The Mary Stanford

(Kelly / Fry)

November brings terrible storms to Rye Bay

And the year twenty-eight was the worst for long time

When Alice of Riga collided with Smyrna

Mary Stanford was called from the harbour at Rye

At five in the morning the lifeboat maroon

Woke Mary’s crew up from their rest

A call from the coastguard said Alice was sinking

And she’d been seen drifting towards Dungeness

Three Heads, one Stonham, three Cuttings

An Igglesden, a Smith and three Popes

Two Downeys, two Clarks and a Southerden

All lost on their mission of hope

The phone company rules said the calls for the boat

Should always be treated as priority

So seventeen men from the tiny Rye harbour

Prepared for to take Mary Stanford to sea

Of thirty eight feet helped by sail and oar

A gross of four tons was she

And though not self-righting, she was sound and stable

And crewed by the bravest men ever at sea

Across a thousand yard beach then they dragged Mary Stanford

Twice she was launched and straight away, swept back

At the third time of trying, they got her away then

‘Twas quarter to seven and the sky was pitch black

Mean time the Alice’s crew had abandoned

Been picked up by Smyrna and saved

But Mary knew nothing and battled on bravely

With nothing ahead but a watery grave

Three Heads, one Stonham, three Cuttings

An Igglesden, a Smith and three Popes

Two Downeys, two Clarks and a Southerden

All lost on their mission of hope

The call from the coastguard told Mary, stand down

Her assistance it seemed was not needed that day

The message was timed at twelve minutes past six

Long before Mary had been got away

The rules said that only a call for assistance

Be treated as priority

A call to stand down wasn’t deemed to be urgent

So not passed to Mary immediately

Though sent at six twelve, was ten minutes to seven

When the call to stand down was received at the beach

Though Mary’d got off barely five minutes earlier

The storm it had rendered her quite out of reach

Signals were fired but poor Mary saw none

And three hours later was lost

Never before had delay of a message

Brought about oh such a terrible cost

Three Heads, one Stonham, three Cuttings

An Igglesden, a Smith and three Popes

Two Downeys, two Clarks and a Southerden

All lost on their mission of hope

‘Twas seventeen men who had crewed Mary Stanford

So bravely to answer the Alice’s cry

Though Alice broke up, still her crew were all saved

But all Mary Stanford’s were destined to die

The men of Rye harbour were buried as one

Their coffins read ‘died gallantly’

Their seventeen deaths brought a change to the rules

And all lifeboat calls got top priority

Three Heads, one Stonham, three Cuttings

An Igglesden, a Smith and three Popes

Two Downeys, two Clarks and a Southerden

All lost on their mission of hope

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