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At number 1, East Cottages, lived Walter ‘kite’ Rix – a man aware of the danger of life at sea. Walter was both a fisherman and lifeboatman serving alongside his brother William under the coxswain Henry Blogg. Also living at 1, East Cottages was his wife Rebecca and their daughter Emma (born in 1891). Walter was born on the 7th April 1868, the son of Edmund (old mun) and Charlotte Rix. His father, ‘Old Mun’, was a fisherman as were his brothers Robert and William. His mother was Charlotte Davies (born in Cromer) and her father was John Davies born 1798 in Bristol and also a fisherman. At age 13 Walter’s occupation was listed as “ropemakers servant” (1881 census) and he lived with his family on Brunswick Street (Walter had six siblings in total).

By 1891 Walter had set up home with his wife Rebecca (nee Bishop) and moved into 1, East Cottages, with their young daughter Emma who was 6 months old. Rebecca’s grandmother – Dinah Nockles – also lived with them and is actually listed on the 1991 census as the head of the household and living on a ‘Parish allowance’. We are not sure, but it is possible that Dinah might be related to ‘Baby’ Sam Nockles who was then living at number 4 East Cottages. Walter first served on the Cromer lifeboat (we think) in 1888 at the age of 21, although his first action for which full documentation exists, was on the 28th–29th December 1893. This report was kindly sent to us by the research team at the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum: He was onboard the Benjamin Bond Cabbell (ON12) on the service to the ‘Fair City’. She was demasted in a hurricane but the crew wouldn’t leave her so they attached a hawser between the vessels and waited until they ‘drifted off in the hurricane’!!!

The family suffered tragedy in 1907 when Walter’s brother Robert, a fisherman, was drowned alongside James Harrison the son of former lifeboat coxswain Jimmy ‘buttons’ Harrison. Walter and Robert’s father, Edmund Rix, were in another boat at the time of the accident and saw the tragedy unfold, as did his other brother William along with James’s father, James Harrison Snr. An inquiry into their deaths was told that the wind had increased from a force 4 to 6 when the boats left land and then to a force 8 when they were returning to shore. The tragic irony is that Edmund had purchased the boat from Sheringham: it was 15 years old and evidence at the inquiry would seem to indicate the boat broke up in a squall that blew up as the boat was heading back to land. No other boats were damaged that day.

Matthew Harrison was in the nearest boat (about a quarter of a mile away) and said the squall lasted for 20 to 25 minutes during which time they could not see what was happening. Some of the fishermen eventually got hold of the boat but there was no trace of the men or the foresail. They left it to come ashore and get into another boat to go out again. There was no sign of the Boy Dick. William Rix (brother of the deceased) had gone out in his own boat, Nil Desperandum, YH 49. When they had finished hauling, William had spoken to his brother and James before heading towards the shore. When William realised the Boy Dick was in trouble he went out again. He is reported as saying the two men were “coming in splendidly” but then the squall really came in.

Both William and Edmund Rix believed that the two men had been buried in the sail (which was missing) and which had gone down with them. Edmund felt that if they had been free of the sail they would have survived. There are several really interesting things concerning this story which highlights the hard life of the fishermen and their families. A reward for the recovery of the bodies was immediately issued: £2 per body. Full descriptions of the men were attached to the bill. How devastating that the family had to issue the descriptions which were thus: James Harrison: aged 25, height 5ft 7.5”, dark hair and moustache, dressed in a blue jersey*, oilskin coat and long sea boots. Robert Rix: aged 33, height 5ft 6”, dressed in a blue jersey and long sea boots, dark brown curly hair. The accident happened on 2nd May and newspaper reports suggest a body was discovered by William Wilson, a bricklayer, opposite Rudrum’s Gap just off shore in the sea at Bacton, as late as 28th May. It actually came ashore opposite Walcott Gap. The next day both sets of parents had the heart-breaking task of going to Bacton to identify the body. With the question in their heads: is it our son? It was Robert Rix (James Harrison’s body was never found). It is harrowing to think that the body had been in the sea for 26 days when the families had to identify it.

