RNLI: Plaque marks anniversary of shipwreck that led to founding

The plaque was unveiled to mark the bicentenary of the tragedy

A plaque has been unveiled to commemorate the 200th anniversary of a shipwreck that proved to be the catalyst for the founding of the RNLI.

HMS Racehorse was wrecked off Langness in the south of the island.

Nine men lost their lives as a result of the tragedy, including three local men from Castletown who were taking part in the rescue effort.

The events prompted Sir William Hillary to start the process of forming a British national lifeboat service.

RNLI trustee Mark Wordsworth said the loss of HMS Racehorse was a "seminal moment".

"That was the event that caused Sir William Hillary to decide he was going to do something about all the wrecks he'd witnessed," he said.

Mark Wordsworth said he was touched by the recognition of the lives lost at sea

He said that two months after the wreck, on 14 December 1822, the Manx resident wrote to King George IV and the Admiralty, proposing the founding of a national maritime lifesaving organisation.

He added that he was "very touched" that the commemoration did not just remember the loss of the vessel, but also the three "incredibly courageous" men from Castletown.

Norris Bridson, Thomas Hall and Robert Quayle had gone out "on their own to rescue people that they didn't know", he said.

Celia and Ian Dodd visited the island to pay tribute to a relative killed in the tragedy

One of the guests at the ceremony was Celia Dodd, whose great-great-great-grandfather Charles Keiggart was one of the members of the ship's crew who was killed.

She said it was a "very special" to be at the event, adding: "He probably didn't get a very good send-off at the time, but now you feel you've achieved something."

Tony Brown of the HMS Racehorse commemoration group said the plaque meant the sacrifice made by the rescuers would "always be remembered" in the town.

The unveiling coincides with an exhibition at Castletown Civic Hall featuring artefacts recovered the wreck, which has been put together by the group in conjunction with Manx National Heritage.