The Shipwreck of RMS Hildebrand III is a book written by one of our church members: Ruthie Lockyer.
In September 1957, the Booths Line’s liner RMS Hildebrand III left Liverpool carrying tourists and freight to the West Indies, but ran aground off the coast of Portugal. Fifty years later after the incident, Portuguese divers found pieces of the wreck on the ocean floor. This is the dramatic story of the last journey and unhappy end of the ship and its aftermath, told through the eyes of one of its passengers, highlighted by information gleaned from crew members, witnesses, and others who had worked or sailed on her. The narrative is augmented with speculations about the cause of the wreck and a summary of the Formal Enquiry held in February 1958.
An admirable account of a momentous event, clearly narrated and successfully creating a feeling of suspense and impending disaster… genuinely absorbing
Tony Russell, editor
Copies of the book can be obtained from Ruthie, every penny received for it (price printed on book £5.95 but donations of any amount invited) is split between Ellesmere Methodist Church and Alzheimer’s Research UK.