RNLI on crest of a wave

The RNLI lifeboat Oldham IV at its launch at Hoylake in 1952

Landlocked Oldham is an unlikely place for a bunch of stalwarts to raise money for the lifeboats which save lives and help those in distress around our coasts.

Despite being 40 miles from the sea, the borough has a proud tradition of supporting the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which was founded in 1824. And this year’s Mayor, Councillor David Jones, has selected the RNLI as one of his chosen charities for his appeal.

Janice Barker found out more about Oldham’s support for the sea-going heroes.
Oldham’s new Mayor, Councillor David Jones, has chosen the RNLI as one of his charities this year, echoing the choice of one of his famous Victorian forerunners.

Almost 120 years ago, civic fathers in Oldham began raising money for a lifeboat.

The fund was started by the Mayor, cotton mill owner Alfred Emmott, who later became a peer, Baron Emmott, with contributions from many of his rich industrial friends.

No-one knows why Oldham should have started a lifeboat fund in the first place, but the theory is that prominent townspeople responded to nationwide shock at Britain’s worst ever lifeboat disaster off the Fylde coast in 1886, when 27 lifeboatmen drowned.

Whatever prompted them, the townsfolk raised enough money to buy a state-of-the-art boat, which self-righted and self-drained should it overturn.

Oldham 1, as it was called, was a rowing boat with 10 oars, which was stationed at Abersoch on the Lleyn peninsula in North Wales, in 1892.

The crew had to rely on pure manpower to reach stricken ships, often in gale-force winds and tides, and its busiest period came in October 7 and 8, 1896, when she went to help a crew of three off a slate-loaded schooner which drifted ashore.

Next morning, she rescued four men from another vessel, and eight people including the captain’s wife and children from a schooner on its way from Manchester to Tynemouth.

Then she spotted distress signals on another vessel on the way back to the lifeboat station and despite more gale-force winds, turned round and took four sailors off a ketch.

The Welsh boat was replaced in 1904. In total, Oldham raised enough money for three lifeboats, and the RNLI was so grateful it named a fourth boat after the town in 1952.

The third and fourth Oldham lifeboats were stationed at Hoylake on the Wirral. In total, the quartet saved 163 lives in 156 operations.

Oldham funded its own boat from the 1890s to the 1950s, but by the 1980s the costs of a new offshore boat became prohibitive at over £500,000.

Another lifeboat connected with Oldham also protected the seas around Coverack on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall.

Called William Taylor of Oldham, the boat was bought by a legacy from Miss Clare Taylor, of Oldham, and was in service from 1954 to 1972.

There were RNLI supporters all over Oldham and surrounding towns in the 20th century, and local fund-raising groups in Oldham, Chadderton, Failsworth, Shaw, and Royton.

Despite valiant efforts in the 1990s to revive the Oldham branch, and a merger with Chadderton, it closed, as did Failsworth, but the merged Shaw, Crompton and Royton branch still works hard for the charity.

And the Saddleworth Ladies Lifeboat Guild decided to mark their centenary in 1997 by pledging to raise enough money for an in-shore inflatable.

They succeeded, although it took until 2000 to buy, equip and launch the boat, which was called Saddleworth and was stationed at Fleetwood until 2009, when she came to the end of her operational life.

Over nine years she was launched 293 times, rescued 231 people, and saved 14 lives.

Because of the high cost of new boats smaller branches aim to buy vital equipment for the boats and their crews.

Former Mayoress of Oldham, Irene Griffiths, is treasurer of the Shaw, Crompton and Royton RNLI branch, and has been awarded the charity’s silver medal for her hard work.

She joined in 1986 and has been treasurer since 1992. Each year the group raises about £2,000, which Mrs Griffiths says is more than enough to kit-out a lifeboatman with a waterproof suit and boots.

She described how she became a supporter: “I went to a meeting when the speaker was a lifeboatman who told how his crew had gone to a ship in distress with seven men left on board.

“They went back seven times despite high waves which threatened to push the ship on top of them, and I thought, if they can do that, I can knock on a few doors. It is a very nice charity to belong to which everyone supports. We had a collection in Tesco at Westwood recently and a young man who sails said he had had to call on the lifeboats a couple of times, and gave a donation. People also tell us they had a father or uncle who served at sea, so there are local connections.”

Last year was the RNLI’s busiest year in its history with 9,223 launches nationwide, which included the rescues of over 200 people from their homes after the devastating Cockermouth floods, when the rivers Cocker and Derwent burst their banks due to torrential rain in November.

The RNLI’s north and west area flood rescue teams joined forces and the operation cost the charity £22,000.

Now RNLI funds will be given a year-long boost by Oldham’s new mayor, who was born in Wrexham, and whose family made their living at sea.

Although he didn’t realise he was following in Alfred Emmott’s footsteps, Councillor Jones said: “I knew Oldham had been massive supporter of the RNLI in the past, and I will make sure that my money goes to the local branches.”