
Kirkcudbright RNLI reunited with historic vellum
Volunteers at Kirkcudbright RNLI were surprised to receive the vellum to a Kirkcudbright local who attempted to save the crew of the schooner, Havelock, in 1864.
In July, volunteers at Kirkcudbright RNLI Lifeboat Station received an unexpected parcel containing the velum presented to Kirkcudbright local, Andrew Lusk, a farmer, which had been discovered as part of a job lot at an auction in Lincoln.
This velum would have been presented to Andrew Lusk along with his silver medal in 1865 following the disaster in 1864 – nearly 160 years ago.
The silver medal was awarded to Andrew Lusk who, with five of his servants, attempted to rescue the crew of the schooner Havelock of Preston which was wrecked on 30 November 1864.
One of the servants, Peter McGinn, drowned in the attempt, and all of the schooner’s crew perished as well. Andrew Lusk had sent a servant to alert the lifeboat, but unfortunately all lives were lost before the boat arrived.
The Committee of Management, along with the Kirkcudbright lifeboat, provided £10 for the local fund for Peter McGinn’s widow and children.
In 2012, Peter McGinn’s name was added to the national memorial located at RNLI Headquarters in Poole, Dorset, where future generations of lifesavers train. The sculpture depicts a person in a boat saving another from the water, symbolising the history and future of the RNLI.
John Collins, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Kirkcudbright RNLI, says: ‘We were surprised to receive a phone call from an individual who had found the vellum within a job lot he bought at an auction. He believed the vellum should be with Kirkcudbright RNLI and we were delighted that the individual sent it across to us. It is now part of our station’s archives which we proudly display during the RNLI’s 200th anniversary.’
Notes to editors
· Bloggs on Sea lifeboat station has been operating since 1862. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/kirkcudbright-lifeboat-station
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