It's Not Just The Wrecked Ship Which Is A Disaster... It's The Wrecked
Lives...
For over 170 years our aim has been the same, to relieve distress among the seafaring and ex-seafaring community. Thankfully, shipwrecks are fewer but they still occur bringing tragedy in their wake, and then there are those who have left the sea, through accident, ill-health or on retirement and their dependants who are living on meagre incomes and in need of assistance. Please feel free to contact us should you require further information about any aspect of our work. Your support is much appreciated. Thank you.
Malcolm Williams
Chief Executive
Catherine is an Award Winning 'Marathon' Fundraiser.
Congratulations Catherine on another 'marathon' fundraising achievement!
Click here to view the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society
Channel on YouTube!
The Society was founded in 1839 as a result of the tragic
loss of a fleet of fishing boats on the north Devon coast the previous
year. A month later, Her Majesty Queen Victoria graciously announced
herself Patron of the Society and since then it has been honoured
by Royal Patronage. Our first President was Admiral Sir James Cockburn
who was responsible for attacking and burning Washington, including
the White House, in 1814 and for taking Napoleon to St Helena. Sir Robert Peel was a Vice President from 1840 until his death in 1850. In
1850, the Society was incorporated by an Act of Parliament, on which
the Rules and Regulations of the Society are still based.
Today, the Society still gives help in the event of shipwreck,
but our main purpose is to provide financial support to retired
seafarers and their widows in cases of need. Over 2,000 people receive
regular six-monthly grants; others receive a special grant to meet
a particular need. The Society receives several hundred applications
for assistance each year. To be eligible, an applicant must be able
to prove low net income and normally a minimum of 5 years' sea
service.
Regular grants are not normally given to those under 60 years of
age or with less than 10 years sea service. If you would like to learn more about the types of grants that
we provide, or if you would like to apply for assistance, please click here.
The Society is a member of The Merchant
Navy Welfare Board and co-operates closely with other member
charities to ensure that resources are distributed as fairly as
possible where there is the greatest need.
The annual Christmas Card Appeal has for some years been our main
fundraising activity - click here to find
out more.
Shipwrecked Mariners and the First World War
November 2008 marked the 90th Anniversary of the end of the First World War. From our archives some idea of the impact of the war at sea can be gauged from the fact that between August 1914 and December 1918 the Society assisted 2,433 widows, 4,633 orphans, 1,100 aged parents and 50,753 mariners and fishermen, disbursing a total of £125,000, equivalent in today's prices to over £4 million ! But mines were no respectors of peace and by June 1919 those figures had increased even further.