The body was returned to Cromer at 7.15pm the next evening having been collected by his two brothers: Walter and William Rix. The funeral was the afternoon of 30th May, just two days after the body was recovered. On the same day the inquiry recorded the verdict of “Accidental Death”. The funeral took place at the Cromer Cemetery. It was an extremely well attended funeral. The Eastern Evening News reported: “In Cromer cemetery yesterday Robert Rix, one of the two victims of the recent crab boat disaster, was laid to rest amid every token of sympathy and respect. It may be said that the whole fishing ocmmunity of town was there to a man. From Runton also came many comrades. The Lifeboat Committee and the coastguard service were also well represented, while of the general public there were not (just) a few.” It was pointed out that James Harrison’s father was the coxswain of the lifeboat crew and that other members of the lifeboat crew were coffin bearers. All well-known Cromer men and well-known Cromer family names: Henry Blogg (2nd cox), Gilbert Mayes, George Stimpson, Alfred Allen, Charles Cox and Robert Blogg. Many of the men were living in, or near, East Cottages.

It is worth recalling another fishing boat accident which took place in the years leading up to the accident. On 14th April 1899 the sea had been very rough and Robert Rix (along with Ben Harrison) were in a boat that capsized and were in danger of drowning. A boat (not the lifeboat) manned by four men, including James Harrison (Snr) and James Henry (Jnr) put to sea and saved the drowning men. The tragedy of losing a brother did not deter Walter from going to sea. His wife Rebecca would have had to be strong, resolute, and hardworking. She would have no way of communicating with her husband out at sea and a late returning boat would doubtless cause anxiety. This can only have been amplified by the loss of a family member. And yet Walter continued to provide this vital emergency service and on 29 August 1912 was aboard the Louisa Heartwell Lifeboat as it went out to the Haisboro Sands and brought off 21 crew from a Belgium Fishing Boat, the Antoine de Padou of Nieuport.

Then five years later came the most famous rescue of them all – The rescue of the SS Fernebo on the 9th December 1917. The Fernebo was a Swedish ship that had suffered an explosion, possibly after hitting a mine (this was during World War One) or perhaps the boiler exploded (it is unknown for certain). This is the story of a double rescue because the crew had already been out on an earlier call. This is the excerpt recorded in the museum’s records by local historian Cyril Crawford-Holden: The ‘S.S. Pyrin’ 9th January 1917 – Mr Collison, chairman of the Lifeboat Committee, heard that the Greek Ship ‘S.S. Pyrin’ of Pyrolus was in distress. Henry Blogg, when asked if he could launch on such a terrible sea, from No 2 Boathouse on the beach at the bottom of the Gangway said, I doubt if we shall, but we’ll have a rare good try’. With the help of many soldiers stationed at Cromer, some going up to their waists in water, managed at 11.40 am during a terrific North Easterly Gale the Lifeboat ‘Louisa Heartwell’ was launched to assist this ship which had become unmanageable 2 miles out, there was a 50 mph gale blowing and they finally reached the Pyrin about 2pm and were able to take off 16 men and land them safely an hour later. During this time the Swedish vessel the ‘Fernebo’ was seen in great difficulties further out and although the crew of the Lifeboat had been thrown into the sea and oars had been broken, they relaunched the lifeboat again at 4pm and rescued the crew of the ‘Fernebo’. The crew of the lifeboat were mainly old men, due to the younger ones being in the forces. During the time it was seen that 6 off the ‘Fernebo’ had left the boat and were making for land. It was with a gasp of horror that the crowd on the shore saw the sea hit the small boat and throw all 6 occupants into the wild sea. The ‘Fernebo’ had broken in half. Men rushed into the water, with no thoughts for their own safety and linked hands. The leaders were up to their necks. In this extraordinary way all six were rescued. The 11 rescued from the remaining half had spent 12 hours in the boat. By 5pm the stern portion of the ‘Fernebo’ with the remainder of the crew aboard, were abrest the Groyne by the Doctor’s Steps, the other portion was opposite the lighthouse.

