Boatman Mallett's courageous deeds

It was on October 8, 1792 '“ a bare three weeks after France had been declared a republic '“ that 'a noble lady', her entourage and her two daughters struggled up the beach near Tide Mills from their stranded ship, having escaped from the rampaging Parisian mob. They had come that far with 'two Swiss officers' only to miss death by inches yet again, as the unwelcoming waters of the bay hammered at their craft.

We read how at that unhappy time Baron Sheffield kept an agent at Newhaven to meet any such stranded refugees and escort them to safety at Sheffield Park, or other shelter. His daughter Josepha recalled dining with a group of priests who had thus escaped, after witnessing the slaughter of their bishop.

Seventy years later, almost to the day, it was another French vessel, the schooner Jean Albert, that was in trouble in a gale, near the Blatchington Coastguard station. Commissioned Boatman Richard Mallett, 'ran into the sea at great risk of his own life and succeeded in throwing a line on board the vessel, by means of which all the crew were saved'. His gallantry earned him promotion to Chief Boatman. He had already distinguished himself during his adventurous naval service by saving lives at sea on at least four occasions, hence all his medals, and in 1860 had rescued a crew member from the wreck of the brig Woodside in the bay.

He would go on, after his efforts with the Jean Albert, to save eight lives from the French vessel Seraphine (December 1869). His name survives today in the close off the Causeway, in sight of the scene of those great deeds of courage of 'one of England's noblest heroes'.

Lives were risked and lost on October 20/21, 1894 to the west of the town when the decommissioned lightship Warner was being towed by a Trinity House vessel to the breaker's yard. They anchored overnight in the bay, a gale came on and the tow line broke. The lightship came ashore somewhere opposite the end of Dane Road. All aboard were saved by the good work of RE Sergeant Davis and of Mr G Saunders (presentation of awards later at the Albert Hall, East Street) but one man from the tug died, attempting to get a fresh line across to the Warner.

The Coastguards, Lifeboat Service (first at Newhaven in 1803, after the rescue by primitive cliff lift of the one survivor of the Brazen disaster three years earlier), the local Lifesavers and our present day Lifeguards, are among the people devoted to the rescue of those in peril on the sea. Many others over the years have owed their lives to the commitment of passersby, be it grabbing a rope and wading out to a stranded boat, or helping fire the rocket that sends a line across and setting up the rescue apparatus. Long may they all be remembered.

PAT BERRY