Month: January 2015

Mary Stanford’s Sister Boat

Priscilla MacBean has a new home

Priscilla MacBean – the final chapter. Ion Castro completes the story as the former lifeboat arrives at its final resting place.

After nearly a year of restoration, a magnificent feat of dedication in itself, the 34 ft. former Eastbourne, Kirkcudbright and Maryport lifeboat was moved to its new location, a specially prepared ‘dry dock’ at the bottom of Old London Road at the top of Hastings Old Town on the 86th anniversary of the loss of sister ship Mary Stanford, the Rye Harbour Lifeboat. The event was witnessed by hundreds of enthusiastic onlookers and a list of VIP’s that included Hastings & Rye’s MP, Continue reading Mary Stanford’s Sister Boat

Alf Horner – Noble Hero

By Jim Hollands

Pictures from the Horner Collection

Just recently, John Horner, who now lives in Hastings, loaned me two albums packed with photographs of his father and events in Rye and the local area in the 20th. century. Many are previously unpublished.

Alfred Horner, known to all Rye as Alf, was a friend of my father. They both worked in businesses in the town and later had their own grocery shops. They were in the Home Guard together in the war years and continued running shops in Rye until they died, within two months of each other, in 1969. Continue reading Alf Horner – Noble Hero

Rye Old Scholars

MANY RYE OLD SCHOLARS MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IN WORLD WAR 1.

 By John Breeds.

I’m sure that readers will remember the two boards commemorating Rye Old Scholars who died as a result of fighting during WWI.The one on the left, from Rye Grammar School, has 24 names on it and the rather grander one, below right, from Rye County School has 97 names. This seems a huge number of young men lost from such a small town. Continue reading Rye Old Scholars

The Engine that Brought Down a German Bomber

By Jim Hollands

On the morning of 27 November 1942 an English train driver and a German pilot set off to work. By the end of the day one of them would be dead! Continue reading The Engine that Brought Down a German Bomber