Ada Sampson: The story of heroic Whitby woman who jumped into Yorkshire river to save boy 74 years ago

A young boy fell in the River Esk and without hesitation, Ada Sampson - a local Whitby woman - jumped into the river where there were dead sheep and trees floating down the harbour.

Sadly the boy was never found.

However, Ada became friends with the boy’s family throughout the rest of her life - who they credited for her valiant attempts to save their son.

Ada Sampson’s daughter, Chris Dowson, 77, was a witness to her heroic actions on that fateful day.

“I was only four years old and I remember my mum telling me and my sister not to move and next thing she jumped into the water,” Ms Dowson told The Yorkshire Post.

“We’d heard this noise, this shouting, and it was near the bridge. There were all of these fishermen just standing there but she actually jumped in to try to save this little boy, which was absolutely fantastic.

“She said that particular [time of the] day that there were dead sheep coming down the harbour and trees; it was terrible, terrible weather.

“Unfortunately, she couldn’t save the little boy. I was very proud of my mum for trying to save this little boy.”

Following her rescue mission, Ada formed a close bond with the boy’s family.

They went on holidays and spent weekends together.

“My mum didn’t really know the little boy’s mum and dad [before the accident],” Ms Dowson said.

“Apparently this little boy that drowned was always protected by [his parents] Uncle Ernie and Auntie Dot [Waller], but that particular day somebody said he had gone down to the harbour with his mates.

“After the [tragedy] happened, the four of them were really good friends [my mum, dad, Dot and Ernie] all their lives.

“They went on holiday together, they went to Spain for six weeks and I’ve got a lot of photographs of them together which is nice.

The Yorkshire Post newsletter is sent twice a day - subscribe here

“They had another boy, we always called him John, and as far as I know he was brought up in Malton and I think he turned out to be a vicar. That’s what we were told.”

Ms Dowson, from Whitby, came from a long line of lifesavers in her family and her grandfather, John Robert, was quite famous among locals.

“I know a lot about my granddad and what he did,” Ms Dowson said.

“He told us that one time he knew this body was coming up [in the water], it was his cousin. He got medals because he tried to save lives.

“My granddad was quite famous. Theresa Tomlinson wrote a children’s book called Stowaway about him on his dad’s boat.”

Ada worked as a waitress in her younger days before she enlisted in the women’s Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Cardington, Bedford.

In the early 1960s, she took over The Seacliffe Hotel in Whitby which she ran for 11 years and she had three daughters and 13 grandchildren throughout her life.

She died in January 2002.

“[My mum and dad] bought a boarding house down on George Street and moved to the Seacliffe Hotel,” Ms Dowson said.

“She was a wonderful mother. She always used to say I was her daughter and her best friend. We always went out shopping together or into town for coffee.

“It’s special for me to remember that she wasn’t just my mum, she was my best friend.”