RNLI Lifeboat Magazine – Spring 2024 Issue – 200th Anniversary by Royal National Lifeboat Institution

PLUS:

ISSUE 647 | SPRING 2024

THE STUFF OF LEGENDS Dive into our astounding real-life rescues

HEROIC HISTORY

200 years of your RNLI in 20 objects

TIMOTHY SPALL

'If you call for help, they will come'

WELCOME Welcome to your Lifeboat magazine! It’s the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, and as a volunteer with Achill Island lifeboat crew, I’m so happy to be part of this incredible history. I always head straight for the rescue stories in Lifeboat, and this time you’ve got three legendary tales from the past. It’s amazing to see how lifesaving has developed over the years. Turn to page 8 and move to the edge of your seat. On page 13 we examine 20 objects that represent 200 years of lifesaving. If I could add another, it would be an anchor. When I joined the crew, anchoring was something I struggled with. But I’ve learned so much, and the crew have been lovely and supportive. The anchor represents challenge, but also stability. The stability of our RNLI family, here in Achill and beyond, and also of the RNLI as an organisation, still saving lives after 200 years. It’s good to have you with us.

Karen Arnold Karen Arnold, Volunteer Crew Member, Achill Island RNLI

In this issue

4 News and community All the latest on RNLI events and rescues 40

YOUR 200TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL ISSUE

48 Your next read Exclusive extract from our new book To Save Every One

© RNLI 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted with the prior consent of the RNLI. Opinions expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Care is taken to ensure that editorial information is correct at the time of going to press but is subject to change.

HISTORIC RESCUES 26

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. We do so by providing a rescue service, safety education, and supervision on beaches. We also influence other organisations, policy-makers and regulators. Our crews and lifeguards have saved over 144,000 lives since the RNLI was formed in 1824. Our Water Safety Team helps keep people safe at the coast and our International Team works to reduce drowning around the world where it’s a major risk. We are independent from government and rely on voluntary contributions and gifts in Wills for income. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charity registered in England and Wales (209603), Scotland (SC037736), the Republic of Ireland (CHY 2678 and 20003326), the Bailiwick of Jersey (14), the Isle of Man (1308 and 006329F), the Bailiwick of Guernsey and Alderney

Aground and aloft, but not alone A fight for survival

If you have any enquiries – or would prefer not to receive Lifeboat magazine – please email us at: supporterexperience@rnli.org.uk. Alternatively, please call 0300 300 9990 (from the UK), 01 511 9836 (from Ireland) or +44 1202 663234 (from any other country), or write to us at RNLI Support Centre, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HZ. Blind and partially sighted people can choose to receive a free CD or mp3 of the magazine

The bumper RNLI quiz Test your knowledge

SPRING 2024 ISSUE 647

Chair: Janet Legrand KC (Hon) Chief Executive: Mark Dowie Lifeboat Editor: Bethany Hope Lifeboat Design: David Constant, Lee Hawkins, Stacey Möller, Emily Scott Welcome photograph: Volunteer Crew Member Karen Arnold, Achill Island RNLI, RNLI/Nigel Millard

Celebrating life Remembering your RNLI family

Bonita: In their own words A tale of astonishing bravery

A lasting legacy Legend Henry Blogg in action

IN DEPTH Who's on the cover of your Lifeboat? Illustrator Kevin Williamson created the work of art on the cover. To check who's featured, use this key:

6. Coxswain Henry Blogg, Cromer RNLI, the most decorated lifeboat crew member in history 7. Coxswain Brian Bevan, Humber RNLI, who was awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals 8. Helm Aileen Jones, Porthcawl RNLI, who was awarded a Bronze Medal 9. Coxswain Patch Harvey, Penlee RNLI, who was awarded a Silver Medal 10. Sophie Grant-Crookston, RNLI Lifeguard, who was awarded a Bronze Medal 11. Nicola Barker-Harrison, Kinghorn RNLI Branch Secretary 12. Volunteer Crew Member Omar Javed, Tower RNLI

1. RNLI founder Sir William Hillary 2. Grace Darling, who rescued survivors of a shipwreck off the coast of Northumberland 3. Coxswain Henry Freeman, sole survivor of the Whitby lifeboat disaster 4. Fundraisers Jose Tansley, 18 months, with her mother Marion Tansley on a Lifeboat Day in Norfolk 5. Coxswain Patrick Sliney, Ballycotton RNLI, who was awarded a Gold Medal for Gallantry in the Daunt Rock rescue

22 One crew: your stories Sharing your love of the RNLI 32 Everyday heroes Our watch: hear from RNLI Chief Executive Mark Dowie 34 Generations of courage

and kindness

3 2

13 200 years in 20 objects A quirky snapshot of our history

eet the lifesavers who carry M on a proud family tradition 50 Timothy Spall ‘If you call for help, they will come’

Lifeboat spring 2024 3

News and community Welcome to a special edition of news and rescues from your RNLI community

You're invited Perfect for all the family, unique heritage exhibitions are taking place right across the RNLI:

Join us There’s lots going on this spring, with Monday 4 March heralding our 200th anniversary! If you haven’t listened to our 200 Voices podcast yet, head to your preferred platform and get to know your RNLI family. For children and the young at heart, there’s a mobile-based Storm Force Rescue game. Look out for our commemorative stamps to collect or send to loved ones and visit the RNLI Shop online or in person to discover special souvenirs.

• Opening 2024: Belfast exhibition • From 17 February: House of Manannan, Peel • From March: Aberdeen Maritime Museum • From 2 March: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich • From 22 March: The Historic Dockyard, Chatham • From April: National Maritime Museum of Ireland, Dublin • From 22 June: National Waterfront Museum, Swansea • From 29 June: Oriel y Parc, St Davids • From 23 July: Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro Plus you're welcome to join us at the Poole Lifeboat Festival and the Bamburgh Castle RNLI Festival, both on 18–19 May, the Inshore Lifeboat Centre Open Day, Cowes, on 26 May and the Pembroke Castle RNLI Festival on 16 June. Give thanks for the commitment and bravery of RNLI lifesavers at commemorative services: • 4 March: Westminster Abbey thanksgiving service (livestream) • 10 March: Glasgow Cathedral thanksgiving service (livestream) • 17 March: Norwich Cathedral memorial service and celebration • 20 April: York Minster thanksgiving service (livestream) • 27 April: Llandaff Cathedral thanksgiving service (livestream) For more information on services, visit RNLI.org/2024programmes.

Head to RNLI.org/200 to find more special events.

Connecting our Communities

Sing to Save Lives

All Hands on Deck

On 4 March, we kick off an RNLI relay-style event with Ford as our special partner. Follow the progress from London to Douglas, birthplace of the RNLI. Join in with the action along the way, in communities near you.

Why not call on your choir to join us and ChoirCommunity in singing for our lifesavers in 2024. Not a member of a choir? Connect with local volunteers to sing at their event.

Help ensure we can be there for generations of sailors to come by hosting an event with your sailing club in 2024 to raise vital funds. Supported by GJW Direct (see opposite).

4 Lifeboat spring 2024

NEWS AND COMMUNITY

International recognition The RNLI's 200th anniversary has been included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) 2024–25 list of global anniversaries. The UK delegation to UNESCO’s proposal received support from the delegations of Ireland, Tanzania and Bangladesh ahead of the November 2023 vote. With this worldwide endorsement, we look forward to working closely with UNESCO and the UK Government’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to promote RNLI and United Nations' drowning prevention messages through UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Creative Cities and Global Geoparks. We'll be joining forces to mark World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July 2024 across the UK, Ireland and beyond.

Solo sailors Dunmore East lifeboat volunteers assisted two solo sailors aiming to qualify for a long-distance race. The sailors, each piloting 6m sail-only vessels, were hit with unexpected weather and were seeking safe harbour. No sooner had the first vessel been towed into Dunmore East, than a call came in from the Coast Guard to relaunch to the second vessel, which they boarded and guided safely into the harbour.

Dunmore East crew prepare to board

Firework festivities A favourable shift in onshore winds saved the day for Flint RNLI and Flint Castle’s fundraising firework display in November, as around 3,000 people gathered for the spectacle. Flint’s Town Mayor Cllr Ben Goldsborough opened the event by lighting Barbara’s Beacon at the end of the lifeboat slipway – signalling to the team inside the historic walls of Flint Castle to launch their spectacular display. Event Controller Wayne Kerfoot thanked all the businesses, supporters and volunteers who made the event a success, and says: ‘Their support is crucial in ensuring a safe and successful community event for Flint RNLI.’ Lighting Barbara’s Beacon

Zoggs The RNLI is entering into an exciting new partnership this year with Zoggs. The company, which sells swimwear and swimming products for all ages, will support us financially and share our water safety messages with their customers. Visit shop.RNLI.org to find co-branded Zoggs products such as goggles, tow floats and swim caps.

GJW Direct UK marine insurance specialist GJW Direct has supported the RNLI since 2018 by helping us raise funds and reach boat owners with vital water safety messages. This year, GJW Direct is joining our RNLI 200 commemorations by supporting the All Hands on Deck programme. Find out more at RNLI.org/200sail.

Photos: RNLI/(Dunmore East, Flint)

Lifeboat spring 2024 5

New Year Honours Congratulations to our RNLI volunteers, supporters and staff, recognised in the 2024 New Year Honours for their contributions to saving lives at sea: Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)

James Michael ‘Mike’ Keggen Doreen Mortimer David ‘Davey’ Wallace British Empire Medal (BEM)

Dr Mike Bartlett Ian 'Barney' Barnaby Reverend Albert Cadmore Ken Fitzpatrick David Hastings Congratulations also to RNLI Chair Janet Legrand KC (Hon), who has been awarded an OBE for services to young people from her time as Chair of The Children’s Society. To read all their stories, visit RNLI.org/news.

‘You saved my baby’s life’ When Alice Corbett’s 18-month-old baby Macie’s eyes closed and she went floppy at West Runton Beach, Lifeguards Theo Maun and Max Sterry sprang into action. They gave Macie oxygen to help her breathe and monitored her until paramedics arrived. Alice says: ‘I’ll forever be grateful for those lifeguards for what they did that day.’ Theo, Macie and Alice

6 Lifeboat spring 2024

Inspiring the next generation

SAVE EVERY ONE The RNLI’s Water Safety Team is hard at work using the opportunity of our 200th anniversary to land important safety messages and inspire the next generation to be safe near water. This builds on last year’s launch of a new Float to Live campaign and expansion of the RNLI Local Ambassador scheme to over 1,000 local businesses – among other initiatives. RNLI Water Safety Public Affairs Manager Ross Macleod says: ‘We’re supporting the focus on engaging young people by promoting the Storm Force Rescue game, and we’re building on our partnerships to enhance the impact of water safety education. We echo the words of Black Swimming Association Chair Danielle Obe: “To save every one, you’ve got to reach every one.”’ Find ways to help protect your community at RNLI.org/safety.

120 rescued One busy Saturday in Denbighshire saw 120 people – including 80 children – caught out by a high incoming tide. RNLI and Coastguard volunteers coordinated the mass rescue to bring everyone to safety, with no serious injuries. Rhyl Crew Member Kevin Taggart says: ‘The beach can seem like a big playground, but the tide can come in surprisingly quickly. The depth of the water changes throughout the day, sometimes by as much as 10m. 10% of all RNLI rescues in Wales are to people cut off by the tide.’

