At 9pm on the evening of 3 February 1940, Whitby Coastguard reported a vessel ashore near Saltwick (3 km east of Whitby) in a south-easterly gale. Twenty minutes later the RNLB Mary Ann Hepworth under the command of Coxswain James Murfield had put to sea heading directly into the sea with had been whipped up by the gale.

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As the Lifeboat reached Saltwick Nab, Coxswain Murfield could identify a ship had gone aground on the same location as the Hospital Ship Rohilla some 26 years previously under the 200’ high cliffs. The Coastguards situated on the Cliff top were illuminating the casualty, the Belgian steamer Charles, of Bruges, which had a crew of ten. On the Lifeboat that night as part of the crew were Acting Second Coxswain was John Dryden and Acting Bowman Christoher Wale both of whom had returned to the crew after he had previously retired taking the place of a younger crewmen called away for war duties. The Coxswain took the Lifeboat in to the breakers heading for the stranded vessel, suddenly a large wave ‘rose at her out of nowhere’ and smashed into the port side of the lifeboat, knocking her right over onto her beam-ends and throwing Coxswain Murfield overboard. In the water the Coxswain could see the port handrail dragged himself back on to the boat. The Coxswain realised the boat was striking the bottom and was in an extremely dangerous position, he immediately took the boat astern to clear the dangerous rocks that stand 3 metres high and line the shoreline.

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Once Lifeboat was in deeper water Murfield checked the rest of the crew realising that John Dryden was not in the cockpit; also missing was Acting Bowman Christopher Wale. The Coxswain was in the belief that he had lost another crewman over the side but in the rush to launch he had set off from the boat house one crewman under strength. The assistant motor mechanic was John Dryden’s son who, as soon as he heard that his father gone overboard wanted to go into the sea to look for him; all the crew knew if he had gone overboard to look for him he would been lost too.

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Coxswain Murfield, realising he was injured from being thrown overboard with a badly gashed head and had wrenched his arm and the Lifeboat crew being depleted with the sad loss of two crew returned to Whitby arriving at 10.30pm. Meanwhile, the Coastguards Life-saving Apparatus Team had scrambled down on to Saltwick Nab and fired a line on to the Charles and hauled four of the crew to safety.

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After returning to Whitby Coxswain Murfield was seen by a doctor who ordered him home and not to go to sea again until he had recovered. A fisherman, John Robert Storr visited the Coxswain at his home address and asked permission to take the lifeboat to sea with a fresh crew to rescue the crew of the Charles. Murfield advised Storr to wait to daylight before putting to sea again, together with a fresh crew which also contained Motor Mechanic James Philpott who had been on the initial rescue put to sea again, however as the Lifeboat left the harbour it collided with the Fishing Boat Easter Morn causing damage to both vessels. On reaching the location of the Charles, the crew could see nothing of the Charles due to the darkness and decided to return to port to await daylight. At 7.30am, the same crew made a third attempt to reach the Charles after reports that the remaining crew had put to sea in a lift raft. However on reaching the Charles nothing could be seen of the Life raft or crew. The RNLB Mary Ann Hepworth was joined in the search by the Scarborough Lifeboat, the RNLB Herbert Joy which had launched at 12.45am. When the Herbert Joy had reached the Charles in the early hours they couldn’t locate the Charles and decided to wait to daybreak before carrying out a search. In daylight a search was carried out by both Lifeboats with no sign of the life raft could be found. The plight of the Charles was clearly apparent in daylight with huge seas breaking over the wreck. It was impossible for either Lifeboat to get near to the wreck and both returned to their respective ports.

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Sadly, both the bodies of Christopher Wale and John Dryden were recovered from the base of the Cliff at daybreak. The bodies of six of the Charles’ crew were also recovered.

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The Christopher Wale and John Dryden were the first lifeboat crewmembers to lose their lives during World War II.

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So ended the gallant attempt to rescue the crew of Charles. Two lives had been lost, no lives had been saved by the lifeboat, but the attempt had shown ‘the splendid spirit of the men of Whitby’. The District Inspector of Lifeboats wrote in his report on the Service ‘while there are men in Whitby able to stand up, the lifeboat will never be short of crew’.                      

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For the service the RNLI made the following awards:

Mechanic James Philpot – who took part in all 3 services      

RNLI Silver Medal

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John Dryden (Posthumously)                                                     

RNLI Bronze Medal (Bar)

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Coxswain James Murfield                                                          

RNLI Bronze Medal

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Bowman Christopher Wale (Posthumously)                              

RNLI Bronze Medal

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William Dryden                                                                            

RNLI Bronze Medal

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Mathew Winspear                                                                        

RNLI Bronze Medal

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John Walker                                                                                  

RNLI Bronze Medal

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John Robert Storr (Acting Coxswain)                                      

Vellum award.

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