Channel crossings and lifesaving: the further (mis)adventures of George Drevar

A previous article documented part of the strange history of Captain George Drevar (1833?–90), the ‘sea serpent monomaniac’ who saw the great sea serpent in 1875, was tried at the Old Bailey and imprisoned for three months. As extraordinary as that tale was, there was another important obsession of Drevar which influenced his life: lifesaving. Here his other great fascination is explored, including his fearless attempts to demonstrate his inventions and his resultant distinctly heroic death.