HistoricaLeigh - Three Brave Lads

May 16, 2016 by Carole Mulroney

THREE BRAVE LADS

On 27 May 1910 there was a tremendous storm. It was so bad that the Yacht, that Janet, with two men and the owner’s young daughter on board foundered off Westcliff, ended up in the water leaving the child alone on the yacht.

Three young brothers, the O’Brien’s’ who lived in Glendale Gardens, were out in their own yacht, the Galatea, when they saw what had happened and went to the rescue of the two men. When they learned that a 12 year old child was still on board the yacht, one of the brothers, Mr P ‘Brien, swam to the yacht and safely brought the child to shore.

The O’Brien boys lived with their father Daniel, a retired Customs Officer. The storm the lads got caught up in had caused much havoc. It came down in torrents over a short period and an Edmund Duff of High Cliff Drive was drowned when his dinghy capsized off the Leas.

However, the newspaper reported that the High Street sewer was able to cope with the deluge because of the new storm water outfalls.