Orkney Image Library

This painting hung in Stroma Bank Hotel as long as Jack and Ola Leslie were the publicans of the premises.
Jack was Cox at the time and a very quiet calm man he was. What is not clear in Harry's painting is that on both sides of the Lifeboat were rocks just below the water and the tide and wind was like to bring the Lifeboat onto these rocks. The last man was very afraid and did not want to jump and had to be heaved off the doomed trawler by force and a snow shower came on and it was a complete whiteout for about half an hour.
Eleven were rescued that night, I think it was five from a liferaft and seven from the trawler.
It is a while ago and I might be wrong a lot has happened since then!

[Eleven... or twelve?- Steven}

John, I seem to remember Harry making a model lifeboat that was rigged to actually fire rocket lines, think it was radio controlled, do you remember it? any idea of its whereabouts? As said before a man of many talents.

I have two peedie ash trays that were copies of Chrissie McFadyen's house that Harry made, fags resting in the bottom made the smoke come out of the chimneys.
Lovely keepsakes and memories of two fine folk.

Ok ok me counting is no very good, but what I can mind on was the four or five that were in the raft had been so near to drowning that when we took them from that raft they clung to the rails of the Lifeboat and had to have their hands beaten to get them down into the cabin. In my time on the boat this was the only time I witnessed this, which I believe is known as a death grip. Also the thing I remember was the wreck screaching and banging like a dying animal- it was something I will never forget.
Yes, it was eleven who were saved that night.

First stop when we went out to me grandads at the Binks was Harry Berry's dump on the shore to see what rejects we could find.