NEWS AND COMMUNITY

Clinging to life

Kinghorn crew approach the casualty, stuck at Cramond Causeway

When the report came in about a person in the water at Cramond Causeway, Kinghorn and Queensferry RNLI volunteers immediately launched to the rescue. The Queensferry crew found the casualty clinging to a concrete pillar and the Kinghorn crew pulled the man onboard and brought him safely to shore. He was taken to hospital with lacerations and suspected hypothermia.

Sligo Bay Lifeboat Operations Manager Willie Murphy

International Day of the Girl

Super seafood

On 11 October 2023, the RNLI and Girlguiding South West celebrated International Day of the Girl by launching a new partnership to teach and empower girls to stay safe on, in and around water. Mayday, Mayday is an engaging water safety education resource developed for all ages of Girlguiding – from 4 to 18. The idea came from Deborah Meadows from Bembridge, who volunteers with the local Rainbow and Brownie unit and the RNLI Water Safety Team. She says: ‘At its core this collaboration is about sharing key messages that will ultimately save lives – but it’s also a fantastic way to introduce young girls to the potential opportunities an organisation like the RNLI has to offer. These range from operational roles like flying hovercraft and lifeguarding beaches, to data analysis, fundraising and building the lifeboats of the future.’

The volunteer crew of Sligo Bay RNLI served up a mouthwatering fundraising event at The Strand Bar, Strandhill, in October, working with main sponsor Starcrest Seafoods. With up to 200 guests, the seafood night raised an amazing €6,587 towards training and equipping the station’s lifesavers. RNLI volunteer Mark Ballantine organised the event and says: ‘The support that Sligo Bay RNLI received is just tremendous. I would like to thank Starcrest Seafoods for their sponsorship this year and all our other sponsors – The Strand Bar for hosting and cooking for us, those who donated raffle prizes and all who turned out and supported our night. I’m looking forward to next year already.’

Girlguiding is the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated to girls aged 4–18

Go digital Photos: Girlguiding South West England, Adam Jones, RNLI/(Donald Hackett, Kinghorn, Chris Taylor)

If you would like to opt for a digital copy of your Lifeboat magazine, email supporterexperience@rnli.org.uk. Lifeboat spring 2024 7

Aground and aloft, but

NOT ALONE Words: Mairéad Dwane

‘I feel like a little child, sir, and my heart grows too full for my eyes’ That’s how William Meldrum Lloyd described the feeling of tearing up in an interview with the Daily Telegraph in 1881. William was one of 11 men rescued from the wreck of the Indian Chief by Ramsgate lifeboat crew. And those were tears of joy and of gratitude, yes, but also of great pain – given what he and his crew mates endured over 2 nights and a day at the mercy of the North Sea. The 1,238-tonne Indian Chief set sail on New Year’s Day from Middlesbrough, bound for Yokohama, Japan. At around 3am on 5 January, the wind shifted, growing steadily stronger and colder, and the crew found themselves heading towards a grounding on the Long Sand, off the Essex coast. In the sailors’ pitch-black attempt to turn Indian Chief away from disaster, the ropes controlling the sails were fouled. The ship ran aground and, in William’s words: ‘she trembled as though she would go to pieces at once like a pack of cards’. The grounded sailors sent up distress rockets, and were heartened to see flares sent up in response by nearby lightships. Help was on its way. The fight for survival The wind kept getting stronger. Indian Chief’s sloping deck was washed by frequent huge waves. And, as the sun rose, and the tide rose, the whole ship rose too, straining and cracking, and starting to break into pieces under the sailors’ soaking feet and praying hands. They launched three ship’s lifeboats – and lost the first set of crew mates. William said: ‘The second boat, with two hands in her, went adrift, and was instantly engulphed, and the poor fellows in her vanished just as you might blow out a light. The other boats filled as soon as they touched the water.’ At around 5pm, the cabins on deck were smashed and – with the hull filling with water – the only way to avoid being washed away was to climb the masts. It was clear the mainmast Left: Off the Goodwin Sands – the Ramsgate lifeboat and steam tug crews brave cold and wild seas

would soon tumble, so 10 crew climbed the foremast, and 17 the mizzenmast, tying themselves on. ‘It was dreadful to look down and watch the decks ripping up,’ William recalled. ‘Every sea that rolled over the wreck left less of her than it found.’

Top: The Ramsgate crew of 1881 Bottom: Volunteers row with all their might to reach men aboard Indian Chief

To the rescue Earlier that day, the Ramsgate lifeboat Bradford launched – an open rowing and sailing boat. The local steam tug Vulcan towed the lifeboat out to sea. RNLI Coxswain Charles Fish

Lifeboat spring 2024 9

Ramsgate Coxswain Charles Fish

'The poor fellows in her vanished just as you might blow out a light'

Desperate sailors jumped from the wreck to reach the lifeboat

10 Lifeboat spring 2024

told the Telegraph: ‘I had my eye on the tug when she met the first of the seas, and she was thrown up like a ball, and you could see her starboard paddle revolving in the air high enough out for a coach to pass under.’ The two crews – tug and lifeboat – headed for the Long Sand, through the growing storm and biting north-easterly wind, of which Charles said: ‘I only wonder it didn’t freeze the tears it fetched out of our eyes.’ Charles, a teetotaller, allowed the lifeboat crew a nip of the rum kept onboard. ‘We felt the power of those waves,’ he continued. ‘We held on with our teeth clenched, and twice the boat was filled, and the water up to our throats.’ The coldest night They reached the lightships that had spotted Indian Chief’s distress signals as dusk crept in. Charles recalled a conversation with one of his crew: ‘“Bitter cold work, Charlie,” says old Tom Cooper to me: “but,” says he, “it’s colder for the poor wretches aboard the wreck, if they’re alive to feel it.” The thought of them made our own sufferings small.’ In the dark, with heaving seas, there was little chance of finding the wreck, and less of doing so safely. The search would have

to continue at first light, and the tug and lifeboat crews settled in for a rough, wet night at sea. According to Charles: ‘You may guess what a raffle of legs and arms we showed, and what a rum heap of odds and ends we looked, as we sprawled in the bottom of the boat upon one another. Sometimes it would be Johnny Goldsmith growling underneath that somebody was lying on his leg; and then maybe Harry Meader would bawl out that there was a man sitting on his head; and once Tom Friend swore his arm was broke; but my opinion is that it was too cold to feel inconveniences of this kind.’ At 1am the rum was passed around again, and the abstemious coxswain went to a locker for a little bit of what he fancied: a bite of Fry’s chocolate. But, like everything else onboard the Bradford, the locker had filled with saltwater, and the chocolate dissolved into a briny paste. A deadly crash High up the mizzenmast of the Indian Chief, William Meldrum Lloyd had a bad feeling: ‘Maybe it was a sort of craze of mine … but I was wild with eagerness to leave that mast.’ He found the strength to climb and swing through the rigging onto the insecure mainmast and, from there, to the foremast. It was 3am.

Soon after, a huge wave brought down the mainmast. And as it fell, it took the mizzenmast and its inhabitants with it. William could only watch his crew mates, including the captain, drown. Eleven men remained alive in the foremast. At dawn, William said he was ‘looking heart-brokenly at the mizzenmast and the cluster of drowned men washing about it, when a loud cry made me turn my head, and then I saw a lifeboat under a reefed foresail heading direct for us. It was a sight to make one crazy with joy, and it put the strength of ten men into every one of us.’ Released from the tug and under sail, the lifeboat crew made their approach. Coxswain Charles Fish said, of the huge following seas: ‘Some of them came with such force that they leapt right over the boat, and the air was dark with water flying a dozen yards high over us in broad solid sheets, which fell with a roar like the explosion of a gun ten and a dozen fathoms ahead.’ With freezing hands but rising hearts, the sailors aboard Indian Chief prepared a line, attached a piece of wood to the end, and threw it towards At dawn, the lifeboat brought 11 sailors back to shore alive

the lifeboat. The RNLI volunteers were able to snatch the line from the water and haul themselves in close enough to the wreck for the survivors to jump onboard. But even making their way from the foremast to the stern of the ship was a trial, as Charles recalled: ‘I feared for the poor halfperished creatures again and again as I saw them scrambling along the lee rail, stopping and holding on as the mountainous seas swept over the hull, and then creeping a bit further aft in the pause.’ The sailors also had to negotiate the fallen masts, and the attached drowned bodies of their friends. Charles told the Telegraph: ‘I lie awake for hours of a night, and so does Tom Cooper, and others of us, seeing those bodies torn by the spars and bleeding, floating in the water alongside the miserable ship.’ The return journey One of the men strapped to the fallen mizzenmast, Howard Primrose Fraser, was still alive, and was brought aboard the lifeboat, but died on the way back to Ramsgate. The 11 sailors who had the luck, or eerie foresight, to choose the foremast, still had much to endure before reaching land.

The second Howard Primrose Charles Knight, the tug Vulcan’s mate, became a father shortly after this rescue. He named the child Howard Primrose, after the Indian Chief crew member who died of his injuries onboard the lifeboat. Howard Primrose Knight (pictured) grew up to become coxswain of the Ramsgate lifeboat. He is most famous for taking the lifeboat Prudential to Dunkirk in 1940 to evacuate Allied soldiers. Howard Primrose and his crew spent 40 hours at sea, facing down bombs and gunfire to bring people home safe.

Lifeboat spring 2024 11

2024 Crew Member Becky Cannon

Ramsgate today

Of the lifeboat Bradford, William said: ‘Never could I have believed that so small a vessel could meet such a sea and live. Yet she rose like a duck to the great roaring waves that followed her … falling with terrible suddenness into a hollow, only to bound like a living thing to the summit of the next gigantic crest.’ Eighteen people perished in the wreck of the Indian Chief. Eleven survivors were brought ashore on 6 January 1881, bloodied and salt12 Lifeboat spring 2024

encrusted, but alive. Coxswain Charles Fish was awarded the RNLI Gold Medal for Gallantry. But his praise was only for his crew, and the crew of the Vulcan, ‘who made up their minds without a murmur, without a second’s hesitation, to face the bitter cold and fierce seas of that long winter darkness, that they might be on the spot to help their fellow-creatures when the dawn broke’. ■ Images: William Broome, Jack Lowe, Tim Thompson, Nicki Vowls

These days, Ramsgate’s RNLI volunteers save lives in the relative luxury of a Tamar class all-weather lifeboat and a smaller, speedier, Atlantic 85. The kit has vastly improved, thanks to the kindness of people like you, but some things haven’t changed. Helm Becky Cannon says: ‘Our history is so important – it’s what got us to where we are today. It’s very humbling when you hear a story like the Indian Chief. I couldn’t imagine going out in a cork lifejacket, or going through horrendous conditions in an open-top boat with oars. But they did that to help people. And those values are still the same at the station – and at all stations – today.’

