Two heroic names added to Lost at Sea Memorial Wall
The Memorial Wall in Dunmore East, where the names of two local heroes who sacrificed their lives to save others will be commemorated this week. Photo: Neville Murphy
The names of two local heroes, John Fitzgerald and Thomas Crotty, are to be added to The Lost At Sea Memorial in Dunmore East this week, in recognition of their bravery and lasting influence.
The two men were fundamental in the foundation of an RNLI lifeboat station in Tramore, resulting from their efforts in saving the crew of a shipwrecked vessel in 1858.
The memorial wall was first commissioned by the people of Dunmore East to remember their loved ones who were lost at sea and in local waters, many of whom were never found.
On January 25, 1858, the French brig La Capricieuse, carrying a cargo of coal and sailing from Llanelly, Wales, to St. Malo in France, with a crew of seven, encountered trouble in Tramore Bay.
Six courageous fishermen from Brownstown set out to rescue the shipwrecked French sailors. Tragically, two of them, John Fitzgerald and Thomas Crotty drowned in the attempt.
The details of the event were published in the Waterford News, precursor to the Waterford News & Star, with the headline: “Wreck and loss of life at Tramore”. The article stated that "John Fitzgerald and Thomas Crotty, fishermen, and Pierre Dubois, one of the crew, had met a watery grave."
The report also expressed the need for a dedicated lifeboat service in the area, saying: “Had there been a life-boat here it is believed that all hands would have been saved. The vessel is now dry at low water. We are glad to learn that a subscription list is now in course of signature for the relief of the families of the brave fishermen, who, to save the lives of others, sacrificed their own."
The loss of the two local fishermen, who had gallantly sacrificed their own lives to save the crew of the ship, sent shockwaves through the local community, and a committee was subsequently set up to collect money to assist the families of the two men.
Members of this committee also wrote to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, asking the RNLI to consider setting up a lifeboat station in Tramore.
Up until that point, rescue attempts to save the lives of shipwrecked sailors fell to local fishermen and boatmen from HM Coastguard to venture out, usually in difficult conditions.
There was an immediate response to the appeal for an RNLI station, and the station in Tramore was officially founded a year later in 1859, due largely to the valiant efforts of the two local men who sacrificed their lives.
Outside the entrance to the RNLI College, Dorset, UK, there is a memorial that honours the courage of all those lost at sea while endeavouring to save the lives of others around the United Kingdom and Irish coasts. The names of John Fitzgerald and Thomas Crotty are already inscribed on this memorial.
With an interest in all maritime matters relating to Waterford, David Carroll, author of the book ‘Dauntless Courage’, about the history of Dunmore East RNLI, first discovered the two local names whilst visiting this memorial in Dorset.
David extensively researched the lives of the two men, with the close help of Andrew Doherty of Tides & Tales, and The Wigham Family. David says, “None of this would have happened without Andrew Doherty and his blog."
Speaking about the significance of the commemoration, David said: “This memorial serves as a source of inspiration for current and future generations of lifeboat volunteers and supporters, and is a reminder that people who carry out selfless acts of heroism to help others will always be remembered.
“This year, marking the two hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, it is fitting and poignant that the names of John Fitzgerald and Thomas Crotty should also be remembered closer to their homes.”
