Cornwall’s coast is littered with maritime casualties and in this article Audrey Aylmer (Cares Enesow) of Bude Stratton & District Old Cornwall Society brings us its story of one of these, the Portuguese steamship Belem which was wrecked at Menachurch Point, Northcott Mouth, near Bude.
The SS Belem had been launched in 1890 at Flensbury and named the Rhodos. On 20th November 1917 she was in ballast to Barry when disaster struck.
The lead photograph is the remains of the S S Belem, aground at Menachurch Point, and this information was on the back of the photograph. As far as I can find out, it came from the late Edward Blight, probably circa 1950s.
“The S S BELEM ran ashore in fog at Menachurch Point, a little to the north of Northcott Mouth, Bude, on the night of 20th/21st November 1917. She was originally named the Rhodos for the Hamburg/American line, seized in Lisbon Harbour in 1916 and loaned to Italy to bring coal from England and her return cargo would generally be sulphur from Sicily to England for munitions. On this particular voyage there was no sulphur ready so she came back to Benjaffa, Oran, North Africa, to load iron ore for Cardiff of which she had 2500 tons. After cutting holes in her side to throw out the cargo she began to bump badly and soon large holes were in the ballast tanks. She was eventually sold to the ship breakers.”
The crew of 33 were all rescued and one account does say that the cargo was saved.
Although much of the vessel itself was salvaged at the time, a considerable amount of the wreckage is still exposed at certain states of wind and tide and during the equinoctial tides of March 1997 I was able to take some photographs. On showing these to Mr Arthur Madge he provided me with his memories of the disaster.
“During the First World War I was a boarder at St. Petroc’s School, then in Killerton Road, Bude. In my dormitory there were five boys of my own age. About midnight on 20th November 1917 we were awakened by five loud bangs. Our housemaster called us down into the basement and told us not to be afraid. We then heard that these bangs were from a ship off Northcott Mouth, about a mile north of Bude. There was a thick fog at the time.”
“A Mrs Spooner, who lived near Northcott, heard ‘those guns’ and, seeing the flashes, took her horse and rode all the way over the downs to warn the authorities about the situation, a very brave thing to do.
“As soon as dawn broke, our master walked us along the cliffs. The fog was still very thick as we arrived and looking down we could just see the ship on the rocks. The lifesaving ‘gang’ was there in operation, hauling the poor seamen ashore by breeches buoy. They rescued all the Portuguese crew, including the little cabin boy who could speak some English. The ship was carrying a cargo of iron ore bound for Cardiff. They had been sailing very close to shore to avoid German U-boats.
“The crew were suffering badly from exposure. Although everything was rationed because of the war, people gave them clothes and food. We boys bought them tobacco and sweets out of our pocket money.
“I well remember our walks along the cliffs to Widemouth Bay as boys. On a sunny day we would sometimes see German U-boats on the surface, charging up their batteries. We could do nothing about it except warn the authorities, by which time they had submerged.
“The airship base at Langford, between Marhamchurch and Week St Mary, was of great interest. We used to count the airships flying over the sea to guard the convoys up the Bristol Channel, and sometimes they did not all come back.
“When the peace was signed at the end of the First World War we had a great celebration, and I remember waving little Union Jacks frantically outside ‘Vickery’s Corner’ in Bude. I also remember prisoners coming home. We used to go to the station to meet them with a carriage. Instead of horses, ropes were attached to the carriage, and schoolboys and a lot of local people would pull the prisoners through town, along the Strand and up Bellevue”
Wreckage of the S S Belem (Photos: Audrey Aylmer 12th March 1997)
Footnote.
Arthur Madge’s account was told to me in 1998: he was eight years old at the time of the wreck. (Audrey E Aylmer – Cares Enesow)
Audrey E Aylmer
Audrey Eleanor Aylmer, Cares Enesow, (Lover/Friend of Islands) was born in 1928, the youngest of six children.
Her Bardic name reflects having lived on various islands around Britain: Holy Island, Caer Gubi, Anglesey, Bardsey Island, Ynys Enlli, Gwynedd, North Wales, Fair Isle, Shetland; Portland Bill Lighthouse, Isle of Portland, Dorset. She is known for recording the flora and history of these islands.
She is the Recorder of Bude/Stratton and District Old Cornwall Society (15years) and continues to be involved with the Archives and Displays of its records.
