Newbiggin remembers beach tragedy

Mr. Storey, was 48 years of age and collapsed and died after going out to a seine net boat which was heading for the rocks. Both he and Stan Green saw the boat heading for the rocks at speed so instinctively they ran along the beach then dived into the water swim to the boat which now had come to a halt. When they got on board they found a man asleep and slumped over the wheel. Another man appeared who had also been asleep. Tragically during this exertion Mr. Storey collapsed on the deck and a Doctor was requested.

Mr. Storey was a prominent figure in all circles in the community, but his greatest interest was in Newbiggin Lifeboat. For eight years he was Chairman and responsible for running the Branch.

Newbiggin Lifeboat suffered a tragic loss then in its ranks during July 1972 for it was on the 14th day that Mr. Campbell Storey in his instinctive quest to help others made the ultimate sacrifice.

At RNLI headquarters in Poole there is a national memorial, dedicated to those lost whilst saving lives at sea, at RNLI headquarters in Poole and Mr Storey is included on that memorial. The 778 people commemorated on the RNLI memorial come from all corners of the UK and Republic of Ireland and include 246 from northern lifeboat stations. The memorial sculpture of a person in a boat saving another from the water is inscribed with the family motto of the RNLI's founder, Sir William Hillary: 'With courage, nothing is impossible', and is located within a small garden which is open to the public.

The RNLI Memorial, designed by Sam Holland ARBS stands more than 4.5m in height and symbolises the history and future of the RNLI in its most basic and humanitarian form. The sculpture is positioned on a dark plinth on which flat bands of stainless steel weave. The bands provide both the effect of waves and a material onto which the names of the people who have lost their lives can be engraved - thus becoming an intrinsic part of the memorial.

RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Richard Martin, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer Newbiggin on 07980 010544 or [email protected] or Jim Rice Regional Media Manager – North East & East telephone 07810 658 072 email [email protected] or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789

If you would like to find out more about Newbiggin lifeboat station, its volunteers and its heritage then take a look at the local website.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.