'Never could I have believed that so small a vessel could meet such a sea and live'

200 IN 20

1. ST GURNARD’S PURSE

3. ACTION MAN

Early collection boxes included blue painted cast iron pillar-boxes secured to the ground. A remote series of three were located at Logan Rock, Land’s End and Gurnard’s Head in the 1880s and emptied weekly by the treasurer using this lockable collecting bag. See it at the Falmouth Maritime Museum.

An authentic crew outfit including oilskin jacket, trousers, lifejacket, boots, and breeches buoy rescue set with pulley (intended for the 1966–70 Action Sailor). The set was adapted for the UK market in 1974, becoming the RNLI Sea Rescue set. It’s held in its original packaging in our Poole Heritage Collection.

2. DISTIN WATCH Eddy Distin was a Salcombe RNLI oarsman and one of only two of the 15-person crew to survive the 1916 lifeboat disaster. This pocket watch was owned by him and stopped at the moment of capsize: 11.03am. You can find it on display at the RNLI Salcombe Lifeboat Museum. Photo: RNLI/David Dancox

Explore our selection of 20 objects – chosen from our collection of over 9,000 – offering a snapshot of RNLI lifesaving through the years

4. BOTTLE RING Drowning overwhelmingly affects countries with the fewest resources to prevent it. This ingenious rescue device, first made in 2019, houses three 2-litre plastic bottles in a fabric ring. It costs as little as 50p, and has a similar buoyancy to the plastic liferings used in the UK and Ireland that cost £40. See it at the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum. Lifeboat spring 2024 13

5. LOUISA HEARTWELL LIFEBOAT

Photo: RNLI/Nathan Williams

The original Liverpool class lifeboat Louisa Heartwell is being restored at the RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection, Chatham. It served Cromer RNLI in 1902–23 under the command of the RNLI’s most decorated lifesaver, Coxswain Henry Blogg. Its crew were the first to be awarded Bronze Medals for Gallantry and it is one of the last remaining Liverpool class lifeboats.

7. THE LIFE-BOAT GAME A donation box with a difference! Supporters would put a coin in the slot then try to guide the handle to the end of the metal course without the metal parts touching. Created in the 1950s, this one can be seen in the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum.

Photo: RNLI/Lewis Timson

8. BLUE PETER LETTER

9. FLIP FLOPS

Twenty-eight lifeboats have been funded by BBC Blue Peter viewers over the years. This 1960 letter, from Blue Peter presenters, expresses what it all means to them: ‘104 people are alive today thanks to Blue Peter viewers who cared.’ The letter is held in our Poole Heritage Collection.

In 2021, the RNLI partnered with our official vehicle supplier Ford to turn recycled tyres into message-delivering flip flops to raise awareness of our water safety message Float to Live. A pair is held in our Poole Heritage Collection and will be on display at Oriel y Parc from 29 June 2024 to 1 June 2025.

6. LIFEGUARD RESCUE BOARD Lifeguard kit takes quite a battering, so this is a rare example of the first RNLI-branded rescue board and the only one in our collection. Newquay lifeguards used it to keep beachgoers safe until its retirement from service after 2010. Located at Fistral RNLI Lifeguard Visitor Centre, Cornwall.

14 Lifeboat spring 2024

Photo: Ford

200 IN 20

12. JANE HOLLAND PIPE

10. FIRST ISSUE OF STORM FORCE This year is also a special birthday for our children’s membership club and magazine Storm Force. It’s 40 years since we launched the magazine and a copy of this first ever issue is held in our Poole Heritage Collection.

13. 1865 COLLECTING BOX

In May 1940, 19 RNLI lifeboats were part of a fleet of boats that took part in an evacuation of British troops from the French port of Dunkirk. Eastbourne RNLI’s Jane Holland was among them and came under fire. Its bullet-ridden ventilation pipe (pictured below) can be seen at the RNLI Eastbourne Museum.

In the early days of the RNLI, fundraisers used their initiative to create unique collecting boxes like this one (pictured above), handpainted to depict a pulling-sailing lifeboat of the period resting on its launching carriage on the beach. See it on display at the Poole Heritage Collection.

14. TITANIC LETTER 11. CADBURY’S COMMEMORATIVE CHOCOLATE BOX In 1838, the UK became fascinated with legendary Northumberland lighthouse keeper’s daughter and lifesaver Grace Darling. She became so much of a celebrity figure that, around 1910, Cadbury’s created a special commemorative chocolate box in her honour. You can see the box in the RNLi Grace Darling Museum, Bamburgh.

Photo: Wikipedia/Benjobanjo23

This historic letter, held in our Poole Heritage Collection, is written on White Star Line paper from aboard the Titanic, by Mary Roberts to her ‘Hubby’. Mary remarkably survived both the Titanic (1912) and Rohilla (1914) disasters. In 1914, it was Whitby lifeboat crew who saved her.

15. ORIGINAL CORK LIFEJACKET Lifejackets like this one, worn by Aldeburgh Coxswain James Coble, were first issued to crew in 1854. It was bulky but hard-wearing and it floated well. There's one original cork lifejacket in our Poole Heritage Collection and you can see it on display this year at our RNLI 200 exhibition at Chatham Historic Dockyard (from 22 March). Photo: Clarke & Son

Lifeboat spring 2024 15

18. SIR WILLIAM HILLARY SILHOUETTE PAINTING This painting of RNLI founder Sir William Hillary was painted by John Piers in 1791. It shows Hillary in coat and cravat, wearing his hair in a pigtail. You can see it on display at the House of Manannan, Isle of Man until 5 January 2025.

Photo: RNLI/Nathan Williams

16. LIFEBOAT OAR ROLLING PIN A rolling pin reported to be made from the wood of an oar from the lifeboat lost in the 1895 Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat disaster. It was owned by Coastguard James Levoir, who was involved in the rescue attempt. It resides in our Poole Heritage Collection.

17. DIC EVANS PORTRAIT Moelfre Coxswain Richard ‘Dic’ Evans was twice decorated with the RNLI Medal for Gallantry. This 1992 oil-on-board painting by Jeff Stultiens depicts the legendary coxswain in 1969, just a year before he retired. The painting is held in our Poole Heritage Collection.

19. PRESENTATION MODEL LIFEBOAT From 1860 until the First World War, the RNLI presented a pulling and sailing lifeboat model with silver dedication plaque to benefactors endowing a lifeboat. In a break with tradition, this particular model was presented to Herbert Marston (13) in 1868 for his ‘zealous and valuable cooperation’, raising £100. It’s held in our Poole Heritage Collection. Photo: RNLI/Nathan Williams

COMMEMORATE AND CELEBRATE 200 YEARS AND COUNTING Explore our rich history at RNLI museums, visitor centres and lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland. Find your nearest at RNLI.org/FindMyNearest. This year we also have several special exhibitions at partner museums around the UK and Ireland. To find one near you and to check details before you visit, head to RNLI.org/events.

16 Lifeboat spring 2024

20. TALLIES – SHORE HELPERS Tokens were handed to those who launched our early pulling and sailing lifeboats then exchanged for cash so that, like boat crew, shore crew would not be out of pocket for their time. Phased out in the 1950s, these rare survivors can be found at Falmouth Maritime Museum, and Oriel y Parc (from 29 June).

RESCUE STORIES

This painting of the Bonita rescue gives a vivid taste of the extraordinary task facing the RNLI lifesavers in December 1981

B O N I TA : IN THEIR OWN WORDS A lifesaver and survivor recount a true tale of astonishing peril, bravery and determination

Your Lifeboat magazine has been sharing stories of RNLI courage, kindness and hope for more than 170 years. The first full-length rescue feature appeared in 1881, following the exploits of Ramsgate Coxswain Charles Fish and his crew when they rescued 12 people from Indian Chief in atrocious conditions (see page 8 for the full story). One hundred years later, we shared the incredible story of St Peter Port lifeboat

volunteers who battled a hurricane and rescued 29 people from cargo vessel Bonita. Coxswain Michael Scales, who passed away recently (see page 40), received the RNLI’s Gold Medal for his gallantry and seamanship. What follows is a full retelling of the epic tale, including the words of Michael himself and survivor Nils Fosstveit.

Lifeboat spring 2024 17

A frozen survivor is helped from the lifeboat at Brixham

Coxswain Michael Scales (centre, back row) was awarded the RNLI Gold Medal for the rescue. His crew mates Peter Bisson, John and Peter Bougourd, Richard Hamon, Alan Martel, Robert Vowles and John Webster received Bronze Medals

Walls of water The 8,000-tonne cargo ship Bonita left Hamburg on 10 December 1981 with 36 people aboard, including the wives and children of two of the crew. Three days later they were taking a pounding from a violent storm in the English Channel. In Guernsey, 40 miles south, the weather was no better. ‘That morning was quite horrendous,’ said Michael. ‘St Peter Port Harbour was closed.’ Around lunchtime two giant waves hit Bonita, causing her to list heavily. Then a third caused her cargo to shift and she was unable to right herself.

All power was lost and, now at the mercy of the sea, the ship's crew sent a mayday. Meanwhile, St Peter Port RNLI volunteers were moving their all-weather lifeboat Sir William Arnold

‘On the radar, you could just see walls of water’ Michael Scales, St Peter Port RNLI to a safer spot in the harbour. Michael said: ‘We got a request to launch around 1pm. We hadn’t had lunch but off we set. Shortly after leaving, we broached [keeled over from the force of the wind and sea] and that was the first of many broachings,’ said Michael. ‘On the radar, you could just see walls of water.’ A daunting sight

The cargo ship, heeled over in the English Channel. No one could safely reach her liferaft (circled) in the atrocious conditions

18 Lifeboat spring 2024

Meanwhile, a Royal Navy helicopter headed to the scene. Its crew braved 100-knot winds and rolling masts to take four people off the ship, including the captain’s wife and 2-year-old child.

But with their rotor blades starting to ice up, the air crew were forced to retreat. When the lifeboat crew arrived, waves were higher than houses and shrieking winds had whipped up a blanket of snow, sleet and spray. Michael said: ‘It was a daunting sight – seeing the ship laying on its side and knowing the amount of people we had to rescue. They were in a precarious position and I thought: “How am I going to get them off safely?”’ Panic and exhaustion Onboard the cargo ship, panic and exhaustion were taking hold. Without being instructed, people started jumping off as Michael manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside. Two landed safely but a third suffered a head injury as he fell on the lifeboat’s deck. Another fell and hit the side of the ship, killing him instantly. Michael devised a plan to approach the ship’s stern head-on and throw lines that people could attach to themselves, then jump into the sea to be hauled aboard. The RNLI crew secured themselves to the foredeck of the Arun class lifeboat,

with volunteer Peter Bougourd up front. ‘He probably had the hardest job,’ said Michael. ‘I asked him to stand there because he could throw the line the furthest.’ It took great skill holding the lifeboat in position. One moment she would be on the crest of a wave, level with the top of the ship’s stern – the next: in a trough, below the propeller. ‘The sea knocked us around like a cork, so the lifeboat did well,’ Michael said.

about 50 of these runs in sub-zero temperatures, hurricane-force winds and three-storey seas. Some runs had to be abandoned to avoid damaging the lifeboat. During one approach, her engines stalled and they were trapped under the ship’s transom. The lifesavers backed off for a quick breather. ‘Halfway through, we had 16 people onboard,’ said Michael. ‘The crew were exhausted. I was exhausted from all the concentration.’

