These ‘Tales from the Archives’ have been selected from the written record called The Story of Sandgate by Fred Moore, son of Thomas Moore.

Fred Moore has written about many subjects relating to Sandgate but the ones which stand out for me are the brave sea rescues and the lives saved by Fred’s father Thomas who was born in 1863, he was one of eight children. Thomas was a fisherman, fishmonger (28 High Street), volunteer lifeboatman and volunteer fireman (attached to the Sandgate Brigade) for thirty years.

Fred starts with the tragedy of the sinking of the three masted sailing ship Benvenue on 11th November 1891. Bound for Sydney, she sank in hurricane conditions off Gloucester Terrace, halfway between Sandgate and Seabrook.  Twenty seven of the crew took refuge in the rigging of the mizzen mast. The Captain, his wife and nephew were drowned.

The lifeboat “Mayer de Rothschild” had been taken from her station (which was situated at Battery Point, Seabrook) to Hythe and launched, but it had only proceeded a short distance before the boat was upset.  Fred then tells us that his father Tom and uncle Albert had joined the crew but when they were told the lifeboat was to be launched at Hythe, without a draw-off hawser, these two local fishermen refused to crew the boat. They had told the coxswain that it was too much of a risk to launch the boat at that point as the risk of not clearing the breakers was most likely.

Later, by moonlight, the lifeboat was eventually launched from the beach at Battery Point and Tom and Albert were part of the volunteer crew of many local men.  After rowing out to the Benvenue a kedge anchor was dropped to the west of the wreck and the lifeboat allowed to drift until it was under the mizzen mast.  One by one the frozen members of the crew of 27 men were safely aboard.

The lifeboat rowed into Folkestone harbour and the rescued crew were taken to the Queen’s Hotel which stood on the corner of Guildhall Street and Sandgate Road.  At a later date each lifeboatman who took part in this rescue was presented with a silver medal and thirteen pounds presented by an anonymous donor.  On the front side was the head and shoulders of Queen Victoria and on the reverse side a wreath of laurels with name of the crew member and the words “He bravely did his duty, 11 November 1891”.  However, the donor of the medal did not have permission to use the head and shoulders of Queen Victoria on the medal.  The Royal National Lifeboat Institution instructed the medals to be returned.  None of the crew were prepared to do this so did not receive the RNLI bronze medal for bravery.

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However, saving lives and rescues began for Fred’s father Tom in 1878.  Tom’s first rescue was with his father and a Mr Pain.  A boat had capsized half a mile off Sandgate and the three rowed out to sea to rescue a Mr Hooker whose boat had sunk.

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Seven years later in 1894 (3 years after the Benvenue) Tom took part in another rescue.  The following is part of a report taken from a local newspaper, possibly the Sandgate Weekly News. 

“Yesterday (Friday) morning, August 17th 1894, a young man named A A Edwards, staying at the Beach Rocks Convalescent Home had a narrow escape from drowning while bathing with two companions named Chilman and Cosedge, from a beach near the castle.  Edwards could swim a little but apparently went further out than he intended to, and becoming frightened called for help.  Two other patients from the home, Messrs Deverill and Saunders, were in a boat watching him and immediately rowed to the drowning man and threw him an oar, but he failed to get hold of it.  They endeavoured to get near him with the other oar, and under the direction of T. Moore, junior boatman, who ran towards to assist them, with considerable difficulty succeeded in rescuing Edwards.”

Edwards was restored to consciousness after half an hour and he recovered at Castle Glen in front of a fire and hot water bottles.  Later the patients at Beach Rocks presented Tom with a clock to show their appreciation and thanks.  Mr Deverill who presented the clock said Tom’s conduct showed that the great brotherhood still existed among Englishmen and he hoped they would all remember that they were brothers and help one another in time of need.

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Fred next recounts that on 15th August 1900 Tom rescued a young woman from drowning.  He saw her in difficulties some distance from the shore and swam out to her and managed to reach her before she went under and finally brought her to shore.  The father of the young woman, in gratitude for Tom rescuing his daughter gave him five shillings.

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On another occasion he saved the life of Miss Violet Annie Ray who was in imminent danger of drowning at Sandgate.  Tom, seeing the young woman in great difficulties, immediately rushed into the sea and swimming out to her, with some difficultly brought her to the shore.  Later at a meeting of the Urban District Council the Chairman Lieutenant Colonel Fynmore later presented Tom Moore with the vellum certificate of the Royal Humane Society for his bravery in saving Miss Ray from drowning.

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On 10th August 1901 Tom saved yet another visitor from drowning.  A local newspaper reported “If war has its honour and glory, peace no less has its triumphs and in days when we read of loss of life and carnage, it is at least consolatory to record in our happy island a deed of bravery by which life has been saved.  And once again our hero, Thomas Moore, Junior, is a well known Sandgate man useful in many spheres of local usefulness and one who to seven lives already saved from death by drowning, has added yet another to a record indeed hard and rare to beat.   On Friday last a stranger was bathing near the groin at the east end of the Riveria, a dangerous place but from many hidden rocks, and was seen by Moore to be in difficulties.  Moore, with a speed that was marvellous, launched his dingy The Floss and with one paddle only rushed to the rescue of the fast drowning man, who, when reached, was on the verge of sinking – faced blanched with terror, eyes fixed and arms extended.  In his endeavour to get a grip he was convulsively seized by the drowning man on the wrist and Moore had to exert all his strength to grasp him in a way to lift him into the boat.  He was fortunately landed and soon resorted to strength, if not to gratitude to his rescuer, as he left him without a word of thanks!”.

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Then on 8th September 1901 Tom took part in another rescue with his brother Albert.  This time a fishing boat capsized in rough seas.  The two brothers went to the man’s rescue and brought him to shore along with his boat.

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Many years later on 18th September 1922, Tom was rowing a gentleman to a fishing ground to the east of Sandgate when an aeroplane nose dived into the sea a short distance from his boat. The pilot was picked out of the sea to safety and the aircraft later towed to shore.

During the 1920s and 30s Tom took part in several more rescues and it was recorded that he was instrumental in saving 40 lives during his lifetime.  It was in 1938, when he was over 70, that he took part in his last rescue.  Three anglers in a rough sea were rowing to try and beach at Sandgate Parade and were getting closer to the rocks.  With Leslie Catt, Tom launched his row boat “Grace Darling” and on reaching the exhausted men put a rope aboard and towed them to a safe beaching at Sandgate.

Thomas Moore passed away on 12th December 1947 at the age of 84.

Christine Bleach

Archive Team – October 2020

Source – The Story of Sandgate by Fred Moore

Front row Left to right, 4th is Tom Moore, 6th is Albert Moore, Tom’s brother