Redden op de Rede

Since the establishment of lifeguard companies in the nineteenth century, shipwrecked people have been offered a helping hand by a dedicated organization. But is it correct to assume that shipwrecked people were left to their fate before that time?

Since the eighteenth century, there has been more attention for rescuing people. Thanks to new regulations and scientific publications, knowledge about how to get a drowning person ashore quickly and safely has grown. But were the bystanders on the coast – close to where most shipwrecks occurred – also familiar with the new insights?

Based on a number of shipwrecks around Texel, an important trading hub in the eighteenth century, this book examines what people really knew about drowning prevention. How did the rescue of the shipwrecked people proceed? Who was involved? What happened to the drowned and was there care for the relatives? Rescue on the roads offers a clear and fascinating view of the rescue service in the Wadden Sea before it took on its organized form.