Robert William Hook

Hook received a second award clasp in 1873 for his part in rescuing the crew of 10 from the Norwegian vessel Expedite which had gone ashore on Holm Sand in a gale and had dismasted on 13 November 1872.

[7] On 28 October 1882 the Isis, William Thrift, Secret and other vessels were wrecked with great loss of life in the neighbourhood of Lowestoft during a heavy storm.

Their reluctance to launch was because they felt they had not been fairly treated during an incident earlier in the year when they had not been able to effect the rescue of a distressed fishing smack; however, a lifeboat from nearby Pakefield had managed to reach it resulting in the Lowestoft crew not getting their full pay allowance, which caused bitter resentment.

[4] Hook was coxswain when on 14 November 1882, 25 men of the Lowestoft lifeboat rescued the eight-man crew of the barque Berthon following which each lifeboatman was awarded a silver medal as a reward for their bravery.

[8] As coxswain during the incidents that had occurred on the evening of 28 October 1882, Hook was called before a Board of Inquiry held at Lowestoft on 13 to 16 December 1882 to explain why he was serving customers at his inn at the time the ships were being wrecked.

He was questioned as to why the Lowestoft lifeboat did not proceed to render assistance to the Isis and other vessels before 11.30 p.m. on that day and then only after Hook had been confronted about the matter and after he and the crew had been offered a financial inducement to do so.

His death being in vivid contrast with the strenuousness of his young days, when he was coxswain of the lifeboat, and when, with lion-hearted courage, and never daunted when the call came to save life, as he said "let the storm rage and the sea roar ever so fiercely".