Tuesday, January 12, 1999 Published at 19:36 GMT
Villagers re-enact heroic rescue mission
Lynmouth lifeboat hauled miles across the countryside
One of the most dramatic lifeboat rescues in the history of the service has been re-enacted 100 years on.
But rather than stand by and watch a tragedy unfold, the boat's crew helped haul their three-and-a-half tonne vessel miles across Exmoor to calmer waters.
Their 10-hour feat of endurance was not in vain as the crew managed to save the 15 stranded souls on board the cargo ship.
A century on, locals of the West Country village paid tribute to their heroic forefathers by re-enacting the rescue mission.
Sixty men and four working horses had a taste of what their ancestors had faced, bending to the task in driving rain.
At times they resorted to a little 20th century technology. Tractors were used to haul the restored Bembridge lifeboat, a vessel of the same period as the Louisa, up two steep hills,
"They had to do it in the dark. Of course they had no flashlights, only lanterns that blew out every time they tried to do anything," he said.
Edward Nightingale, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, recalled the heroic feat of yesteryear.
"It's beyond belief. One hundred years on, one still wonders how they did it overnight in the dark, the rain and the snow. It's incredible," said Mr Nightingale.
Mr Richards said of his father: "I think he found it difficult to talk about it. He'd rather talk about the amusing aspects of it than the serious side."