A BRIEF HISTORY
Below is a Brief History of Clacton-on-Sea’s beginnings
In those early days when called on service, the "Albert Edward" required
pulling along Marine Parade East and down Pier Gap before being launched
into the North Sea. It took six horses to achieve this, the same horses that
were used to mobilise Clacton's Fire Engine, and it was not long before the
animals learnt to tell the difference between the sound of the fire bells and
the rockets. On hearing the sound of one they would set forth in the
right direction unaided.
Such was the local interest, and to enable preparation for the return of the
lifeboat, a rocket would be fired as the Albert Edward came into view. The
crew hoisted a flag from her topmast to indicate that there were ship
wrecked souls on board as there was no better way of relaying information
in those days.
The naming ceremony took place on the 10th July 1878 to a alleged crowd of
12,000 at a time when the population of the new town was only a few
hundred. Miss Wool, a daughter of the Clacton's first Lifeboat Committee
Chairman, named the Lifeboat “Albert Edward” in honour of the then Prince
of Wales, later to become King Edward VII. The Prince maintained a personal
interest in the boat and at the branches Annual Dinner, held at the Royal
Hotel in 1883, presented a joint of beef to the crew.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution first placed a lifeboat at Clacton-on-
Sea in 1878. The boat , donated by the Freemasons of England, was
transported free of charge by the Great Eastern Railway to Weeley, the
nearest station to Clacton at the time, and from there by horse and cart to
the town where a boathouse had been specially constructed at Anglefield.
Clacton Crew are working hard to put
together a Complete History Timeline of
our Station.
If you have any information that could be
added, we would like to hear from you.
Click here to
Read about Clacton’s Past
Lifeboats and thier Call outs
![[x]](history/index_htm_files/close.png "Close")
A BRIEF HISTORY
Below is a Brief History of Clacton-on-Sea’s beginnings
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution first placed a
lifeboat at Clacton-on-Sea in 1878. The boat , donated
by the Freemasons of England, was transported free of
charge by the Great Eastern Railway to Weeley, the
nearest station to Clacton at the time, and from there
by horse and cart to the town where a boathouse had
been specially constructed at Anglefield.
The naming ceremony took place on the 10th July 1878 to
a alleged crowd of 12,000 at a time when the population of
the new town was only a few hundred. Miss Wool, a
daughter of the Clacton's first Lifeboat Committee
Chairman, named the Lifeboat “Albert Edward” in honour
of the then Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward
VII. The Prince maintained a personal interest in the boat
and at the branches Annual Dinner, held at the Royal Hotel
in 1883, presented a joint of beef to the crew.
In those early days when called on service, the "Albert
Edward" required pulling along Marine Parade East and
down Pier Gap before being launched into the North Sea.
It took six horses to achieve this, the same horses that
were used to mobilise Clacton's Fire Engine, and it was not
long before the animals learnt to tell the difference
between the sound of the fire bells and the rockets. On
hearing the sound of one they would set forth in the
right direction unaided.
Such was the local interest, and to enable preparation for
the return of the lifeboat, a rocket would be fired as the
Albert Edward came into view. The crew hoisted a flag
from her topmast to indicate that there were ship wrecked
souls on board as there was no better way of relaying
information in those days.
Clacton Crew are working hard to
put together a Complete History
Timeline of our Station.
If you have any information that
could be added, we would like to
hear from you.
Clacton Lifeboat Station