Hauled onboard

Injured crew

The wife and daughters of the first engineer were among the first to receive the lifeboat’s heaving line, wrap it around themselves and jump into the ferocious sea. They were quickly pulled aboard, but not all transfers went so smoothly – one man lost his grip and disappeared beneath the waves. Thankfully, the RNLI deck crew managed to pluck the man out and resuscitate him. Every time a person jumped, Michael had to pull the lifeboat clear and make a fresh approach. They made

Meanwhile, Bonita’s crew got a message to a rescue helicopter: there was no way the injured second engineer could jump. Risking their lives, the helicopter crew hovered just low enough to dangle a strop and airlift the man to hospital. With the lifeboat back in position, 11 more casualties jumped to safety – leaving just the captain, a panicstricken crew member and an injured motorman who was lashed to a hatch to stop him being swept away. The terrified crewman eventually

jumped and made it to the lifeboat. The captain followed. Michael said: ‘I had great respect for everyone who made that jump because I wouldn’t have liked to. When the captain was finally onboard I said: “Oh, thank you God!” Rough voyage Although they did not want to leave the motorman behind, the lifeboat crew reluctantly headed for shore. They had hypothermic, exhausted people onboard – and the man with the head injury was unconscious and needed urgent medical care. The crew of a French tug managed to rescue the injured motorman shortly after. It was a rough journey into Brixham onboard the lifeboat, with many survivors suffering from seasickness, shock and injury. Sir William Arnold finally reached harbour around 11pm, after more than 10 hours at sea. Sadly, the man with the head injury did not survive, but all 28 other casualties were saved. Bonita sank the following day.

VIEW FROM T O D AY ’ S C R E W

‘If you asked any one of them about it, they would have said: “It’s what we do.” That’s still true today’

I have the utmost respect for our crew mates back then and for my crew mates now. I knew all the volunteers on that rescue and had the pleasure of serving with three of them. Michael’s son Steve is on the crew today. We train a lot more than we did back then, but it involves similar skills and knowledge. The lifejackets and wet weather gear are so much better now and the lifeboats have changed massively, but our old lifeboat

gave the same sense of feeling safe. Crew camaraderie and teamwork haven’t changed – we have each other’s backs 100%. We also have the support of our families and loved ones. They can be left day or night in all weathers, not knowing when we will return. They deserve a big thank you, as do our kind supporters.

Jason Norman Coxswain, St Peter Port RNLI 2024

Lifeboat spring 2024 19

‘THE L I F E B O AT CREW WERE HEROIC AND B R AV E . I OWE THEM MY LIFE’

Bonita survivor Nils Fosstveit shares a frank account of his experience, after decades of silence: I joined Bonita’s crew as an electrician. I liked my crew mates – there were five Norwegians (like me) and the rest were from Ecuador. I’d never seen the weather turn so quickly. By Sunday lunchtime, the ship was moving so much I could hardly walk. It was horrible. I went to my cabin to try and rest but had to wedge myself in bed with a chair so I wasn’t thrown out. When the ship went over a third time, she stayed down. I got up on deck where people were screaming and yelling. They were afraid, I was afraid. ‘We thought about sliding into the sea and ending it’ I helped people put on lifejackets and a helicopter managed to save five. I was left clinging to a rail with some others. I had given my coat to the second engineer who was badly hurt so I was just in t-shirt and jeans. Waves crashed over us and we were so cold that we thought about sliding into the sea and ending it. When the lifeboat crew arrived we started thinking we might survive. I mean, those guys knew what they were doing. They threw lines and told us to hold on tight and jump when we felt safe enough. I was one of the last to go and it was a big jump, about 15m. It was horrible having to leave the motorman behind but there was no way we could get to him. When I got to the lifeboat, all the bunks and blankets were taken. I took off my wet clothes and lay in the gangway with John Aicher (chief engineer). The people in the bunks got really seasick, they were leaning out and puking on us. At least it was warm. My body temperature was dangerously low so it probably helped me survive. ‘I saw how badly the other survivors were affected’ My parents said they saw a big change in me afterwards and I saw how badly others

20 Lifeboat spring 2024

RESCUE STORIES

A MONTH OF LETHAL STORMS

‘A magical day’ in June 2022 aboard the lifeboat Sir William Arnold: Nils Fosstveit (right) was reunited with fellow survivor John Aicher (centre) and their rescuer, Michael Scales (left)

St Peter Port volunteers were not the only RNLI crew to face hideous conditions in December 1981. Humber lifeboat crew battled a violent storm to save people from another cargo ship. A few days later, Penlee lifeboat volunteers launched into a hurricane to rescue the crew of Union Star. The lifesavers fought valiantly to get alongside the coaster, managing to rescue four of the eight people onboard. But rather than turn back to shore, they made a final heroic rescue attempt. The crews of Penlee lifeboat and the Union Star were lost in one of the worst disasters in RNLI history.

were affected; some didn’t dare to go to sea again. I didn’t talk about Bonita for 25 years but I thought about the lifeboat and learned about the wonderful people who rescued us. Then, a couple of years ago, I found a website about Sir William Arnold and thought: ‘Oh my God, this is my lifeboat – the one that changed my life!’ I sent a message and got a reply from her new owner Colin Trowles. ‘I was able to talk about it again’ Colin invited me to London for her renaming ceremony and I went with John Aicher and my wife Lara. When I saw the lifeboat I said to Lara: ‘Here she is, the reason we are together.’ I couldn't go onboard to start with, I just stood staring. But later I got onboard and went down to the gangway where I lay all those years ago – it was quite strange. We were reunited with Michael Scales and it was a magical day. Afterwards, I was able to talk about the rescue with my sons for the first time. We all know how fortunate we are. ■

Humber RNLI’s Brian Bevan and his crew mates saved three people from the cargo ship Harry Mitchell during a violent storm in December 1981

Words: Jon Jones Images: HE Bevis, Norman Fitkin, Lara Fosstveit, Brian Green, Herald Express Archive, RNLI/St Peter Port

Hear the extraordinary interviews of Michael Scales and Nils Fosstveit in full at: RNLI.ORG/200VOICES

A few days later, the crew of Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne were lost trying to save people from the coaster Union Star in a hurricane

Lifeboat spring 2024 21

ONE CREW: YOUR S TOR IE S You’re part of our crew and your history is part of our history too. Here, RNLI members from all walks of life share their stories ‘My mother worked repairing inflatable lifeboats’ ‘Many moons ago, my mother Evelyn Yates worked at East Cowes, building and repairing inflatable lifeboats. She was taken on occasional trips on the bigger boats and was amazed by the self-righters. She once had a trip to Biggin Hill with a colleague to take part in demonstrations on repairing inshore lifeboats. Sadly, her time with the RNLI was cut short when her relationship broke up and she had to return to Lancashire. She loved the RNLI and supported them until she passed away in December 2012. She spoke very fondly of you until the end and instilled the same kind of loyalty in me.’ er, Lyn

ught Evelyn and da

Lyn Stephenson

‘I fell over 61m onto the rocks’ ‘On 23 August 1959 I was holidaying in Brixham. We were exploring the beach when we needed to return to the caravan to get our lunch. The quickest route was up the cliff face and I assured my friends that, with my previous exper ience through the Scouting movement, I would see them up safely . I got my friends safely to the cliff top, then the rock gave way unde r my feet and I fell over 61m. I suffered severe head injuries and was recovered by Torbay RNLI. I wrote to the crew to thank them and received a reply from the mechanic saying how glad he was to hear that I had recovered because they thought I would not survive!’

Brian in 1959, da ys before being sa ved by the RNLI

Brian Cole, Exmouth Lifeboat Volunteer Tour Guide

Ever since his rescue in 1959, Brian has been a dedicated supporter, fundraiser and volunteer

22 Lifeboat spring 2024

YOUR STORIES

‘I have never forgotten that night when the Mona was lost with all hands’ ‘When I left Forfar Academy in 1956, I joined the Met Office. We prepared weather charts and collected repor ts from the Bell Rock Lighthouse and the North Carr lightship. the 'On the stormy night of 8 December 1959, I was her weat its duty Met Assistant. At 3am Bell Rock sent Carr h Nort repor t as usual. No call was heard from ed so I called them several times, with no reply. I hand h searc a as over shift at 8am and went off duty just the helicopter was taking off. That evening, I bought ted repor Dundee Evening Telegraph. The front page . a loss of all crew from Broughty Ferry lifeboat Mona to le peop The realisation that I was one of the first n be aware that the North Carr lightship had broke , Mona the its moorings, which led to the launch of night that disturbed me greatly. I’ve never forgotten telling and to this day I feel quite emotional when I’m

John working at the Met Office in 1960

anyone about it.’

John Malcolm

‘All I could do is think

about my sons’

‘My husband and I were visiting Whitby on Augus t Bank Holiday last year and we booked a boat trip aroun d the bay. The moment we lef t the harbour, waves we re knocking the boat aroun d. The engine then failed wit h us side-on to the huge wa ves and we were moving towards the rocks. All I could do is think about my sons, wondering if I would eve r see them again. I had a pan ic attack, lying on the floor of the boat. 'The RNLI were there to help within 10 minutes. They were so reassuring and frie ndly and, as they reache d their hands out to help us back onto dry land, I felt such a sense of relief. 'We can only donate a sm all amount each month , but I cannot say thank you en ough to the Whitby team and to you all.’

Tamsin Peters Tamsin, together with her sons Lifeboat spring 2024 23

‘They never saw him again’ ‘I was born and brought up near Looe, in Cornwall; my cousin Phyllis lived in Newlyn. We never failed to look in on the Penlee lifeboat as we passed the station. I was absolutely broken when the lifeboat was lost in 1981. 'Phyllis’s son Peter was friends with one of the crew and was visiting him on that fateful night. The maroon went up and Peter and his friend's wife heard his footsteps coming down the stairs and then the front door closing as he left. They never saw him again.

The view from where Robin stayed in Newlyn when he was a chil d

'In 1983, when I was visiting with my parents and wife, we looked in the window of the empty lifeboat station with profound sadness. It was my Dad's last few months with us, so it was very poignant.’

Robin Pearn ‘I hope to become a crew member in the future’ ‘I was introduced to the RNLI when visiting Barrow Lifeboat Station about 6 years ago. I was aweinspired by the lifeboat and decided I wanted to contribute, so I became a member shortly after and have been ever since! Being an RNLI member means being connected to this awesome charity and contributing to education and lifesaving, which helps to make the ocean safer for this generation and the next. I hope to become a crew member in the future and save lives at sea together with other brave people willing to risk their lives to save others.’

Finnan Hoey (16)

‘A little orange lifeboat that kept disappearing behind massive waves’ ‘I remember being at sea on a search and rescue while ser ving on HMS Ve rulam in 1967. We were called out to find a down ed RAF plane which had ditched in the Irish Sea bet ween Northern Ireland and Scotland. It was blo wing a storm force 10 and I think everyone onboard was afraid. Yet through all this mayhem was a litt le orange lifeboat that kept disappearing behind massive waves. What guts those guys had to be in such a storm looking for such a small object. I’ve supported the RNLI ever since that day and have visited many lifebo at stations. My wife loved to buy the sweatshirts fro m the shop. You do a fantas tic job, so keep up the gre at ser vice you provide.’

