Henry George Blogg GC BEM was a lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England, and the most decorated in Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) history.
The SS English Trader was a British merchant ship wrecked off the coast of Norfolk, England in October 1941. After falling behind a convoy during the Second World War of which she was a part, the ship ran aground on the Hammond's Knoll sandbank and began to break up during a gale. Several rescue attempts by lifeboats failed, but a further attempt the following day by the Cromer Lifeboat rescued 44 of the crew, three having already been lost.
SS Georgia was an oil tanker that was built in the United States in 1908 as Texas and spent most of her career in the United States Merchant Marine. In 1917 she was renamed Georgia. In 1927 she was transferred to Dutch ownership, and shortly thereafter ran aground and was lost on Haisborough Sands off the coast of Norfolk, England.
Henry "Shrimp" Thomas Davies BEM was a lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England. His uncle, Henry Blogg, gave him the nickname "Shrimp" after seeing him as a tiny baby. In 1931 he joined the crew of the Cromer lifeboat H F Bailey and became coxswain in 1947, taking over from Henry Blogg. Davies retired in February 1976, after serving as coxswain of lifeboats Henry Blogg and Ruby and Arthur Reed, having been one of Cromer Lifeboat Station's longest serving coxswains.
RNLB H F Bailey is the most famous Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat to have served from Cromer, because she was used by Coxswain Henry Blogg to perform many of his most famous lifesaving exploits. The lifeboat was on station for the ten years between 1935 and 1945. She is now part of the National Historic Fleet and has been preserved in the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum in Cromer.
SS Cantabria was a Spanish-owned cargo steamship that was built in 1919 in Canada and sunk in 1938 in a naval action in the Spanish Civil War in the North Sea. She was built as War Chief, renamed Alfonso Pérez shortly after she was built, and renamed Cantabria during the Spanish Civil War.
Haisborough Sands is a sandbank off the coast of Norfolk, England at Happisburgh. The shoal is 10 miles (16 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and lies parallel to the north-east coast of Norfolk. The shoal is marked to the northwest by north by the Haisbro Light Buoy, North cardinal. To the southeast by south is a light buoy South cardinal, and to the west by Mid Haisbro light buoy starboard hand. In 1995 there were three drying patches recorded to the north-northeast and east-southeast of the Mid Haisbro light buoy. Except at slack water their positions are indicated by tidal eddies particularly on the northwest, and in slight or moderate seas the swell breaks on the shallower parts of the banks. There are several foul patches on the southern part of the shoal. Over the years this shoal has claimed many ships.
RNLB Henry Blogg was the eighteenth lifeboat to be stationed at Cromer in the county of Norfolk.
RNLB Louisa Heartwell was the sixth lifeboat to be stationed at Cromer on the coast of the English county of Norfolk She was launched from the beach station and was on station from 1902 to 1932. During her period on station at Cromer the Louisa Heartwell had only two coxswains during her 29-year career. They were Matthew James Buttons Harrison until his retirement in 1909, and then Henry George Blogg.
SS Monte Nevoso was a cargo steamship that was launched in 1920 in England, owned in Italy, and wrecked in 1932 in the North Sea off the coast of Norfolk.
SS Meriones was a Blue Funnel Line refrigerated cargo steamship. She was launched in 1921 on the River Tyne as one of a class of 11 ships to replace many of Blue Funnel's losses in the First World War.
SS Gallois was a French collier built in 1917 as Tynemouth and later Lord Aberconway. She was one of seven merchant vessels which became stranded and then wrecked on Haisbro Sands off the Norfolk coast on 6 August 1941 during the Second World War as part of Convoy FS 559.
Alf was a three-masted Norwegian barque which became stranded and then wrecked on 23 November 1909 on Haisbro Sands, off the coast of Norfolk. She was originally built in 1876 as Inchgreen for Scottish owners. In the 1890s she was sold to Danish owners and renamed Adolph Harboe. Around the turn of the 20th century she was sold to Norwegian owners and renamed Alf, serving until she was wrecked off the coast of Norfolk.
William George Fleming GC (1865–1954) was a lifeboatman from Gorleston-on-Sea on the east coast of Norfolk, England. His service with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) spanned nearly fifty years, in which time he won the George Cross and the RNLI Medal in Gold and in Silver, and the Bronze Medal three times.
SS Hopelyn was a merchant ship from Newcastle that became stranded and then wrecked on Scroby Sands of the Norfolk coast on 17 October 1922.
HM Trawler Agate was purchased by the Royal Navy in 1935. She was modified from a trawler to be used to carry out anti-submarine work. In 1941 she was with the maintenance reserve at Rosyth, but in August was part of the Royal Navy's escort flotilla with convoy FS559 when she ran aground, becoming a total loss, on Haisborough Sands on 6 August with a loss of sixteen crewmen.
RNLB Foresters Centenary is a retired Liverpool-class lifeboat of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), stationed in the English coastal town of Sheringham in the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. The lifeboat was on station for 25 years between 1936 and 1961 when she was sold. She has been restored to her original condition and is exhibited in Sheringham Museum.
Convoy FS 559, eventually comprising ten merchant ships, was a British convoy in World War II which departed Methil, Scotland on 4 August 1941, then Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for Southend, Essex. The protecting force comprised the destroyers HMS Vimiera and HMS Wolsey, supported by HMT Agate and HMT Arkwright. On the night of 6 August, six merchant ships from the convoy and escort Agate ran aground on the Haisborough Sands. The Cromer lifeboat H.F. Bailey was the first to arrive, and rescued 16 men from the SS Oxshott, 31 from the SS Gallois, 19 from the Deerwood and 22 from Betty Hindley. The Cromer second lifeboat Harriot Dixon and the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat Louise Stephens between them rescued a further 31 men.
Happisburgh Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Inshore lifeboat station close to the village of Happisburgh in the English county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. Since 2003 the station boathouse has been re-located from the village to an area south called Cart Gap. This is because the beach below Happisburgh disappeared due to coastal erosion and the stations slipway and access was washed away. The original boathouse in the village is now used for training.
The SS Fernebo was a Swedish cargo ship that was built in 1912. She was wrecked off Cromer, Norfolk, in England on 9 January 1917, being split in two by a boiler explosion or a German sea mine. Her chief engineer was killed but the remaining 17 crew members were rescued by onlookers and the Cromer lifeboat, commanded by Henry Blogg. Part of her wreck remains on the beach at Cromer but is only visible at extremely low tides.
