A COURAGEOUS sea rescue from a sinking First World War hospital ship will be commemorated next month.
The Rohilla ran aground during a storm at Saltwick Nab, near Whitby, on October 30, 1914.
A dramatic 50-hour rescue operation saved the lives of 145 of the 229 people on board.
To mark the 90th anniversary of the rescue, a service of remembrance will be held in Whitby, where there is a monument to those who drowned.
Organisers hope descendants of victims and the survivors will pay tribute to the lifeboatmen who fought through colossal seas in rowing boats. Six RNLI lifeboats from Whitby, Upgang, Scarborough, Tees-mouth and Tynemouth were involved in the rescue.
Whitby Lifeboat Museum curator Peter Thomson said: "The Rohilla was on its way from Scotland to Dunkirk to pick up wounded soldiers.
"On board were several nurses and a large group of men who had all been part of the same St John Ambulance Brigade group, in Barnoldswick, Lancashire."
The service will be held at the bandstand, in Pier Road, at 2.30pm, on October 31.
For more details of the service contact Mr Thomson at the RNLI Whitby Lifeboat Museum, Pier Road, Whitby, YO21 3PU, or call (01947) 602001.
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