Memorial Set To Mark 175 Years Since Worthing Fishing Tragedy

(c) Nick Hawkes

A memorial service will take place next month to mark 175 years since a tragedy off the Worthing coast that claimed the lives of eleven local fishermen.

In November 1850, the men set out to help the stricken cargo ship Lalla Rookh during a fierce storm.

Their boat capsized in the rough seas, and all eleven crew were lost.

The disaster shocked the seaside town and led to a public fundraising effort, which helped establish Worthing’s first lifeboat station a few years later.

A second rescue attempt was later launched by 20 other local fishermen, who managed to reach the vessel and save its crew.

The upcoming service will be held at Broadwater Church — where the men are buried — on Saturday 23 November.

Relatives of some of the 31 men involved have been traced and will attend, but The Worthing Society says it is still hoping to find more descendants connected to those who took part.

Rob Blann, the great-great-great-grandson of fisherman John Belville, said:

“We’ve already traced quite a number of relatives from different parts of the United Kingdom, and there must be many, many more out there.”

Those who lost their lives were Henry Bacon, John Belville, James and Stephen Edwards, William Hoskins, Henry Slaughter, William Wicks, Henry and James Newman Sr, and James Jr and John Newman.

In the aftermath of the disaster, over £5,000 was raised to support the fishermen’s families and fund the creation of a lifeboat service in the town.

Worthing’s lifeboat station opened in 1853 and was later taken over by the RNLI in 1865, remaining in operation until 1930.

The group of fishermen who successfully completed the rescue included Jim Benn, John Teasdale, George Steere, John Tester, Harry Head, Tom Coppard, Bill Marshall, Jim Searle, J. Burtenshaw, Alex Churcher, John Collier, Edward and Peter Edwards, Stephen Parsons, George and Henry Wingfield, Tom and Edwin Blann, William Field and Bob Hills.

Anyone who believes they may have family links to those involved is encouraged to contact The Worthing Society.