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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 10, 2016 19:15:15 GMT
A few weeks ago I went away on holiday to Cromer in Norfolk. If you don't know it, it's famous for crabbing on the pier and its end-of-the-pier variety show. Here's the pier, the photo is the same view as I had from my hotel-room window (the lifeboat house is the building behind the theatre) -
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Aside from some beautiful sunrises...
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...the main highlight of the trip was visiting the Henry Blogg RNLI museum and discovering this amazing man who not many people know about.
This is Henry -
Don't be fooled by the genial chap in the picture, this man is a true hero in every sense of the word.
Henry was born in Cromer in 1876 and joined the lifeboat crew at 18. He became coxswain at 33, a position he kept until 1947 when he was 74 years old, ten years beyond than the usual retirement age. He was the most decorated lifeboatman in RNLI history and served for over 50 years.
He was awarded many honours, including three Gold and four Silver Medals from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the George Cross and the British Empire Medal. With his crew he carried out 387 rescues and saved over 873 lives from the North Sea.
This year was the second time I have visited the Henry Blogg museum so I took a few photos to share with you...
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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 10, 2016 20:13:16 GMT
This is a photo of the HF Bailey, the lifeboat most associated with Blogg -
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And here is a short clip of Sir Samuel Hoare launching the HF Bailey in the 1930s, look out for a little glimpse of Henry! -
It was during a two day rescue using this boat that Henry nearly drowned when the HF Bailey overturned. However, he was soon back on board and the next day the crew saved 44 lives.
The most famous rescue using the HF Bailey was that of the SS Monte Nevoso which was wrecked in 1932 -
32 crew members were saved along with a dog which was presented to Henry as a gift. Henry named the dog Monte. Here they are together -
Aside from being a lifeboatman, Henry worked as a fisherman and in the summer rented out deckchairs and beach huts. Here is Henry and Monte depicted at the museum outside one of the huts -
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The museum is on two levels. The ground floor tells the story of Henry Blogg's lifeboat days while the floor above focuses more broadly on the RNLI. You can dress up as a lifeboatman, get your picture taken as you poke your head through a "head in the hole" board depicting various sea-based characters, talk through a tube to someone at the other end of the museum just like a real lifeboatman in the olde days or practise Morse Code with a light or by tapping it out. All these things I suppose are intended for kids but nobody told me this so I thoroughly enjoyed playing with everything. The highlight, as it was on my first visit, was the brass rubbing where you could rub a crayon over a piece of paper to reveal a picture of Monte the dog! There is also some gold and silver card cut into long strips which you put inside a press, you push down very hard on the handle of the press and then you get your own Henry Blogg medal to take home!
Before the luxury of motorised lifeboats like the HF Bailey, Henry had to rely on boats launched from the beach powered by oars and wind alone. One of his most famous rescues, that of the Fernebo, was while being in command of the Louise Heartwell -
It makes you wonder what kind of men these lifeboatmen were. Well, here's a picture I saw at the museum, you don't want to mess with these guys -
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Post by Horacewimp on Nov 10, 2016 20:19:24 GMT
Sounds like you had a great time queenofthehours thanks for sharing it with us. I've been to Cromer a couple of times, it's a lovely place as your pictures show, I wanted to do some crabbing but felt too old and my daughters weren't interested. I haven't heard of the museum, next time I visit I will certainly take a look.
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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 10, 2016 20:25:11 GMT
You're never too old to crab! There were plenty of people young and old having a go while I was there. Even in the cold wind and raid! The museum isn't far from the pier and has it's own café.
Stand by... I've a few more pictures to come...
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Post by Helmut83 on Nov 10, 2016 20:41:54 GMT
Didn't know about this Henry Blogg gentleman (would he be a relative of our Vlog?), but what a life he had! Really interesting, a remarkable person for sure! Thanks for sharing this with us, queenofthehours.