Mike ‘Smudge’ Smith

kit Supporter Finnan, a few years ago, trying on crew for size at Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station

24 Lifeboat spring 2024

YOUR STORIES

‘I watched with interest the develop ment of the Atlantic 21’ ‘2024 is not only the bicentenary of the RNLI but also my 90th birthday. My first encounte r with the RNLI was in 1947 when I saw the wreck of the SS Samtampa on Sker Point, Porthcaw l and the upturned hull of the Mumbles lifeboat. 'In 1962, I joined the staff of Atlantic College, where I watched with interest the developm ent of the Atlantic 21. I left in 1972 and came to Anglesey where I joined a local comprehensive scho ol as deputy headmaster. I took early retirement and was ordained a priest in the Church in Wales. My parish embraced the RNLI Lifeboat Station at Moelfre. In 1998, I dedicated the D class inshore lifeboat Kingsland and, a few years later, a memorial to the Moelfre 29. In 2012, I became an RNLI member and a volunteer at the Seawatch Shop and Museum at RNLI Moelfre, where I answer visitors' questions and tell them stories of the bravery and fortitude of the Moelfre crew.’

Graham Loveluck

Margaret, raising funds for the RNLI with her husband Nick

‘The RNLI means the world to me’ ‘I have a great love of the sea – for many years I was a member of the sub aqua club. My husband and I are fundraisers for Barry Dock RNLI and have currently raised £1,400. We have a quiz on the last Friday of every month at the Blast Furnace pub in Pontlottyn. The landlord's brother and sister have been amazing, as well as the patrons – they love the quiz so much. We’re planning a celebratory ghost hunt and medium night, which will hopefully raise more money. My family did Launch a Memory and raised over £200. The RNLI means the world to me, as they’ve helped me get through losing my dad, Melvin Rees, in 2023.’

Margaret Borriello

‘I joined as a member around 1975’ ‘I can’t recall a time when I was not aware of the RNLI. The firm I worked for built the Angle slipway station and I regularly attend fundraising events organised by the Clyde Cruising Club. I became a Life Governor in 1992, but I joined as a member around 1975, upon buying my first cruising yacht. In 2022, I circumnavigated Ireland. During strong winds at Roundstone, a mooring float got caught round my saildrive. The Coast Guard tasked the Arran lifeboat to bring me alongside the pier, but in the meantime I found divers to help, so thankfully did not need the lifeboat crew.’

YOUR SUPPORT IS A LIFESAVER Generations of lifesavers have saved lives at sea, thanks to supporters like you. Together we’ve saved more than 144,000 people since 1824. Thank you – with your support, we’ll be saving lives for generations to come.

Peter Dunlop Lifeboat spring 2024 25

A L A S T I N G L E G A C Y:

SS ENGLISH TRADER It was the middle of the Second World War. Merchant navy ship SS English Trader was wrecked out at sea on a notorious sandbank. Despite the raging storm and the risk of enemy attacks, lifeboat volunteers launched to rescue the desperate crew Words: Anna Burn and Charis Walker

In 1941, Coxswains Henry Blogg of Cromer and Charles A Johnson of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston led their brave lifeboat crews out on this incredible wartime rescue. Here, we reproduce extracts of the account from The Life-boat in 1941. 26 October 1941: the first attempts About 8am a message came from the Cromer Coastguard that there was a vessel ashore on Hammond Knoll, about 22 miles east of Cromer. The Cromer lifeboat HF Bailey launched at 8.15am. A full gale was blowing from the north-north-east, 26 Lifeboat spring 2024

with rain, hail and sleet. The sea was very rough, the weather very cold. The lifeboat reached Hammond Knoll at 11.35am, and found the English Trader with 44 men onboard. Five others had already been swept overboard. The steamer was lying on the sands with her hull nearly underwater, and the seas, Coxswain Henry Blogg said afterwards, presented him with the most appalling problem that he had ever had to face. They were not true-running seas. One would run along the weather side from forward and another from aft [rear].

When they met, they would go up nearly mast high and then crash down on the steamer. On the lee [sheltered] side, the sea was nothing like as bad as on the weather side, but it was still heavy, confused and running in all directions. About 1.15pm the coxswain thought that there was a chance to go alongside. He succeeded in getting fairly close to the lee side of the steamer, but very heavy seas – coming round both her bow and stern, piling up, and bursting amidships – made it impossible. The lifeboat fired a line, but it was blown back.

‘I was lifted out of the boat just as though I had been a bit of cork’

Coxswain Henry Blogg, the most decorated lifeboat crew member in history

'A huge wall of water suddenly rose up on our port side' The lifeboat is thrown around by the waves in this painting of the rescue by Mick Bensley

The lifeboat pulled out again, and about 2.15pm made a second attempt. She was forced to approach broadside to the sea, and what happened next is best described in the coxswain’s own words: ‘We were trying to approach about half speed and, when still about 100 yards away, a huge wall of water suddenly rose up on our port side. A shout of "look out!" and, before I could even give a half turn of the wheel, I was lifted out of the boat just as though I had been a bit of cork. We were simply overwhelmed by the sheer weight of water. How the boat righted herself, I shall never understand. ‘It must indeed have been the hand of Providence. The boat must have been hit hardest abaft [towards the rear, from] the fore cockpit. Had she been hit as hard along her whole length there would be no lifeboat crew in Cromer today.’ The captain of the English Trader said afterwards that he saw her keel come right out of the water.

Five crew overboard The second coxswain and three other members of the crew were thrown overboard with the coxswain. Two others were thrown out of the boat but managed to grab the guard rails and haul themselves aboard again, and the rest were flung here and there, knocked about and winded. As the boat righted herself, the second coxswain’s son sprang to the wheel, brought the boat under control, and steered to where his father and the coxswain were floating. They were hauled onboard, and the coxswain at once took command. The lifeboat then went to pick up the other three men, but they were so waterlogged that it took 5 minutes to haul in each man. The signalman of the boat – Edward Walter Allen, the last to be rescued – had then been 25 minutes in the water. He was unconscious. The crew succeeded in reviving him. He sat up, spoke a few words, then suddenly collapsed and died. Edward Walter Allen, the lifeboat crew member who tragically lost his life in the rescue

Lifeboat spring 2024 27

y e l i a B HF

HF Bailey, the Watson class lifeboat on which the Cromer RNLI crew faced the storm

It was now about 3pm, nearly 7 hours since the lifeboat had left Cromer, and her crew were all pretty well exhausted. Various small ropes had been washed overboard. These had got round the propellers, reducing the boat’s speed and making it more difficult to manoeuvre. The coxswain decided to make at once for Great Yarmouth. The Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat Louise Stephens was already at sea on the way to help the English Trader. She had a very difficult journey – 19 miles in the face of a strong northerly gale, with a rough sea and a flood tide. The journey took 3½ hours, and she reached Hammond Knoll about 3.30pm, just half an hour after the Cromer lifeboat had left. So near but yet so far for Great Yarmouth and Gorleston While the water was slack [between tides], between 4pm and 6pm, the Louise Stephens made five separate attempts to go alongside the English Trader and get under her lee. She was very heavily buffeted and shipped a great deal of water. At one of the five attempts they succeeded in firing a line over the wreck, got a mooring rope secured between them, and were able to

28 Lifeboat spring 2024

haul alongside. But the rope parted and the lifeboat was swept away. The seas were increasing and darkness was setting in. The captain of the English Trader blew a whistle and waved the lifeboat away. The coxswain decided to return to Gorleston for the night. Meanwhile the Cromer lifeboat had arrived at Yarmouth at 6pm. There, a doctor and an ambulance were waiting and the body of the signalman was put ashore. Some of the crew were so exhausted that they had to be helped out of the boat, but they immediately refuelled her and made ready for a further attempt early next morning. A restless night The crew were taken to the Shipwrecked Sailors’ Home where they were given hot baths, hot drinks and food and dry clothes. At the same time a telephone call was put through to Cromer for more dry clothing and oilskins, and for another man to take the place of the signalman. The Gorleston lifeboat was now on her way home. The bad weather and absence of lights made it a difficult journey, but the coxswain stood inshore, picked up the land, followed the coast down, and reached

Gorleston about 10.30pm. The crew were so wet and cold, the night so dark, that the coxswain decided not to refuel the lifeboat until morning. 27 October 1941: Cromer’s final attempt Next morning, the wind and sea had gone down a very little, but the weather was much what it had been the day before. At 4.40am the Cromer lifeboat put to sea, the ropes still round her propeller. She had 22 miles to go against the gale. It took her 3 hours and 20 minutes. She reached the sands about 8am. The fore part of the English Trader was now underwater but the lifeboat was able, without difficulty, to go alongside the steamer’s lee rail, which was only about two feet [60cm] above her, and within half an hour the 44 survivors of the crew

had been taken onboard the lifeboat and she was making again for Yarmouth. She arrived there and landed the men about 11.30am. Both the Cromer and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboats made very gallant attempts in circumstances of great difficulty and danger. And the Cromer crew showed an indomitable spirit in preparing for sea again immediately they arrived at Yarmouth on the evening of that day – in spite of the terrible and exhausting experience through which they had passed – and in setting out again on the second attempt in the early hours of the following morning. Survivors of the English Trader waiting for buses to take them home to their loved ones. Some wore borrowed clothes after their luggage was lost in the wreck. Robert Aldwin, also a survivor, took the photo

MEDALS FOR GALLANTRY For this phenomenal rescue, the RNLI made the following awards:. Cromer Coxswain Henry Blogg was awarded a Silver Medal for Gallantry. The Cromer crew were each awarded Bronze Medals, including Edward Walter Allen, posthumously. Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Coxswain Charles A Johnson was awarded a Bronze Medal for Gallantry, with the crew each receiving a Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum.

To find out more about the legendary lifeboatman who served for 53 years on Cromer's lifeboats, visit the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum, Cromer Lifeboat spring 2024 29

The ripple effect Now, in 2024, we can reflect on the impact of this rescue. By launching into perilous conditions and displaying unwavering perseverance, these brave lifeboat volunteers saved 44 men who would otherwise have lost their lives. It’s an epic rescue story that, in turn, allowed the surviving crew of the English Trader to continue living out their own stories. But they did not forget the sacrifice of Edward Walter Allen, the lifeboat volunteer who died trying to save them. Together, they raised £20 to give to his widow, which was no small amount at the time.

'The Cromer crew showed an indomitable spirit'

have known my father, because I was born in March 1942. ‘It was awesome to see the lifeboat at the museum. To think that men put to sea in it in absolutely terrifying conditions and fought those conditions for hours over 2 days to achieve the rescue is beyond belief.’

'Without their bravery I would not have known my father' It's rescues like this that remind us that RNLI lifeboat crews have not only saved lives for generations, but have saved lives of generations. And it has only been made possible by the kindness of people like you. Generous RNLI supporters have powered lifeboat

volunteers to the rescue for the last 200 years, providing them with the lifeboats and kit they need.

