65th anniversary of Sark-UK yacht tragedy

Friday 13 September 2024

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the departure and subsequent disappearance and death of a teacher, another man, and five school boys who attempted to sail from Sark to the UK.

The group had travelled to the island from the UK in September 1959.

French and maths teacher Colin Noble - described as an experienced sailor - was with the five boys who were all aged between 14 and 16.

They were called David Earle, Anthony Gould, Robin Green, Peter Knight, and Matthew Rudman.

They had travelled to the island with Mr Noble's friend John Clewett.

This was not the first journey of this kind that Mr Noble had undertaken - having successfully made the return trip with a group of pupils from Kingham Hill School earlier in 1959.

Having first visited Guernsey where they spent time with a Mrs Gail Jones - described in the school magazine as "an old friend of the school" - the group sailed on to Sark.

From there they intended to sail back to the south coast of England stopping at Weymouth before continuing to their final destination Bosham, an estuary village in Chichester. 

Pictured: Creux Harbour in Sark, from where the group may have set sail.

Their trip was to be completed on board a chartered three-sail yacht called Rohilla which was a converted lifeboat. She had been hired in Bosham and was to be returned there. 

However, Rohilla was soon reported lost at sea, along with all those onboard.

It's understood that the teacher, his friend, and the five students departed Sark at 16:00 on Sunday 13 September 1959.

They should have arrived in Weymouth during the evening of Monday 14 September 1959.

When they didn't arrive at their destination on the anticipated date the mood quickly changed with history.gg reporting that it was immediately apparent that "something terrible had happened".

The initial outlook for the journey had been good with coastguards at Portland Bill reportedly seeing a yacht that looked like the Rohilla after the group had left Sark.

While those who saw the vessel weren't close enough to make a positive identification they are said to have reported that she seemed "not to be having any problems at that time".

When the alarm was raised search teams from both the UK and France were launched.

This included four minesweepers that had been on exercises in the Channel already and were diverted to help look for the adventurous group.

The search covered the route Rohilla would have likely sailed from Sark to the south coast of England but there was no sign of any life.

A buoy bearing Rohilla's name was the only item found initially, with a small dinghy, also from the boat, soon washing up on a Cornish beach.

By 21 September the mystery was declared a tragedy with the Admiralty stating that “through some unknown cause, Rohilla has been lost without trace”.

Over the following weeks and months three bodies were recovered from the tragedy with Mr Noble's body the first to wash up, at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.

Two of the students were found a few weeks later when Peter Knight's body washed up on a Cornish beach on 10 October and another was recovered from the sea. This boy was later identified as Robin Green. 

No trace was ever found of the other three boys who had been aboard, or Mr Clewett who had travelled with them. 

History.gg says "there are several theories as to what had happened".

While the weather had been pleasant for a sail cross the Channel when they left Sark 65 years ago today, the weather had worsened as they headed north. One theory is Rohilla may have capsized.

Another theory is that she might struck another vessel.

A post mortem carried out on the body of Robin Green, whose body had been recovered from the sea a month after Rohilla left Sark, had confirmed he died of shock, with some saying this supported the theory that their boat had struck another.

Pictured: In 2019 Kingham Hill School held a Rohilla Memorial Service to mark 60 years since the tragedy.

The boys were all pupils at Kingham Hill School in Oxfordshire.

The school newsletter of October 1959 makes very solemn reading with the depth of feeling at the loss of the two men and five boys devastingly clear.

"The beginning of this term has been terribly saddened by the appalling loss of Mr Noble and five boys who were on a sailing holiday in the Channel," it states.

The newsletter continued: "Words cannot express the grief of the School at the loss of so good a man and such fine companions.

"We have been bereaved of men and boys whose influence and good example would have been with us for years to come."

Mr Noble's commitment to the school and his young charges was clear.

The newsletter stated that for the prior ten years he had spent "almost all his Easter and summer holidays in camp with the School Scouts, or on the Broads or the sea with ever-changing parties of boys and no doubt there are many Old Boys who, on reading these words, will recall with nostalgic pleasure the happy hours they had with him."

Pictured: An addendum to the school newsletter confirmed that two of the boys lost in the tragedy were laid to rest.

Each of the students and Mr Noble and Mr Clewett are remembered with a plaque bearing their names inside the school chapel.

In 2019 fellow pupils who had attended lessons with the boys gathered for a memorial service marking the 60th anniversary of the tragedy.

The school website states that some of these men had not seen each other since 1959 so it was a bittersweet occasion.

The memorial service was led by the school's then-Headmaster Reverend Nick Seward.

Jerry Rudman - a brother of Matthew Rudman who was one of the boys lost -  read from Ecclesiastes.