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When the hospital ship HMHS Rohilla ran aground just off the North Sea coast at Whitby on 30 October 1914, it caused shock waves in the small Lancashire town of Barnoldswick.

A dramatic rescue effort gripped the nation. It meant most of the 229 people on board were saved. But 85 lives were lost - including twelve men from Barnoldswick.

They were all volunteers from the local St John's Ambulance brigade and were members of the Royal Naval Sick Bert Reserve.

In all, there were fifteen men from the town on board. Three survived but the deaths of the twelve others amounted to the single biggest loss of life in the town on any one day during the whole war. Eleven of the twelve bodies were never found.

For many years, Barnoldswick remembered the tragedy with an annual Rohilla Day. More recently, a special panel has been unveiled commemorating the men at the local war memorial.

Location: Barnoldswick, Lancashire BB18
Image: Onlookers witness HMHS Rohilla running aground just off the coast in Whitby

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