The worst of these disasters was the lose of the Manx fishing fleet in September 1787 when 50 ships and some 161 crew had been drowned in Douglas Bay, they were caught in a night time storm and with no guiding light to make port they were dashed on the rocks, no one had gone to their rescue, it seems that it had not occurred too them, that they could. The wives and children waited at the sands edge for the drowned or half drowned to just drift ashore, this had a profound effect on Sir William, but it was a few years later, that he was able to move on the memory of that tragedy.

  In the 1790’s, in England boats with a cwt cork jacket were being built and notable persons and companies including Lloyds of London were financing these boats to try to save lives and claim salvage. The then Duke of Atholl bought one of the said boats to Douglas which was a laudable move but at the time apathy was abound so no one took responsibility for the boat. The boat was left exposed on the beach, supposedly in readiness for volunteers to use it in times of need. During a storm in 1814 the inevitable happened the boat was swept out to sea and destroyed, no one thought to order a replacement, and as this was at the end of the Napoleonic War, there was a blight and economic recess and locally there was no who could afford it

This is just the kind of moment in history when someone strides forward, and is in the right place at the right time, and that man was… “Sir William Hillary”

  In the early hours of October 6^th 1822 the Royal Navy Cutter ‘Vigilant’  was lying at anchor, sheltering in Douglas Bay along with several other vessels, waiting for the strong offshore gale to pass, but on the second day the gale moved round to the East, and the Captain of the ‘Vigilant’  took a chance and tried to escape by steering past another vessel, but a sudden gust took the ‘Vigilant’ on to the reef known variously as St Mary’s Isle or Conister Rocks, this being an English corruption of the Gaelic… Kioney y Skeer, meaning Head of the Reef, with her rudder gone and her stern damaged, she was helpless…

A Bit of History…

Today St Mary’s Isle/ Conister Rocks seem very close to shore, but in 1822 the Harbour didn’t go beyond what was then the Red Pier later to become the King Edward Pier, with the tides reaching to the top of what is now Victoria Street, the shore line being at the front of Sand Street (Changing to Strand Street in Victorian times), this made Conister Rocks a very isolated and hostile place in a storm…

 Now back to the Story… 

       From the vantage point of his home overlooking Douglas Bay, Sir William could see that help was needed, and racing down to the Red Pier he took charge, appalled at what the outcome could be if the ‘Vigilant’ were to remain where she was, he called for volunteers promising to pay any man who would crew the nearby pleasure craft, in order to take aid to the stricken cutter, so with much effort the newly formed rescue parties set two boats to the water and rowed out into the run of the gale, with great effort they managed to get in front of the ‘Vigilant’, and riding on the crest of a wave they reached the cutter, and with cheers from the crew of the cutter, who had been busy making the her lighter, by chopping the main mast and jettisoning the cannons, the two boats took up the hawsers thrown to them from the cutter, they then started the monumental task of towing the cutter back from the jaws of  doom, but with Sir Williams leadership the two boats manage to get the ‘Vigilant’ close enough for the rocket launchers to get lines aboard the Cutter which was pulled to safety. In the following day and night, as the storm worsened , Sir William and the crews, time and again went forth and took either line, aid or taking passenger off various vessels and carrying them to shore all told some 97 lives were saved. This was the night that convinced Sir William, that there was need for an organised lifesaving movement; in fact if Sir William had not intervened and taken it upon himself to lead the way, there most likely would not be any RNLI boats anywhere.

        But intervene he did, and as in everything Sir William did he inspired in others the want to help, and with proper guidance there was no shortage of volunteers. After mulling the idea over in his head for some ten weeks or so, an incident involving the 18 gun Brig HMS Racehorse, who was sent to escort the partially repaired ‘Vigilant’ back to England, the master of the brig misread the lights at Castletown for those of Douglas and founded on the Skionnes at Langness, and when neither cannon or rocket brought aid, a cutter was dispatched and with a crew of eighteen aboard managed to reach shore and raise the alarm, with conditions deteriorating fast, five rescue boats set out to get the remaining crew off the brig and to safety, after an hour the first of the rescue boats reached the brig and with seas crashing on the rocks  and smashing against the brig, one of the small boats got along side, the other four boats fought the seas and also managed to get the last of the crew including the Captain aboard, the last boat started for shore but was caught and overwhelmed by the sea, she sunk, six of the brigs crew and three of the Manx rescuers were lost 
   The tragedy left the families of the three Manxmen dependent on charity, this made Sir William take action, so he wrote to the Admiralty on behalf of the families of the rescuers, and on Christmas Eve was in receipt of a letter confirming that an award of life pensions for the bereaved families and payments to the rest of the crews from the boats involved. Though this was the result that Sir William had hope for, he was still afraid that if a privately owed vessel were to be in the same situation there would not be any payments of pensions or costs, for either rescuers or the crew themselves, thus amid displays of heroism and disaster the principles of a National Lifesaving Organisation coalesced, with three main reasons a centralised direction, as Sir William reasoning that the organisation should be responsible for:

1. The design and building of suitable lifeboats.
2. The automatic manning, by properly trained crews when placed on station.
3. The payment of compensation to volunteers who were maimed in rescues,
   or if killed, pensions to their bereaved families.

  By February of 1823 Sir William was ready with his proposition, entitle “An Appeal To The British Navy On The Humanity And Policy Of Forming A National Institution For The Preservation Of Lives And Property From Shipwreck.”

   He printed and distributed over 700 pamphlets to all interested parties, including the Admiralty Board themselves, hoping that they would move with the idea, but after months of waiting, received a very reserved letter, wishing him heartfelt best wishes for his venture, but that the Admiralty Commissioners could not at this time help or understand how this venture could be founded. Undeterred he printed more booklets, widening his appeal to include all sovereigns and governments of every country with any naval power in Europe and the Americas, reasoning that after all it was up to every nation to help get the Institution started.

   Slowly things started to happen, the insurance companies impressed with the heroic feats of the previous autumn, promised to contribute to the cost of a volunteer lifeboat at Douglas. Sir William himself help to formulate a committee in Douglas that would take responsibility for the new boat, thus was formed the first district branch of the National Body, an order for a boat was sent to the boat yard in Sunderland. Sir William now threw himself into the task of forming the National part of the Institution, he went to London to lobby support and there he met the Liberal MP for Southwark, Thomas Wilson who advised Sir William not to press the Admiralty to much, but to make the venture a philanthropical one, then when the venture was up and running, the Admiralty and other parties would be more inclined to get involved.

   Sir William took his advise and with the help of Mr Wilson and George Hibbert, chairman of the West Indies Merchants called a meeting of all interested parties, to be held at The Tavern in Bishops Gate Street, London on March 4^th, William Wilberforce the noted Reformer, summed up the attitudes when he declared “for such is it the duty of the opulent to provide”, patronage was of the best standards, with King George IV agreeing to be patron, and the prime minister as president, other Dukes, Bishops and leading parliamentarians all giving support. Thus was formed with Mr Wilson as chairman “The National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck,” later to become the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
  In March of the following year the Institution agreed to the striking of a gold medal, to be presented to Sir William in recognition of his work in getting the Institution started, this was only the start of Sir Williams collection of medals, in all he received 3 gold medals, and a gold emblem for his part in the rescue of the Swedish boat ‘Fortrondet,’ his son Augustus was awarded the silver medal at the same time, this was one of  Sir Williams proudest moments.