HC Deb 07 February 1939 vol 343 c768W
Mr. Thorne

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give any information in connection with the lifeboat disaster at St. Ives, Cornwall, on Monday, 23rd January; how many lives were lost; and what compensation will be paid to the widows and children?

Mr. Stanley

The St. Ives lifeboat capsized with the loss of seven of her crew on the night of the 22nd-23rd January when proceeding to a vessel in distress off the Cornish coast. She subsequently drove ashore near Godrevy Lighthouse with only one survivor on board. I am informed that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution will grant pensions on its usual scale to the dependants of the members of the crew who lost their lives. I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my deep sympathy with the relatives of the victims of this disaster.