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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 10, 2016 20:52:40 GMT
Henry, as well as being a remarkable and brave man was also humble and modest. He was quiet and private, rarely talking about his famous rescues. He would always praise his crew, but never speak of his own courage. A local dignitary once remarked that Henry spoke of a dangerous rescue 'as if he had merely crossed the road for a bottle of milk'. He also kept his collection of medals in a sideboard drawer rarely worn. Henry drink or smoke, and after a rescue he would go home and sit in his armchair instead of joining the rest of his crew at the pub. He never spoke to the press if he could avoid it.
Here's the HF Bailey again alongside the biggest picture in the building (Blogg is in the centre) -
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I wouldn't feel very safe in one of those life jackets. Another fact about Henry is that he never learned to swim and neither did most of the crew. The first time I visited the museum I hadn't even heard of Henry Blogg but now I have to put him up there as one of my heroes. There's no one like him. How could anyone do so many brave feats and still remain quiet and modest? He reminds me a little of Jeff Lynne in this way. They both in their lives have done so many remarkable deeds yet both shrink from attention.
Everyone who can should visit the Henry Blogg museum, it will give you a whole new outlook on the sea and the men who risked their lives on it at a time when modern technology was unheard of, men like these (Henry is on the right) -
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This is the current lifeboat on the pier -
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A Tamar class called the RNLB Lester.
Inside the lifeboat house is a stained glass window depicting one of Henry Blogg's famous rescues and statue of Henry with a plaque beneath. The inscription says: "One of the bravest men who ever lived".
I definitely agree with that.
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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 10, 2016 20:55:16 GMT
Didn't know about this Henry Blogg gentleman (would he be a relative of our Vlog?), but what a life he had! Really interesting, a remarkable person for sure! Thanks for sharing this with us, queenofthehours . A relative of Vlog? Hmmm. Both are remarkable people but I'm not sure... I hope they are!
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Post by Buttler on Nov 10, 2016 21:02:08 GMT
Thanks for sharing!
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Post by BSJ on Nov 12, 2016 18:44:09 GMT
queenofthehours, your post is of great interest to me, because I enjoy reading about life on the sea and oceans, voyages, etc. An exciting museum to visit. I watched a few more videos of Henry after yours. End of your vid is a quick snip about, what I believe is, the dust bowl happening here in the US at that time. Thanks, vlog.
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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 14, 2016 17:31:51 GMT
I love anything to do with the sea. It probably comes with living in a landlocked county! I think this is the full clip to that snip about the dust bowl that you saw, BSJ -
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Post by vlogdance on Nov 14, 2016 18:40:26 GMT
Didn't know about this Henry Blogg gentleman (would he be a relative of our Vlog?), but what a life he had! Really interesting, a remarkable person for sure! Thanks for sharing this with us, queenofthehours . A relative of Vlog? Hmmm. Both are remarkable people but I'm not sure... I hope they are! Aww, thank you queenofthehours *shuffles clogs modestly*. But as far as I know, no family connection with Henry.
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Post by BSJ on Nov 14, 2016 20:08:23 GMT
Great, thank you queenofthehours. Some parts of the country lived with the drought for at least eight years. I just love the announcers way of speaking.
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Post by unomusette on Nov 14, 2016 22:55:50 GMT
What a great tale, both of queenofthehours's hols and the epic life of Henry Blogg. I was impressed enough, but when it turned out he never learned to swim, well that's bravery magnified a million times. I wonder why so many lifeboatmen didn't swim? I suppose in the sort of wild seas they'd be expected to tackle, being able to do the breaststroke might not be much help. Thanks for enlightening us, if I'm ever over that way I'll make a point of visiting too
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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 15, 2016 20:03:24 GMT
What a great tale, both of queenofthehours 's hols and the epic life of Henry Blogg. I was impressed enough, but when it turned out he never learned to swim, well that's bravery magnified a million times. I wonder why so many lifeboatmen didn't swim? I suppose in the sort of wild seas they'd be expected to tackle, being able to do the breaststroke might not be much help. Thanks for enlightening us, if I'm ever over that way I'll make a point of visiting too I always thought that lifeboatmen, as well as fishermen and sailors, didn't learn to swim because it was tempting fate and because it was better to go straight down than to prolong the inevitable. But I read online that they also believed their death was already preordained and if the sea wants them, the sea should have them. They were a superstitious lot, seafarers.
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