The Torbay Lifeboat

Acknowledgements:-

During my family research, I had read somewhere that Jack Gempton had been a crew member of the Torbay Lifeboat but could not find the source of the information. In September 2015, I visited the RNLI centre at the Breakwater in Brixham - home of the Torbay Lifeboat since 1923 - to check out their historical display and to try to understand what crew information was available. The station displays photos of the past history of lifeboats, coxswains, details of launches and rescues together with awards won by the crew but no details of specific crew members. I was put in touch with David Ham - historian and chairman of the Torbay Lifeboat Management Group - who confirmed that many records before 1945 were lost and lists of crew members were not available. David did advise me that there was much more information available in a book, published in 2002, by Alan Salsbury - A History of the Torbay Lifeboats. On receipt of the book I was pleasantly surprised to find, on page 62, an image of Jack Gempton as part of the crew of the Alfred and Clara Heath lifeboat in 1928. The images and information below were taken courtesy of either the Torbay Lifeboat website or the book by Alan Salsbury.

History of the Torbay Lifeboat - The Early years 1866 - 1951

A lifeboat station was established in Brixham in 1866. The Torquay Station was established in 1876 and was closed in 1923 when a motor lifeboat was placed in Brixham. The Brixham Lifeboat was renamed the "Torbay" lifeboat in 1924.

Torquay Lifeboats

Crew of the James & Eliza Woodall - 1889

The Torquay Lifeboat station was built in 1876 to house the Mary Brundret. The first photo above shows the lifeboat James and Eliza Woodall being delivered in 1889 to the Strand in Torquay with The Terrace clearly shown in the background. The station was built on The Ladies Bathing Beach - Beacon Cove. Beacon Cove was located between The Marine Spa (built on Beacon Hill in 1853) and The Imperial Hotel (built 1866). The lifeboat station was closed on 31st March 1923 having been launched 26 times, rescuing 19 lives between 1876 - 1923. The lifeboat station was demolished in 1971.

Brixham Lifeboats

In 1886, Brixham Lifeboat Station was constructed near Bolton Cross (Town Centre). In 1872, a new lifeboat house was erected near the corner of Breakwater Beach where it remains until this day. In 1923, The Brixham Lifeboat was renamed "The Torbay Lifeboat" and based in Brixham became the only lifeboat in Torbay.

The City Of Exeter 1866

The Brian Bates 1885

The Betsy Newbon 1894

The Betsy Newbon 11 - 1896

The Alfred &Clara Heath - 1922

In 1928, Jack Gempton was a crew member of the Alfred & Clara Heath lifeboat - the first lifeboat to serve with a motor - all previous lifeboats were of a self righting design with sails (see image above).

William (Bill) Pillar

In August 1940, the Royal National Lifeboat Association presented Captain Pillar (Provident -BM28) with a Certificate of Thanks recording that he was "Second Coxswain for seven and three quarter years and a member of the Torbay Lifeboat for sixteen and three quarter years during which period the lifeboat rescued 136 lives from shipwreck. The Committee of Management are glad to place on record this testimony of his personal participation in the Lifeboat Service." The Certificate can be seen inside Brixham Lifeboat Station.

Images of William George Sanders, the oldest Coxswain in the RNLI, retired in 1932 aged 73 after 36 years as Coxswain of the Torbay Lifeboat. His tenure as Coxswain commenced in 1896 and ended in 1932. He was coxswain of the Betsy Newbon 11, the Alfred & Clara Heath & the George Shee.

Frederick Collier Sanders was the son of William George Sanders and became Coxswain of the Torbay Lifeboat in 1942. He was coxswain of the George Shee for 16 years from 1942 to 1958.

The George Shee - 1930

Coxswain Fred C. Sanders

Boarding the Lifeboat 1945

Early image of Brixham Lifeboat Station

Related Families.

Like many of the Brixham fishing families, the Gempton and Sanders families were related by marriage.

Image 1.

William Sander's sister - Betsy Kendrick Sanders - married Reuban John Oakford in April 1884. Their daughter - Betsy Louisa Oakford married Jack Gempton in July 1914. Jack Gempton's sister in law, Mabel Oakford was married to Leonard Pillar - his brother William (Bill) Pillar (of Provident and HMS Formidable fame) served on the same lifeboat in 1928. William Sander's daughter Betsy was married to Alf Babb who, along with his brother Jack(John) and his son William, are shown as crew on the Albert & Clara Heath.

Image 2.

William George Sanders married Ellen Eales Johnson in July 1882 - her brother George Bath Johnson married Bertha Gempton in April 1882.

Image 3.

Jack Gempton's father - John Gempton was Bertha Johnson's (nee Gempton) brother.