Charles Tims (43);
• Reuben Tims (30);
• Thomas Bonney (35);
• James Dobson (23);
• Thomas Parkinson (28).