A History of South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade

South Pier

The South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade (S.S.V.L.B.) was established in January 1866 to help the Coastguard to prevent the loss of life from shipwrecks on the south side of the River Tyne and the coastal area south as far as Whitburn.

This site is a work in progress and currently consists of three main sections:

The First 21 Years - A series of articles, believed to be written by Mr Samuel Malcolm (Hon. Secretary), to commemorate the first 21 years of the Brigade.

Wrecks - A record of shipwrecks on the south side of the River Tyne and the coastal area south as far as Whitburn. This is arranged in chronological order and as an A to Z of ships' names.

History - A more detailed chronological record of the Main Events, Annual Reports and Brigade Documents, which includes Scrapbook given to Brigade in 1887 by Mr Samuel Malcolm in 1887.

Further sections on the development of the piers , a history of the rocket apparatus and a section on the development of the Watch House have been started.

The Brigade has a number of group photographs. Unfortunatley, many of the individuals cannot be identified. If you recognise anyone, please contact us with the information.

If you have any information on the subject, we would be grateful if you would contact us on ssvlbhistory@gmail.com

If you want to learn more about the current activities of the Brigade please visit www.ssvlb.org.uk

Sources and Acknowledgements

Our thanks are given to the members of the Brigade, both past and present, for their help and assistance.

The British Newspaper Archive, which has provided the source for many of the transcriptions of newspaper articles. www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums Service,South Tyneside Libraries (www.southtynesideimages.org.uk) and Beamish Museum Photographic Collection have provided very useful material.