Born and bred in Cromarty, Clem Watson left the town in 1962 and now lives in Nairn. However, his links with Cromarty remain as strong as ever and he is a regular contributor to the Cromarty Image Library. Son of the legendary Albert Watson and grandson of John Watson, Clem has a vast store of memories (and memorabilia) about the town and its maritime heritage.

Others will have mentioned my father, Albert Watson’s, businesses in Cromarty – the ferry to Invergordon and the coal and mail delivery businesses. But what of the family tradition of service with the Cromarty lifeboat?

My grandfather, John Watson, set the trend by saving 72 lives at sea in various parts of the world and served as coxswain of the Cromarty lifeboat from 1917 to 1933. My father took over from him as coxswain in 1933 and served in that capacity for 35 years. My uncle John was also the lifeboat’s first mechanic, serving 45 years. They were both involved in one of the lifeboat’s most dramatic rescues on the evening of 7th December 1959.

The Cromarty lifeboat at the time was the Lilla Marras, Douglas and Will, a 46’-9” wooden Watson. She launched to the aid of a stricken coaster adrift in the Moray Firth shortly before high water at 4.45 pm. The Servus, a vessel of 360 gross tons from Leith, was some 40 miles from the lifeboat station. Normally in the Moray Firth area the wind seems to increase with the start of the ebb tide, so just after the lifeboat got underway, the wind increased to a full gale. The lifeboat rolled heavily on its way to the search area. Buckie lifeboat had been out that day and returned, and Wick could not launch as conditions were too severe.

The fishery cruiser Explorer was spotted at 1.30 a.m., and after a radio conversation between lifeboat and fishery cruiser, the exact position of the casualty was ascertained and contact made. The Servus was then inside the 20-fathom line, a mile offshore and eight miles WSW of Clythness lighthouse. She was lying head to sea with two anchors down, yawing violently and ranging on her chains as the severe gale swept her shoreward at a speed of one knot.

My father, Coxswain Albert Watson, brought the lifeboat ahead of the coaster and down her port side, turned sharply and approached her port quarter. Through the fury of the spray, five of the eight-man crew jumped to the safety of the lifeboat deck.

The sea was so fierce there was no chance to use ropes. Quick action of helm and full astern engine power of the twin diesels prevented the lifeboat being swept on to the top of the cargo hold. Waves at this time were 15 to 20ft high, so a second run in was made to the same position on the Servus’ port quarter and the remaining three jumped to safety.

The rescue, after contact with the Servus, lasted some 20 minutes, and at 2 a.m. the lifeboat left the coaster and made for Cromarty, which was reached at 7.45 a.m. For this service the RNLI’s Silver Medal for gallantry was awarded to my father, the Bronze Medal to his brother, Mechanic John Watson, and thanks on Vellum to Assistant Mechanic George Morrison. Remaining crew were given Medal Service Certificates.

The coaster ran aground just below Dunbeath Castle rocks on the Caithness coast and became a total wreck. I have some press cuttings and one cites Captain Pirie of Servus saying: “Never have I seen better handling of a boat. It was superb seamanship”. My Uncle John said of the Lilla Marras, “It was her first really big test and she came through it with flying colours.”

Despite battling with heavy seas for 15 hours, my father immediately transferred into his own boat to do the regular, three times a day, 5-mile crossing to Invergordon with the mail, for which dedication to duty he received a special letter of thanks from the Head Postmaster in Inverness. However, it was a letter from the daughter of one of the rescued that overwhelmed my father. It simply said, “Thank you for saving my Daddy”.

To celebrate my 65th birthday in 2001 I decided to kayak from Invergordon to Cromarty. This was partly in tribute to my father’s memory, and partly for old times’ sake (as from the age of fourteen I often ran the ferry boat on my own to Invergordon and back to help my father). It took me precisely one hour and raised £1200 for the Victoria Hall.

Lifeboat board in the East Church porch, commemorating many rescues, including that of the M.V. Servus. © Calum Davidson

Before retiring, I worked for many years as the north of Scotland fundraiser for the RNLI. A voluntary organisation, the RNLI is committed to be 50 miles offshore within 2½ hours. To be able to maintain that sort of operational capacity it’s essential to have good lifeboats, capable of withstanding all sorts of storms such as that experienced in the account above by Cromarty’s last lifeboat, the Lilla Marras, in 1959. Sadly, Cromarty lost its Lifeboat Station in 1968 when the Coastal Revenue Committee of the RNLI took the decision to close it, based on the decline in coastal shipping in the 1960s. Then with the arrival of the North Sea Oil activity in 1972, the same Committee had a further look at sea safety provision. By that time Cromarty had lost most of its men to the Nigg Yard – thus nobody left to crew a Lifeboat here, and the new lifeboat was placed at Invergordon. The Station re-opened there in 1974.

Finally, here are some memories of my childhood in Cromarty: setting a scanty of about 400 hooks to catch flat fish in Udale Bay, fishing from the pier, going out with ‘Big Robert’ to Guillam Bank to catch cod and staying in the salmon bothy overnight with the fishers for an opportunity to assist with the catch at about 4a.m. What a wonderful happy time in the great outdoors was had by all of my peers at that time. In winter we helped collect the ice, in large lumps, off the Navity Pools just above Newton. Ice was loaded into horse carts and small lorries and transported to the ice house on Braehead, to be used in June, July and August to chill the salmon going to London by rail from Invergordon, via my father’s ferry. We were aye working, with pleasure, and ending up with 6d in old money (2½ p nowadays!)

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