At a brief ceremony held alongside Ramsey harbour on March 7, the loss of six men who died in Ramsey Bay that day in 1956 was commemorated with the unveiling of a memorial plaque.
The ceremony, attended by relatives of those who died, together with members of the Ramsey lifeboat, other emergency services and Ramsey Town Commissioners was led by the commissioners’ deputy chairman Sylvia Beattie who spoke of the ‘dreadful impact’ the tragedy had had on the town when the six men - Eric Lyall, his son Eric James Lyall, Allan Bradford, Reginald Wright, Albert (Abby) Cottier and Arnold Brew, all crew from the trawler Fleetwood Lady anchored in Ramsey Bay - were lost at sea at night when their rowing boat capsized as they were returning to the vessel.
After a brief account by Ramsey Town Commissioners’ administration officer John Donnelly of the events that have come to be known as the Ramsey Bay disaster, the plaque was unveiled by six-year-old Lola Tebay, great great-granddaughter of Eric Lyall senior.
Following the unveiling, chaplain to Ramsey Town Commissioners’ chairman the Rev Lionel Thomas offered a short prayer, commended the selfless efforts of the Ramsey coastguard and lifeboat crews and said the plaque would ensure the lives of the six men would not be forgotten.
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