Courage of those who risk their lives for strangers

A new play by Cornish writer Simon Parker is being staged at Theatre Royal Plymouth to mark the 200th anniversary of the RNLI lifeboat service. Here, Simon speaks to Sally Bush about his latest work, which honours the brave men of the Solomon Browne, who perished

- Sally Bush

FEW dates are etched into the memories of Westcountry people like 19th December 1981. That was the day the small Cornish village of Mousehole lost eight of its men in what became known as the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster.

Going out into weather and sea conditions more ferocious than anyone could remember, the crew of the Solomon Browne battled to rescue those aboard a stricken coaster, the Union Star. No one survived.

Four decades on – and to mark the 200th anniversary of the RNLI – Cornish writer Simon Parker has focused on the heroism of the Penlee crew in order to shine a light on the everyday courage of those who continue to go to the aid of strangers today.

Having been a journalist with The Herald’s sister paper, the Western Morning News for more than 30 years, Simon is perhaps uniquely placed to tell the story. He also lived and worked in Mousehole around the time of the disaster and knew members of the lifeboat crew.