John Nicholas Sheader known as Jack, came from a large family of Scarborough fishermen, was born in 24 July 1891, one of six boys and three girls to George and Elizabeth nee Carsey, as soon as he was old enough, he became a fisherman and joined the Scarborough lifeboat crew. He married Constance Duncan in 1915 and they went on to have two sons and three daughters. He saw service in both WW1 and WW2 with the Royal Naval Reserves. In the mid 1940’s he was appointed to the coxswain’s position on the Scarborough lifeboat. It was normal practice for lifeboat men to retire at the age of sixty, but Frank was persuaded to stay on as he was considered as good and as strong as any forty-year-old, with the intention of retiring on his 64th birthday in July 1955.
JOHN HARRISON CAMMISH also known as Jack, was born in Filey the son of Robert Edward Cammish and Susanna nee Holmes, on the 18th May 1899. As soon as he was old enough he went to sea, fishing and on the 15 May 1917, three days before his 18th birthday he was working on board the Filey herring coble Edith Cavell SH216, off Robin Hoods Bay when a German U boat surfaced, forcing the fishing crew of their boat and onto the U boat before sinking the Edith Cavell with a bomb. Jack and the rest of his crew were fearful what was going to be done with them. However after heading north, the U boat stopped a steamer off the Farne Islands, force its crew to abandon ship by using its own lifeboats, and the steamers crew were told to take the Filey crew into the lifeboats and make sure they were returned home, the steamer was then sunk. After this incident Jack enlisted in the Royal Navel Reserves. After the war, Jack moved to Scarborough and married Rachel Sheader in 1921. He also was an important member of the Scarborough lifeboat becoming 2nd Coxswain.
Francis Bayes known as Frank, was born in 1925 the son of Francis Bayes and Lillian Mackereth. Young Francis joined the navy, and whilst serving he first met Masie Conner when she was serving as a WAAF, he met her again when she moved to Scarborough from Middlesbrough in 1952, in 1954 they arranged to marry at St Mary’s Church at Easter 1955. In December of 1954 Francis was on leave from the navy and old Frank Bayes, Francis’s dad was suffering from a severe bout of flu and Francis decided to stand in for him as signalman on the lifeboat.
On the morning of the 8th December 1954 Scarborough’s lifeboat responded to a call from the ‘Venture’, which had got into difficulties at Cayton Bay, the rescue was carried out without incident. Later that day a storm blew up, and six boats were reported as unaccounted for, two cobbles and four larger fishing boats. The ECJR and the crew put to sea in a strong south easterly gale, helping escort some of the missing vessel’s home, after about five gruelling hours in the gale looking for three remaining missing boats word came through on the radio, that the ‘Courage’, ‘Rose Mary’ and ‘Pilot Me’ had made it safely into Whitby harbour. With the knowledge that all the boats had been accounted for the ECJR made for home. The storm had not abated and as the ECJR turned to make its approach into the harbour she was hit broadside by two massive waves, resulting in the ECJR capsizing and righting itself immediately. However, in the little time the boat was upside down five members of the crew were tossed into the sea. Two of the distressed men, Robert Crawford and Ernest Eves managed to kick off their sea boots and swim back to the boat where they were hauled back on board.
Meanwhile on the beach local fishermen were aware that there were men in the water, and they started to make a search from the beach by wading into sea, it was by this method they recovered Jack Sheader and Jack Cammish. Sadly, Jack Sheader was already dead, whilst Jack Cammish was still alive and rushed to St Thomas’s Hospital, on Foreshore Road, where he sadly passed away. There was still no sign of Francis Bayes and the local people brought their cars onto the footpath of Foreshore Road shining their headlights into the sea, firemen and soldiers from the ack-ack unit stationed at Burniston Barracks also joined the search with their search lights. Eventually, about three hours later Francis Bayes body was washed up by the lighthouse steps.
Every December, on the closest Sunday to the 8th, a memorial service is held at St Mary’s Church to honour not just these lifeboat men but all lifeboat men that have died in service to others.
Visit : Memorial Plaques
Scarborough Lifeboat Station
St Mary's Church
Read :
The Scarborough Lifeboats Arthur Godfrey 1975
The Story of Scarborough Lifeboats Jeff Morris 1992
Scarborough a History of its Town and People WM Rhodes 2018
