On Sunday 29th February 1880, the barque “Matilda Hillyards” of Yarmouth was heading for Ardrossan Harbour to take onboard a cargo of iron bound for the United States, when a violent storm sprung up. Between 11am and midnight the barque was four miles outside of Ardrossan Harbour when she sent out a signal requesting assistance.
Captain Steele, the Harbour Masters quickly made preparations to safely berth her upon her arrival.
The Harbour Master fully expected the barque to arrive safely, but as she drew close to Horse Island, she suddenly turned north-west to avoid the rocks and was instead driven by the gale high onto the rocks on the island’s eastward side. The lifeboat crew were immediately called out, and at 0.30am on Monday 1st March 1880, the ‘Fair Maid of Perth’ with its 13-man crew was launched. Taken in tow by the tug ‘Terrier’ the two boats raced to Horse Island, where the tug let go of the lifeboat and proceeded on to assist the brig Alexandria which was anchored precariously at the mouth of Ardrossan Harbour.
Upon reaching the location of the ‘Matilda Hillyards’, the lifeboat crew established that it was too dangerous to approach her from the sea, and instead made for the sheltered lee of the island where six of the lifeboat crew jumped off and approached the barque overland. They threw a Manilla rope out to the barque with which they established a rescue line and pulled the Matilda Hillyards 12-man crew to safety across the storm-lashed rocks.
By 3.30am, with the storm strengthening and no news from the lifeboat crew, the tug was sent out again. It was able to report back that the lifeboat crew were safe and provide details on the Matilda Hillyards, which had lost her fore and main masts and was being swamped by the waves. After careful consideration it was decided to wait for daylight before sending the tug back out.
At daylight the tug again left the harbour, pulling the 18-foot harbour boat, which upon reaching Horse Island was manned by four brave volunteers. They landed on the lee of Horse island where they found the crew of the Matilda Hillyards and their rescuers making their way to the lifeboat.
Around 7am, the lifeboat left Horse Island with 25 souls onboard and accompanied by the harbour boat proceeded to the tug lying in the sheltered lee of the island. Once the boats reached the tug the lifeboat was securely tied to the tug and the harbour boat to the lifeboat, whose volunteer crew returned to the tug.
With the boats in tow, the tug made it safely across the sea until inside the Crinan Rock, where it had to change its course to enter the harbour. The boats were now broadside to the oncoming waves, causing them to roll from side to side. 400 yards from the pierhead, the boats were hit by three huge waves in succession, causing the lifeboat to capsize, with all 25 men onboard being thrown into the sea. Lifeboats are built to right themselves should they capsize but, in this case, that didn’t happen.
The tug quickly stopped giving the men floundering in the freezing cold water, time to reach the overturned lifeboat, while others made for the harbour boat which remained afloat. The Belfast Steamer, the ‘North Eastern’ deployed its lifeboat and rescued two men from Ardrossan’s lifeboat crew. At the harbour 53-year-old William Grier was pronounced dead, but the doctor successfully revived Alexander Brodie.
The tug slowly towed the capsized ‘Fair Maid of Perth’ with men clinging to both sides, and the harbour boat into Ardrossan Harbour, where the men, exhausted and numb from exposure, were quickly helped ashore. While the lifeboat crew were taken care of in their homes, the crew of the ‘Matilda Hillyards’ were taken to the Eglinton Arms Hotel.
Sadly, four men did not survive. Two were members of the lifeboat crew, William Grier and Alexander McEwan whose body was found floating close to the pier an hour later. They both came from Harbour Lane, Ardrossan. The other two men who drowned belonged to the crew of the ‘Matilda Hillyards’. They were the cook and steward, John S. Hickey of Norwich, N.S. and able-seaman Vincent Luthemburger of Vienna, Austria.
On Wednesday 3rd March the funerals of William Grier and Alexander McEwan were held at Ardrossan Cemetery. Amongst those in attendance were the surviving crew of the Matilda Hillyards paying their last respects to the courageous men who had lost their lives saving theirs.
Shortly afterwards a Dependant’s Fund was opened to raise money for the widows and orphans to which the RNLI contributed £300 (around £20,000 in today’s money) and the Earl of Eglinton contributed £50.
The events of 1st March 1880 would claim one final victim. Coxswain William Breckenridge was one of the men who assisted the crew getting off the Matilda Hillyards and spent several hours on the island in freezing conditions. By the time they pulled him off the capsized lifeboat at Ardrossan Harbour he was in a dreadful condition. On Wednesday he left his sick bed to attend the funeral of his colleagues. On the following Monday he returned to work, but by Wednesday his condition had worsened and he was sent home.
William Breckenridge died on 28th March 1880, 2.30am at 36 Montgomerie Lane, Ardrossan, aged 41. His cause of death was listed as Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis. He left behind his wife Mary Jane Northcote and two young sons, seven-year-old William and three-year-old James Dunlop. Sadly, William didn’t live to see the birth of his daughter Mary Jane who was born on 1st June 1880. He was buried in Ardrossan Cemetery close to his fellow crewmen.