'Generous RNLI supporters have powered lifeboat volunteers to the rescue for the last 200 years' Looking to the future, you can help crews continue to make a lifesaving difference for generations to come by leaving a gift in your Will. The legacy you leave will be a lasting one. You will help bring RNLI volunteers and those they rescue safely home, reuniting loved ones. You will help incredible rescue stories like this to continue being told. ■

The ripples of this rescue have continued down through the generations that have followed. In May 2023, David Willis – son of the English Trader’s second engineer Leslie Trevor Willis – visited the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum with his family. The HF Bailey is displayed there, so David had a chance to see the lifeboat that rescued his father and share his father’s account of what took place onboard the steamship. David’s father nearly died that day. In the gale on the English Trader, Leslie was part of a group helping an injured crew mate when a huge wave came and swept some of them overboard. David says: ‘My father was laying unconscious in the well, with broken ankles, when someone stopped him going over the side. ‘My father could not praise Henry Blogg and the crew of the Cromer lifeboat enough. I’m very grateful too. Without their bravery I would not David Willis visits the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum with his youngest daughter Lucy (left) and wife Anne (right)

30 Lifeboat spring 2024

A gift in your Will protects the crew of the future

SS English Trader The SS English Trader, wrecked at Dartmouth

DOUBLE JEOPA RDY The wrecking at Hammond Knoll wasn’t the first medal-winning shout to the SS English Trader. In January 1937, the steamship’s steering gear failed and she ran aground at the entrance to Dartmouth Harbour. Torbay RNLI’s crew launched to the rescue and – as heavy seas broke over the steamship, crashing into the ebb tide of the River Dart on the other side – executed a hazardous

rescue in the dark of winter, saving 52 people. Coxswain William HH Mogridge was awarded a clasp to his Bronze Medal for Gallantry and his crew were accorded Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum. The English Trader was so badly damaged in this wrecking, that she had to be cut in two at her bow section, and rebuilt from the boiler room forward.

The RNLI has been saving lives since 1824, thanks to generations of caring supporters and courageous lifesavers. With you beside us, we’ll inspire a new generation of lifesavers for the years ahead. In our 200th anniversary year, we’re counting on gifts in Wills more than ever – in fact, they power 6 out of 10 launches. You can find out more about how your legacy matters by visiting RNLI.org/2024LifeboatLegacy.

What’s the one rescue you’ll never forget? With 200 years of lifesaving behind us, many remarkable rescues have stirred the hearts of Lifeboat readers. In this special issue we’ve picked three rescues that stood out for us, but there are so many others. Email us on lifeboat@rnli.org.uk to tell us yours and you may see it featured in a future issue. Or you can delve into more rescue stories at RNLI.org/magazine. Photos/paintings: Robert Aldwin, Mick Bensley, David Branigan/Oceansport, Grahame Farr, Margaret L Hogson, David Willis

Volunteer Crew Member Sean Cullen

Lifeboat spring 2024 31

Mark Dowie (standing sixth from right) meets lifesaving leaders from around the world who gather in Poole to share their drowning prevention knowledge

E V E R Y D AY HEROES Mark Dowie reflects on just some of the extraordinary volunteers and supporters he has met during his 5 years as RNLI Chief Executive The RNLI has a rich tapestry of people. They could be a forager, fisher, shepherd or surgeon, a chief executive or a former ambassador. Every one has a compelling reason why they support the RNLI. It was an honour to meet Janet Madron, who has been the leading figure in the Penlee Fundraising Branch for more than 50 years. Janet represented the institution at the State Funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This was very fitting given her, and her family’s, extraordinary commitment to the RNLI over very many years. That family feel extends around 32 Lifeboat spring 2024

our coasts. Whenever I visit a station, they ask after their crew mates who are dealing with the vulnerable people in small boats crossing the English Channel. They know the lifesaving work there is tough. Port Talbot RNLI and their flank stations in south Wales are so moved by what their colleagues are doing at those eight stations, that they send them gifts every Christmas. They embody that RNLI team spirit, like the solutionists I met at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre: Natasha, Jane, Alex, Rob, Luke, Billy, Louise, Dawn, Jackie and the two Belindas. They glue together the inshore lifeboats that our

crews rely on. As a team, they have quietly carried out this highly skilled work for decades. I went to Whitby for the reopening of the museum and half the town turned up. The refurbishment was extraordinary, mostly thanks to volunteers like Neil Williamson. The story goes that Neil lived on sausage rolls as he carried out his work, so everyone thought it would be fitting if I presented him with one during the ceremony. Only in the RNLI would I be asked to present a sausage roll to thank someone for 2 years of backbreaking work!

EVERYDAY RESCUE STORIES HEROES

Lifesaving is a serious business, but RNLI people know that good humour can help get you through. I remember when the PA system packed up at Invergordon’s lifeboat naming ceremony. Without warning, The Reverend Calum MacMillan announced that I would lead the singing. The first hymn went well but the second was Will Your Anchor Hold? and I have always struggled to pick out its melody. The best I could do was start with a strange, rap version. I am sure I could hear laughing as the congregation joined in. There are no borders when it comes to lifesaving, and Ireland is a special part of our RNLI family. Courtmacsherry Harbour Lifeboat Station was established back in 1825 and I loved meeting Brian O’Dywer, his fellow crew and station volunteers there. I had a wonderful time in Lough Swilly too. We chatted about what lifeboats they needed over a drop of local whiskey, and it was my pleasure to present a commendation to their retiring Lifeboat Operations Manager John McCarter. Our lifeguards never cease to amaze me. Amy Fone, a former waitress at RNLI College, was inspired to be a lifeguard after meeting trainees during her shifts. After failing the swim test by a considerable margin, she was told to try again in a couple of years. However, Amy was so determined to be a lifeguard for the following season that she had swim coaching throughout the winter. The following March, she passed the selection and is now a fully qualified lifeguard. Fundraisers are among our most passionate and emotionally committed supporters. I love meeting them. We always have wonderful conversations and lots of laughs, like when Wicklow’s former Fundraising Chair Jill Clancy Harold curtsied to me during the presentation of her long

service award. Likewise, I will never forget meeting the late Joan Webb of Basingstoke Branch. Joan joined us for a lifeboat bell-ringing ceremony on her 100th birthday. She had been fundraising for the RNLI since she was 5 years old. Personal resilience and selfsufficiency come through in every area of the RNLI. I get that can-do feeling from everyone I meet, and that really shone through during the pandemic. As an organisation, we try to provide all the tools our lifesavers need but we rely on them to get on and do it, come what may. Their ability to adapt and make things happen has stood the RNLI in good stead for 200 years. Long may that continue.

‘I will never forget meeting the late Joan Webb, who joined us for a lifeboat bell-ringing ceremony on her 100th birthday.’

Photos: RNLI/(Harrison Bates, Katie Beney, Cherie Rowlands, Nathan Williams)

‘One of my first official visits as RNLI Chief Executive was to New Brighton Lifeboat Station. I was so impressed by the commitment and dedication of the volunteers.’

‘In Tanzania, I met members of the local fishing community who shared ideas on drowning prevention. Our International Team built such a strong case for a global approach to drowning prevention that it led to a UN resolution being gavelled in 2021. We should all be proud of the global impact the RNLI has made. It is making a huge impact on people’s lives.’ Lifeboat spring 2024 33

One big lifeboat family, pulling together at Dungeness

OF COURAGE AND KINDNESS For so many RNLI volunteers through the years, saving lives has been a family affair. Here, we meet some of the families who are carrying on this proud tradition The Richardsons, Dungeness

Volunteer Judith Richardson, who shares her love of the RNLI with her family

34 Lifeboat spring 2024

Judith Richardson was one of the last of Dungeness’s famous ‘lady launchers’ – strong and dedicated women who used to haul the lifeboat in and out of the sea until the station got its first tractor. She’s also been a volunteer fundraiser, water safety adviser and press officer. Her sons Mark and Stuart are volunteer coxswains. Judith: ‘I met my husband Willie in ’67. He encouraged me to come up and see the lifeboat and I started helping with

the ladies. Then in ’77 he became coxswain of the new boat.’ Mark: ‘There was a telephone system in the early days before pagers. The Coastguard would call our house and the next minute my dad would be shooting out the door. Mum would be ringing a list with five or six names on it, saying simply “Lifeboat!”, then putting the phone down and ringing the next one.’ Stuart: ‘Then we’d all go to the lifeboat station: Mum, me, Mark and the dog. We’d be in the crew room, listening to the

VHF radio, finding out where they were going and how long they would be.’ Judith: ‘As soon as they turned 17, Mark, my eldest, and Stuart, the youngest, were so keen to join the lifeboat. I’m so proud of them because they followed in Willie’s steps and both qualified as coxswains. Willie knew that before he died, and I know he was proud too.’ Mark: ‘I hope Dad would be proud we do a bit of good. And he’d always find something to smile about.’

‘That’s always been our family philosophy – to help people out’

Above: A lifeguarding family – Maisie, Gareth, Scarlet and Issey

Below: The Barnes twins enjoy the surf in their spare time

Stuart: ‘I was crew at Tower Lifeboat Station for a while and I would phone Dad up after my shift. He’d ask: “Did you rescue anyone today? What kinds of shouts do they get there?” He was always interested, in what we were doing and how we could help people. That’s always been our family philosophy – to help people out.’ Judith: ‘And when we say family, we mean everyone at the station. All the volunteers – they’re all my family and they all work so hard. You have to love it, don’t you? To be a volunteer. And here in Dungeness, we do. We do love it.’

Above (l–r): Judith's husband Willie, former coxswain and Judith's two boys, Mark and Stuart

Left: The Dungeness crew of the 1950s inspired the volunteers of today

The Barneses, North Cornwall Sisters Issey, Maisie and Scarlet Barnes are RNLI lifeguards. And so is their dad Gareth. Scarlet: ‘My sisters were the first in the family to join the RNLI. Then my dad, and then me. It was nice to have a few familiar faces around. It’s the best days of the summer when I get to work with them.’ Gareth: ‘We always know what the others are thinking, which makes things easy. It’s unusual to work with three of your daughters. The twins (Issey and Maisie) started first, so they’re my seniors on the beach. But I taught them to surf, and I do have some skills up my sleeve that age brings to you!’

‘We always know what the others are thinking, which makes things easy’ Scarlet: ‘My mum, Debbie, is a swimming instructor. She’s a very active person and loves that we work outside. After rescues, she always tells us how proud she is of us. But she doesn’t like it so much when we talk about lifeguarding all the time!’ Gareth: ‘I’m very proud of the girls too. And the life skills and confidence they’re learning as lifeguards. All three are at university now and you can tell that their time on the beach and their people skills are making a big difference. ‘We’ve all come through the local surf lifesaving club in Harlyn, like a lot of the lifeguards around here, and it’s great to see the development of the young kids, and how the community’s involvement in lifesaving rolls on. The lifeboat crew in Padstow are also local people, and our kids Lifeboat spring 2024 35

Twins Issey and Maisie, who were first in the family to train as RNLI lifeguards

have grown up together. There’s such a long history and tradition of going to save others around here.’ Scarlet: ‘I think you’re always going to worry when the waves are big and you see someone you love going out in them. The sea is so strong, and even the most qualified, competent people can get into trouble out there. Looking back at the RNLI rescues from 200 years ago, I don’t know how they did it. And it’s a big privilege to be part of that history.

