You never know about where you live
This is the report about a tragedy that happened 110 years ago on the beach just below my house in Marske.
Disaster struck the Picknett family a few weeks before Queen Victoria's death in 1901. Early in the morning of 9th January 1901, the 200 ton steam trawler 'Honoria' was returning to Hull with a good catch of fish when she lost her bearings in stormy and foggy weather. Hoping to pick up a familiar landmark, her skipper edged nearer the coast. It was bitterly cold with heavy snow showers and around 2.30 in the morning the trawler ran aground opposite Cliffe House at Marske.
Her crew burnt distress signals and the coastguard called out Redcar Rocket Brigade and the Saltburn Lifeboat. Both went promptly to the rescue. The Redcar brigade soon had a line across, but this became fouled and the breeches buoy would not work. More rocket lines were fired and the Saltburn lifeboat was brought along the sands.
She was launched shortly after 5am. and managed to get alongside the stranded vessel, but in the darkness she fouled a rocket line and her bowman was pitched overboard. Fortunately his life jacket buoyed him up and, as he washed shoreward, he was dragged from the breakers by anxious spectators.
Seven Redcar fishermen heard of the boat's distress. They pushed a coble on its wheels the three miles to Marske to launch it nearer the stricken steamer. Not knowing that the Saltburn lifeboat had rescued the crew from the trawler, they launched their coble and rowed out through the heavy seas. They had only gone a short way when they also fouled a rocket line, which caught under the halyard pin on the gunwhale. In an instant the coble was upset and five men were thrown into the water. Two were snatched to safety, but Richard (Dick) Picknett and Thomas Hood's sons, John (Jack) and Edmund, were thrown overboard by the rough seas and drowned. The crew of the trawler was taken off by the Saltburn Lifeboat.
