The Provident

Brixham’s own community play marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Written by local playwright David Murphy and directed by John Miles, it tells the story of the heroic saving of 72 shipwrecked Royal Navy sailors from 'HMS Formidable', the first British battleship to be torpedoed by a German submarine in WW1.

On the morning of January 1st 1915, whilst preparing to fish in the Lyme Bay, William Pillar, the skipper of Brixham fishing smack 'The Provident', noticed a life raft adrift in heavy seas.

Following a four hour struggle in a Force 10 gale, Pillar and his crew managed to come alongside and rescue the otherwise doomed sailors and bring them back to the safety of Brixham.

The rescue made national and international news, bringing fame to the town. The crew were awarded medals by King George V in Buckingham Palace.