Registered Charity No. UK 209603
Sisters Memorial
1861 to 1867
There has been a lifeboat
stationed
at Llandudno since 1861. In July, 1860 a Public Meeting was held
in Llandudno to form a Branch of the RNLI. A subsequent
meeting of the Management Committee in London in August, 1860
decided to form a Lifeboat Station in Llandudno. The Hon. William
Mostyn offered a site for the new boathouse close to the railway
station. The boathouse cost £147.10/- to build. The
object of having the boathouse next to the railway station was to
facilitate transferring the boat to train, if necessary, when serving
the neighbouring towns of Penmaenmawr or Colwyn Bay which were to come
under the new "Orme's Head (Llandudno) Station". A 32
foot 10 oared self righting lifeboat was built at a cost of
£190 and a special launching carriage cost
£89.0/-
London & North Western Railway Co. delivered them free of
charge to Llandudno on 15th January, 1861. The formal
inauguration of the Lifeboat Station and the christening of the
lifeboat took place on 18th January, 1861. The boat was the
result of a gift of £200 from the Misses Brown of
Liverpool and was named the Sisters Memorial by Lady Augusta
Mostyn. The Sisters Memorial was a 32' x 7'10" 10 oared self
righting lifeboat built by Forrestt of Limehouse in London.
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jigsaw 19
Sisters Memorial outside Llandudno first Boathouse
| The first coxswain was Hugh Jones, a copper miner on the Great Orme overlooking the town. The first Honorary Secretary was John Williams, a position he held until 1876. The crew were called out for the first time on 9th February 1861 to a vessel in distress near Rhyl but was drifting towards Llandudno. Just before the lifeboat was launched a message was received stating that the ship, the schooner "William" of Liverpool, had sunk, her crew of five being saved by the Rhyl lifeboat. The severe ENE gale continued through the night and the following morning news was received that a schooner was aground on the Dutchman's Bank at the entrance to the Menai Straits. The sisters Memorial was then launched for her first service. The Penmon lifeboat was also called out, being nearer the casualty, and reached the schooner first. Her crew of four were all saved and the Sisters Memorial returned to Llandudno. |
Sisters Memorial in Mostyn Street
| Sisters Memorial remained in service at Llandudno until 1867. In February of that year, while on a service call near Rhyl, the lifeboat was swamped by a large wave and capsized. All but one of the crew were pitched into the sea, but the lifeboat righted herself and they all managed to get back aboard. At the inquiry that followed the coxswain's opinion that the design of the boat had contributed was upheld and the lifeboat was replaced with another of the same name. During her service "Sisters Memorial" launched seven times and saved eight lives. |