‘I think you’re always going to worry when the waves are big and you see someone you love going out in them’ ‘The kindness of the people who donate is just insane. You don’t understand how much it helps. It can be dangerous out there, but the boards are great, the tubes are great, and the boats and jet skis are such a big help in a rescue.’

36 Lifeboat spring 2024

Right: Proud mum and swimming instructor Debbie, with her lifeguarding family

Below: The Barnes twins, racing together

Cottrells have served on the Baltimore crew for generations

The Cottrells, Baltimore Cathal Cottrell is mechanic at Baltimore Lifeboat Station. Cathal’s brothers Micheál and Brendan are also on the lifeboat crew, and Micheál’s wife, Kate, is the station’s volunteer press officer. They are all carrying on a long family tradition of saving lives at sea. Cathal: ‘My grandfather Michael Cottrell was on the lifeboat for 14 years. My father Noel was on the crew for 26 years, 4 of them as mechanic. I joined up when I was old enough, and so did Micheál and Brendan, and our other brother Kevin who has since moved to Cork City. So we’re the third generation. ‘When I was young, I answered the phone early one Sunday morning and passed on the message: “Dad, you’re needed on the boat, there’s a jumbo jet after crashing.” And he said to me: “Ah go away, I don’t have time for your jokes at this hour of the morning.” But it was true; that was the Air India crash in 1985. 'I also remember the famous Fastnet Race in ’79. We were at my granny’s on Cape Clear and saw all

the yachts coming in for shelter. My dad was out there with the lifeboat – they were the first boat out to the rescue and the last boat back. They spent 22 hours at sea.

‘I remember the famous Fastnet Race in ’79. My dad was out there with the lifeboat’ ‘Things have come a long way since then. The Tamar class lifeboat is a super piece of equipment, and the new station the RNLI built for it is great. The old station wasn’t really fit for purpose, and there was no heating so it was very cold. And we’ve a lot more space now so we can bring people together. When we have a crew meeting, we bring the fundraisers in too, so we’re all one unit, one crew. ‘There’s great support for the lifeboat here, and the fundraisers are very, very good. Without them, we’d be lost. We wouldn’t have the equipment and kit that we have only for these people. ‘It’s good fun working with your

brothers – we know each other very well, we trust each other – and you can give them a bit more grief than anyone else! ‘Micheál’s got two kids, and the boy Charlie is mad about boats. And Brendan’s oldest daughter Caoimhe has her own little dinghy. So a fourth generation of Cottrells on the lifeboat I’d say is quite likely. Starting them young – Cathal with his nephew Charlie (when he was a baby), both happy aboard the new Tamar class lifeboat Alan Massey

Lifeboat spring 2024 37

'The hope for the station is that the young people will be able to afford to live in Baltimore. A lot of them move to the city, for work and also being priced out of the area, and then it gets harder to find volunteers. But with better broadband and more people working from home we are seeing a few more young people here now. ‘We’re a busy station, and we’ve got a good young group of volunteer crew coming through, so we all hope the station prospers and we’re able to carry on keeping people safe.’

‘A fourth generation of Cottrells on the lifeboat I’d say is quite likely’

Megan and Liz together at Kinghorn Lifeboat Station

The Davidsons, Kinghorn

Left to right: Running in the family – Charlie, his dad Micheál, little sister Emma and mum Kate. In the background (centre) is Robert, the lifeboat that Charlie and Emma’s grandad went out on during the Fastnet Race in 1979

Liz Davidson is the lifeboat operations manager and a former crew member at Kinghorn. Her daughter Megan followed her onto the lifeboat crew at 17. When we spoke, Megan was expecting her first baby.

‘I was counting down the days until I turned 17 and was old enough to join the crew’ Megan: ‘I’d always seen my mum going out on the lifeboat and found it quite exciting. As a child, I was a bit jealous that I was allowed to help with cleaning up after shouts, but not to do any of the fun bits! From when I was about 8 or 9, I was counting down the days until I turned 17 and was old enough to join the crew.’ Liz: ‘It was very noisy when we were both living in the same house. We’re a busy station and there were pagers going off all the time. But volunteering together is lovely.

38 Lifeboat spring 2024

We come back and we discuss shouts and, having been crew myself, I can understand what Megan has been through.’ Megan: ‘It’s not like we’re mum and daughter when we’re on duty; we’ve got a job to do. And it’s a bit of a joke at our station that I probably get a harder time from the manager than anyone else does!’

‘It’s not like we’re mum and daughter when we’re on duty; we’ve got a job to do’ Liz: ‘Kinghorn has had a lifeboat since 1965 and our family have always been involved. When I joined in 1996 I’d spent 9 years as an auxiliary coastguard, but there weren’t many women on lifeboats back then, and I didn’t want to muscle in. I was invited to try it out, loved it and joined. ‘I can see so many differences even in the 28 years I’ve been involved – we can only read about and imagine what it was like

200 years ago. Around 26% of our crew here in Kinghorn are women – that’s tractor drivers, shore crew, seagoing crew and launch authorities. Very different to 1824, I imagine, and a lovely change to see.’ Megan: ‘My partner, Paul, is a helm at the station. Being pregnant, I’m really missing going out on shouts and I do plan on getting back to being seagoing crew. We’ll see how it goes, and if Paul and I end up arguing over who’s holding the baby and who’s going out on the boat!

‘Around 26% of our crew here in Kinghorn are women. Very different to 1824, I imagine, and a lovely change to see’ ‘Paul’s son, Harris, is 9 and, like me at his age, he’s counting down the days until he can join. He’s always asking if he can help launch and recover the boat, saying he knows what to do, and promising

he’ll be safe! I imagine the baby will be the same, once they’re old enough to have a view!’ Liz: ‘One thing that has never changed is the dedication of the volunteers. You get a different level of commitment from people who are doing something because they want to do it, rather than for financial reasons. I hope that in 50, 100, 200 years’ time, the RNLI is still run by and relying on volunteers, because that makes the charity quite special.’ ■ In November 2023, the Davidsons welcomed baby Ella. She has yet to let us know if she will join the lifeboat crew.

Top to bottom: Liz, aboard the Kinghorn lifeboat, inspired her daughter Megan Megan's grin says it all – as a child, she dreamed of being on the crew. She's with her mum Liz and Mhairi Hay – the first two women on the Kinghorn crew Megan follows in her mum's footsteps and joins the crew

OVER TO YOU … You’re part of this family too, and we’d love to hear your family stories and see your pictures. As we look ahead to the third century of RNLI lifesaving, we’re particularly interested in the next generation – the next generation of crew and the next generation of lifesaving technology. If you have young people in your life who are lifeboat-mad, please let us know for an upcoming issue of this magazine. We’ll publish the best kids’ drawings of the lifeboats and amazing rescue contraptions of the future, as well as the photos that give us the biggest smiles. Email lifeboat@rnli.org.uk.

Make sure emailed pictures are high-quality JPEGs. If you prefer the post, send original artwork to Lifeboat magazine, RNLI, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HZ. We will also need a completed permission form, signed by the child’s parent or guardian. Find the form at RNLI.org/SendToStormy.

Photos: Rhys Ellis-Davies, Irish Examiner Archive, RNLI/(Baltimore, Leon Bennett, Kinghorn, Donnie McLean, Nigel Millard, James Stayte), The Times/News Licensing

Lifeboat spring 2024 39

Celebrating life Join us in remembering our RNLI family members who have recently passed away

Peter Bougourd, sadly missed We are paying our respects to Peter Bougourd, former Second Coxswain at St Peter Port. He died in April 2023, at the age of 89. Peter volunteered with the RNLI for more than 25 years, both at sea and on land, and was awarded a Bronze Medal for his part Peter volunteered for in the 1981 Bonita rescue (see page 17). ‘My more than 25 years wife was of the opinion I wasn’t worth a brass Photo: RNLI/Nigel Millard farthing in the garden for a fortnight,’ he said of the rescue. ‘The fatigue was that deep. I was the oldest, the daddy of the crew at the time, but even the youngsters were shattered for days. Believe you me, anybody who says a footballer is tired after 90 minutes in a Cup Final doesn’t know what tired is.’ Peter was also a well-respected fisherman, later running a fishmongers, and he served Guernsey as a Deputy for nearly 20 years. Thank you for your service, Peter. You will be sadly missed.

Bob Baines – October 2023 Crew Member at Rhyl RNLI Pearl Bayley – August 2023 Volunteer at Maidenhead Fundraising Branch John Clark – July 2023 Former Lifeboat Operations Manager and Coxswain at Anstruther RNLI John Mervyn Cowling – November 2023 Local Visits Officer at Workington RNLI Peter Gooch – September 2023 Chair at Lake District Fundraising Branch Valerie ‘Val’ Hughes – August 2023 Fundraiser and Shop Manager at Silloth RNLI David Lythall – October 2023 Treasurer and Vice Chairman at the Hertford and District Branch Norman Mason – August 2023 Former Boatswain at Cemaes historical lifeboat Peter Poole – June 2023 Former Crew Member and Winchman at Padstow RNLI Cllr Pete Prendergast – September 2023 Vice Chair at Rhyl RNLI Graham Tiller – July 2023 Senior Section Leader, Poole Warehouse

Remembering Michael Scales

Michael was awarded medals for his gallantry and seamanship

40 Lifeboat spring 2024

Michael Scales, former Coxswain of St Peter Port, passed away in August 2023. Michael served as coxswain from 1981 to 1984. Before this, he had been part of the crew at St Peter Port for several years. During his time as coxswain, he took part in several meritorious services, and was awarded a Gold Medal for his role in the Bonita rescue in 1981 (see page 17). He was also accorded a Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum in 1983, for his skill and seamanship during the rescue of seven crew onboard the yacht Wild Rocket. And in 1984, Michael was awarded a Bronze Medal for his courage, leadership and seamanship during the rescue of nine crew of the Liberian cargo vessel Radiant Med. Michael’s son Stephen followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the St Peter Port crew in 2011. Fair winds and following seas, Michael.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Helen Doe

Academic historian, author and lecturer with a penchant for maritime history, Helen has recently written a history of the RNLI, One Crew, to commemorate our 200th year of saving lives at sea

You were asked to write the official history of the RNLI for our anniversary. How did you approach this challenge? I felt incredibly privileged to be asked. It was an enormous and, at times, daunting task because there's so much to put in. When I told people I was writing the book, almost everyone I spoke to – casual acquaintances, close friends – had a story about the RNLI and how important it is. There are masses of wonderful publications about the RNLI, so I’ve tried to look at the bits that haven't been covered yet. There are some characters, particularly in the very early days, who hadn’t really been described before.

Could you give us an example? Sir William Hillary gets mentioned a great deal, quite rightly, but there were other people who were very important to the RNLI’s founding. Sir William Hillary lived on the Isle of Man, so he was dependent on a group of people in London, headed by an MP called Thomas Wilson. There’s also a man called Simon Cock, who nobody seems to have mentioned before, who was vital to the very first meeting – he really helped to organise things and get them going.

