Table of Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Introduction ix
Part I Genesis 1
Chapter 1 The Man Who Started it All: Sir William Hillary 3
Part II The Navy Men 13
Chapter 2 Devastation in Lyme: Charles Cowper Bennet 15
Chapter 3 Necessity is the Mother of Invention: Joseph Clarke 18
Chapter 4 Holy Terror: George Joy 20
Chapter 5 In the Line of Duty: Howard Lewis Parry 23
Chapter 6 I Shall Board Her at Daybreak: John Row Morris 29
Chapter 7 Manby's Mortar in Action: Charles Holcomb Bowen 31
Chapter 8 The Rescuer Rescued: James Lindsay 34
Chapter 9 An Officer and a Scholar: Christopher Job son 35
Chapter 10 Mentioned in Dispatches: Roberts Bates Matthews 37
Chapter 11 Tragic Coble Rescue: John Brunton 39
Chapter 12 Never Give Up: Jimmy Haylett 42
Part III Soldiers, Sailors, Priests and Civvies 57
Chapter 13 Agent of Preservation: William Broad 59
Chapter 14 Heroism and Tragedy: John Jellard 62
Chapter 15 Soldier, Sailor …: John Torrens 68
Chapter 16 The Priest and the Rocket Men: Father John O'Shea 71
Chapter 17 Tragic Hero: Dan Rees 76
Part IV Firsts 81
Chapter 18 The First Ever Gold Medal Recipient: Charles Howe Fremantle 83
Chapter 19 Man of Honour: William Hutchinson 86
Part V Multiple Medals - Rescue 91
Chapter 20 The Day of Three Golds: Philip Graham, William Johnson and William Watts 93
Chapter 21 Always Hope: Samuel Grandy and Thomas Eadd Peake 98
Chapter 22 Joint Effort; Billy Fleming and Jack Swan 100
Chapter 23 Fifty-hour Struggle: The Rohilla Disaster 108
Chapter 24 The Trials of the Charles and Eliza Laura: William Roberts and Owen Jones 123
Chapter 25 Like a Foreign Country: Dic Evans 127
Part VI Multiple Medals - Individuals 133
Chapter 26 From Shipwreck Victim to Rescuer: Henry Randall 135
Chapter 27 Trafalgar Veteran: Thomas Leigh 139
Chapter 28 Storm Warrior: Charlie Fish 144
Chapter 29 Hero of Spurn Point: Robert Cross 154
Chapter 30 A Family Affair: Henry Blogg 162
Part VII In the Line of Duty 179
Chapter 31 Coincidences: Robert Patton 181
Chapter 32 I Don't Think We'll Make It …: William Gammon 186
Chapter 33 Shepherd's Warning: Trevelyan Richards 191
Part VIII Wartime 199
Chapter 34 Hartlepool's Hero: Bill Bennison 201
Chapter 35 The Fate of the Stolwijk: John Boyle 206
Chapter 36 The Year of Three Medals: Paddy Murphy 211
Chapter 37 Tondin's Jock: John Buchan McLean 217
Part IX Miscellany 223
Chapter 38 Royal Shipmate: Robert Howells 225
Chapter 39 A Seaman Through and Through: Patsy Sliney 229
Chapter 40 Maid of the Isles: Grace Darling 236
Appendix I A Special Gathering 248
Appendix II Rockets and Mortars 250
Bibliography 253
Index 255