The rescued men were all taken to the Red Lion Hotel. Henry Blogg received the Institution’s Gold Medal and the crew, including Walter and his brother William, were all awarded a bronze medal. The rescue was officially regarded as one of the most gallant in the annals of the Lifeboat Service. Walter might never have been aboard the lifeboat for the Fernebo rescue as two years prior he had enlisted in the British Army to fight on the continent in the First World War. When we first found the forms he had completed upon signing up, we were confused to see he entered his age as 40 (the maximum allowable for active service in WW1 at that time). In 1915 Walter was however 47! It appears he lied to get into the army. In 1915 his listed rank was Sapper and he served with the Royal Engineers his regimental number being: 68433. We enquired at The Royal Engineers Museum, but they do not hold any records about Walter. However, they implied that as he joined the Inland Water Service (scrawled onto the top of the document) that this was based at Dover and that training was carried out at Longmoor (near Portsmouth). He never got as far as mainland Europe and we suspect was sent back to Cromer from his training base as he was discharged on the 22nd March 1915, just 26 days after first signing up. His discharge papers record ‘did not make an efficient soldier’.

Walter Rix’s time on the lifeboat came to an end with his last shout aboard the Lousia Heartwell on the 12th June 1925. However, he was likely still involved in a supporting role. He is featured in this image taken of the crew involved in the rescue of the SS Georgia in November 1927. It is possible he was part of the shore crew participating in the rescue. The tanker Georgia had gone aground on the Haisboro Sands, one half with the crew drifted away into the night, the empty half towards Cromer, the HF Bailey was launched down the Slipway. On finding the wreck empty, they returned to Cromer, later they proceeded to the Haisboro Sands and assisted with the rescue. When they returned to Cromer the next day they were welcomed by over 2000 people, £368 was raised by public subscription, a gold watch was presented to Blogg, silver watches to the crew members, the RNLI also gave money for distribution to the crew along with £50 from the owners of the ship.

For his service onboard the lifeboat we can rightly consider Walter Rix to be a hero. However human beings are complicated and do not always behave perfectly. A search of newspaper archives reveals an incident that casts him in a more negative light. The following was reported in the Norwich Mercury on the 6th July 1904 William Allen of Cromer, was summoned for assaulting Walter Rix fisherman, at Cromer on June 19th. He pleased guilty, but said it was under great provocation. The defendant said that Mr Rix was the worse for drink, and going down the passage he pushed two children out of his way, and told them not to take up the whole passage. One of the children was the defendant’s, and it made him angry. Defendant was fined 7s 6d, inclusive.

In 1921 the following are living at 1, East Cottage: Walter and Rebecca, Emma (who is married by then) and her husband George William Todd Green and their son Walter George Green. George is 32 and Emma 31. Young Walter George is 3 years old. Walter Rix died in 1932 aged 64 years old. In 1939 seven years after Walter’s death his widow Rebecca and daughter Emma are still living at number 1, East Cottages (both listed as ‘unpaid domestic’) with Emma’s husband George who was a green-keep at West Runton Links golf club (Emma and George’s son Walter is married and living in the Aylsham area). We have been contacted at the museum by somebody who remembers visiting her grandmother at 5 East Cottages in the late 1940s. She has passed on the following memory…. Rebecca was referred to as ‘Becky down the yard. I was very young when I encountered an elderly lady dressed in black always with slippers on , found her quite scary, don’t know if that would have been her, that would have been late 1940s. In 1953 Rebecca Rix is recorded as residing at the property with George W Green: Emma had died in 1950 aged 60. Rebecca died in 1955 at the age of 86. Emma and George had a son: Walter George Green, born 1918 (so he is Walter and Rebecca’s grandson). Emma obviously named her only child after her father Walter Rix. Walter junior would have been about 14 when his grandfather died. Later in life Walter George Green was to achieve something his grandfather tried and failed – he fought in a World War (WW2). Tragically for the family Walter Green died in Tunisia on the 18th August 1943 due to an accidental bomb explosion. He was a Sergeant. He is buried there but is commemorated on the Cromer war memorial. George was the last of the 1, East Cottages residents mentioned in this blog to die. He died in 1961 at the age of 73. The last record we have of him at 1, East Cottages is still living there in 1961. So it seems likely that he died whilst living in the cottage.