Thank you for those who have asked for more info. See below the story of Janet It was during her fourth service that disaster overtook the crew of the ‘Janet’. On the morning of January 1st. 1916 the ‘Janet’ was requested to go to the aid of the steamship ‘Dunvegan’ of Glasgow which was reported ashore at Oxwich. Owing to war duties many of the regular crew were not available but there was no shortage of volunteers and Horton village crewmember John Jenkins was joined by his brothers Jim and Leonard along with Onslow Grove. Sea conditions were very rough, newspapers of the day reported winds of 90 miles per hour, but the lifeboat was successfully launched and was soon on the scene. She stood by the stranded ship for some hours until the lifeboat crew could see that the local rocket brigade were set to effect a rescue. It was as the Janet was manoeuvring onto a homeward heading that a huge wave caught her on the starboard quarter and she capsized. The crew was in the water for some time before the lifeboat righted herself. They then discovered that two of their number, William Eynon and George Harry, were missing. A short time later she went over again and on righting they realised that coxswain Billy Gibbs had also been taken. The remaining crew attempted to search for their mates but with a broken mast and many oars missing they stood no realistic chance of recovering them. Those three men were never seen alive again. The crew, now unable to make for home, allowed the lifeboat to drift up to Mumbles where they anchored during the night and were able to land at daybreak. The Janet had been at sea for over 20 hours. It is difficult to appreciate how, without the aid of modern day foul weather clothing and survival equipment, these men were able to survive some of the most atrocious conditions that the Bristol Channel could throw at them during the coldest month of the year, in what was described at the time as ‘the worst storm in living memory’. As a result of the disaster the RNLI took the decision to close the Port Eynon Lifeboat Station and later in 1916 the ‘Janet’ was sent to Stornaway in the Hebrides. A monument was erected in Port Eynon churchyard as a tribute to the crew of The ‘Janet’ and particularly to those 3 lifeboat men who lost their lives. The RNLI took the view that the motorization of the Mumbles and Tenby lifeboats in the early 1920’s provided adequate rescue cover for the coastline of South Gower and it was to be some 52 years before a lifeboat station was once again established in the area, this time at Horton in 1968. Crew of the ‘Janet’ Jan 1st 1916 Billy Gibbs (Cox) William Eynon William Grove Snr William Grove Jr George Harry William Harris Onslow Grove George Beynon John Morris William Howell Leonard Jenkins John Jenkins Jim Jenkins
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 15:41:22 +0000
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