Royal National Lifeboat Institution Coventry Branch

1896

In 1896, a group of people who were keen to help the RNLI, got together to organize Coventry’s first Lifeboat Saturday Demonstration, the inaugural meeting being held in the Mayoress’s Parlour on the 22^nd September. In the chair was the Rev. G.C. Vecqueray and the meeting elected Mr. W. Mason as Honorary Secretary, with the Mayor, Alderman J.B. Loudon, being elected the President. At the same time, the Mayoress was invited to form a Ladies Committee.

It was decided that the procession should take place on October 24^th that year and, bearing in mind Coventry’s close association with the cycle industry, it was agreed that the Cyclist lifeboat and her crew should be invited to Coventry from Hartlepool, where the boat was stationed. However, it proved to be impractical to bring this boat from her station at the North Pier, Hartlepool, but her crew came, bringing with them the reserve lifeboat Joseph Sykes, which had been stationed at Upgang, near Whitby, until 1890.

This boat, together with 13 lifeboat-men and the station’s Honorary Secretary, Alfred Belk, left Hartlepool by train at 10.00am on the day before the Flag Day, arriving in Coventry at 7 o’clock that evening. After a meal, the men were taken for an evening out at the Opera House, Hales Strees, where they saw Dorcas, a play by Harry and A. Paulton, performed by Sidney Turner’s Company, from the Strand Theatre, London. Next day the procession formed up on the Barracks Square and at 2.45pm, led by the Coventry Silver Band, it moved off. Taking part was a detachment of the Warwickshire Yeomanry, several Philanthropic Societies, the Rugby Town Band and many decorated motor cars and cycles. There was even an elephant. Last in line came the Joseph Sykes, which was mounted on a special carriage and drawn by six splendid horses, lent for the occasion by a Baghton farmer.

That evening, a water carnival was staged at Coventry Baths and on the Sunday evening, a “Lantern Service” was held in the Corn Exchange, Queen Victoria Road, with Thomas Reed, who had been the Coxswain of the Hartlepool lifeboat since 1872, giving a most memorable talk on his experiences in the lifeboat service. Next morning, the men and the boat left Coventry Railway Station for home. A total of £375-2s-0d was collected that weekend and after deducting expenses such as£2-10s-0d for travel, board and lodging for each of the lifeboat-men, a cheque for £300 was sent to RNLI Headquarters.

Extract from Launch the Lifeboat by kind permission of the author, Jeff Morris.

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