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When the South Shields Voluntary Life Brigade Team won the Chronicle trophy in 1948. |
Following a number of shipping disasters off the Northumbrian coast, the world's first purpose-built unsinkable shore based lifeboat, named the 'Original' was designed by William Wouldhave and then built in 1790 by William Greathead and based on the Tyne. Over a forty year career the boat saved hundreds of lives, by 1839 there were over 30 stations throughout the UK and these helped spawn the modern lifeboat service as we know it today. The boat has been preserved and is on view in Shields today.
This photo of the lifeboat's football team was taken in 1948 - before the existence of the RNLI - in those days it was the South Shields Voluntary Life Boat. The man on the far right was John Burnett. One of 11 children (four of whom died very young) born to John and May Burnett in South Shields - the family lived in Ocean Drive near the Groyne. Other siblings included Ivy, Violet, Joseph William Burnett (my grandfather) Alan, William and George who was a navigator aboard patrolled in U-Boat Alley during WWII. Other family names included Parker and Sinclair - there's even a pickle factory business in there somewhere!
Any additional insight or info on the Burnett or Sinclair family would be most welcome!