What inspired you to become a maritime historian? It goes straight back to my mother's Cornish family. We spent every childhood holiday down in Cornwall – my family have been mariners and shipbuilders there for centuries. You understood how important the lifeboat was to these small coastal communities. It was just something we grew up with.

One Crew: The RNLI's Official 200-Year History will be available soon, or you can pre-order it at shop.RNLI.org/OneCrewBook Price (hardback): £22.99 Published by Amberley

And finally, what has writing the book taught you? Writing this book has brought me a deeper and wider appreciation of the RNLI and an understanding of the sheer breadth and depth of the commitment of so many people. I've had the great joy of meeting many crew members and fundraisers, and people who are touched by the RNLI in one way or another. It has been a great privilege and I enjoyed every moment of it. ■ Photo: Helen Doe

Lifeboat spring 2024 41

966

LAUNCHES

RNLI RESCUE CRAFT LAUNCHES 1 October to 30 November 2023

Behind every launch, new lifeboat and naming ceremony listed in this section is a community of volunteers, fundraisers and supporters. Whatever you do to keep our crews ready to rescue for the next 200 years, thank you.

The launches listed are those for which returns had been received at the RNLI Support Centre and processed by 4 December 2023.

Scotland

N orth Sea Northern Ireland

Republic of Ireland

England Wales

Celt ic Sea English Channel For many years, The Life-Boat journal and Lifeboat published wreck charts. This map reimagines the old charts by showing the location of each rescue by RNLI crews listed on the following pages. Source: Esri

42 Lifeboat spring 2024

LAUNCHES A

ABERDEEN ON1248 (17-24): Oct 11, Nov 8(x2) ABERSOCH B-886: Oct 1(x2),3 ABERYSTWYTH A-78: Oct 16 B-937: Oct 9 AITH ON1232 (17-14): Oct 5,22 ALDEBURGH ON1170 (12-13): Oct 8 ALDERNEY ON1199 (14-04): Oct 4 AMBLE D-867: Oct 19 ANGLE ON1291 (16-11): Oct 17,20, 22, Nov 1,8,9,16 ANSTRUTHER ON1174 (12-17): Oct 3,29 APPLEDORE B-861: Oct 6,15,29, Nov 16 D-729: Nov 9,16 ON1296 (16-16): Oct 9,20, Nov 5 ARAN ISLANDS ON1217 (17-06): Oct 9,10, 18(x2), Nov 6,13,24 ARBROATH D-759: Oct 2,10, Nov 5 ON1194 (12-35): Oct 2 ARKLOW ON1223 (14-19): Oct 8,9, Nov 19 ARRAN (LAMLASH) B-876: Oct 25 ARRANMORE ON1244 (17-22): Oct 8,20, 23,24, Nov 17,24 BALLYGLASS D-823: Oct 15, Nov 2 BALTIMORE ON1302 (16-22): Oct 27,29, Nov 13 BANGOR (CO DOWN) B-805: Nov 12 BARMOUTH ON1337 (13-30): Oct 9 BARRA ISLAND ON1230 (17-12): Nov 8 BARRY DOCK D-820: Oct 7, Nov 25,28 ON1245 (14-29): Oct 20, Nov 10,28 BEAUMARIS B-895: Oct 22,29, Nov 8,21 BEMBRIDGE D-778: Nov 11(x2) ON1286 (16-06): Oct 3,12, Nov 3 ON1297 (16-17): Nov 11, 26(x2) BERWICK-UPON-TWEED B-913: Oct 16,29, Nov 28 D-777: Oct 16

BLACKPOOL D-862: Oct 10,21 D-864: Oct 8,13,21,27, Nov 5 BLYTH B-923: Oct 7, Nov 14 D-776: Nov 14 D-878: Oct 15 BRIDLINGTON D-792: Nov 18 D-852: Nov 11 ON1329 (13-22): Oct 7 BRIGHTON D B-929: Oct 2,3, Nov 14,21 BROUGHTY FERRY D-834: Oct 1,4,10(x2),28, 30,31 ON1252 (14-31): Oct 1,10, 17,28 BUCKIE ON1268 (17-37): Oct 2, 10(x2) BUNDORAN B-834: Oct 15,27 BURNHAM-ON-CROUCH B-849: Nov 4 BURNHAM-ON-SEA B-914: Oct 29, Nov 12 D-801: Oct 29,30, Nov 12 BURRY PORT B-915: Oct 24,28, Nov 16 D-749: Oct 1,23,28 D-882: Nov 16 CALSHOT B-860: Oct 11,18,25 E D-880: Oct 24 CAMPBELTOWN ON1241 (17-19): Oct 9,10 CARDIGAN B-871: Oct 15 CARRYBRIDGE B-904: Oct 14(x2) CASTLETOWNBERE ON1277 (17-44): Nov 4 CHISWICK E-08: Oct 1,3,5(x2),7(x3),25, Nov 7,12(x2),13(x3),14(x2), 15,17,18 E-09: Oct 9,11,12,13,14,15, 17,18,22,25(x2),26,28,29,30, F Nov 1,2,4(x2),5(x2),6(x2), 9(x2),19,22,26,28 CLACTON-ON-SEA B-863: Oct 17, Nov 15,19 D-792: Oct 5,9, Nov 6 D-849: Nov 5,6(x2),15,19,20 CLEETHORPES D-757: Oct 14, Nov 23 CLOGHERHEAD ON1338 (13-31): Oct 13,26, Nov 16 CLOVELLY B-872: Oct 9,10,13 CONWY D-765: Oct 28,29, Nov 10,11

COURTMACSHERRY HARBOUR BB-654: Nov 29 COWES B-859: Oct 3,9, Nov 9(x2),28 CROMER D-868: Nov 22 ON1287 (16-07): Nov 4 CROSSHAVEN B-892: Oct 29 CULLERCOATS B-935: Oct 14,15(x2),29, Nov 3,14 DART B-931: Oct 4,15,17, Nov 16(x2) D-838: Oct 4 DONAGHADEE ON1225 (14-21): Oct 15,23, Nov 13 DOVER ON1220 (17-09): Oct 7,9, 10,12,16,21,22,26,27,31, Nov 11,12,16 ON1260 (17-31): Nov 30 DUN LAOGHAIRE D-865: Oct 15,17, Nov 5,19 DUNBAR D-844: Oct 14(x2), Nov 28 ON1204 (14-06): Nov 16,28 DUNGENESS ON1309 (13-02): Oct 10(x2), 30, Nov 12(x2),22,29,30 DUNMORE EAST ON1348 (13-41): Nov 25,26 EASTBOURNE D-776: Oct 1,7(x2) D-876: Oct 11,23,24, Nov 12,18,20,22,24(x2) ON1213 (14-15): Oct 7,10, 17,21,23, Nov 19,26 EXMOUTH D-805: Oct 7(x3),9,11, 14(x2),18,24,26,29, Nov 5, 12,22,25 ON1310 (13-03): Oct 11,12, 14(x2), Nov 2,22 EYEMOUTH ON1336 (13-29): Nov 28(x2) FALMOUTH B-916: Oct 3,5,6,15,22,23, 26,29,30(x2), Nov 18 ON1256 (17-29): Oct 15, 23, 31 FENIT ON1239 (14-27): Oct 22 FETHARD D-819: Oct 29, Nov 1 FILEY D-859: Oct 27 FISHGUARD D-789: Oct 3,7,13,19 ON1198 (14-03): Oct 13,19 FLAMBOROUGH B-820: Oct 18

KNOW YOUR CRAFT Use this key to identify the lifeboat or craft in action SHANNON CLASS

ON####(13-##) introduced: 2014 new cost: £2,450,000/ €2,762,865 SEVERN CLASS

TAMAR CLASS

ON####(16-##) last built: 2013

TRENT CLASS

ON####(17-##)

ON####(14-##)

last built: 2004

MERSEY CLASS

INSHORE RESCUE HOVERCRAFT

ON####(12-##)

H-###

last built: 1993

last built: 2008

E CLASS

D CLASS

E-###

D-###

last built: 2019

new cost: £100,000/€112,770

B CLASS

INSHORE RESCUE BOAT

B-###

A-###

new cost: £304,000/€342,821

new cost: £13,000/€14,660

RESCUE WATERCRAFT

ADDITIONAL RESCUE CRAFT:

RWC-###

BB-### Y-### X-### XP-###

Boarding boat Y boat X boat XP boat

new cost: £10,000/€11,277 Costs quoted are what it costs to build the lifeboat, deliver it, and make it ready for service.

Lifeboat spring 2024 43

H FLEETWOOD D-853: Oct 16 ON1321 (13-14): Oct 28 FLINT D-857: Oct 14,15,16,17,26, Nov 28(x3) FOWEY ON1205 (14-07): Nov 12,14 GALWAY B-853: Oct 28, Nov 2,4 GIRVAN ON1330 (13-23): Oct 3,14, Nov 9,20 GRAVESEND B-827: Oct 4,5,8,15,21,22, 26,28,29, Nov 8,9,16(x3),23, 25,26,29 GREAT YARMOUTH AND GORLESTON B-925: Oct 1,2,6,7, Nov 1, 14(x4),21

HARTLEPOOL B-881: Oct 14, Nov 21 ON1274 (14-37): Nov 21,25 HARWICH B-907: Oct 15,21 HASTINGS D-875: Oct 20,30, Nov 22 ON1335 (13-28): Oct 25 I HAYLING ISLAND B-829: Oct 8,28, Nov 3,26 D-779: Oct 28, Nov 3,25 HELENSBURGH B-903: Oct 10, Nov 3,19,22 HOLYHEAD K D-791: Oct 2,9,26, Nov 6(x2) ON1254 (17-27): Oct 23,26 HORTON AND PORT EYNON D-824: Oct 10,14 HOWTH ON1258 (14-33): Oct 12,13, 14, Nov 29

HOYLAKE ON1313 (13-06): Nov 11 HUMBER ON1216 (17-05): Oct 14,25, 31, Nov 1,10 HUNSTANTON B-848: Oct 29(x2) H-006: Oct 16 ILFRACOMBE D-863: Oct 23,29 ON1316 (13-09): Oct 21,28 INVERGORDON ON1344 (13-37): Nov 25(x2) KESSOCK B-873: Oct 1,2, Nov 10,20, 26 KILMORE QUAY ON1298 (16-18): Oct 15 KILRUSH B-844: Nov 10,17 KINGHORN B-836: Oct 9,11,16,23, Nov 4

KINSALE B-901: Oct 7,29 KIPPFORD D-854: Nov 9 KIRKWALL ON1231 (17-13): Oct 31, Nov 11,19 KYLE OF LOCHALSH B-856: Oct 19 LARGS B-854: Oct 14,15, Nov 12 LARNE D-783: Oct 4 ON1246 (14-30): Oct 4,19 LERWICK ON1221 (17-10): Oct 19,23 LITTLEHAMPTON B-891: Oct 12, Nov 18,23, 28 LITTLESTONE-ON-SEA B-922: Oct 28, Nov 7

Navigator Lizzie Dykes doing chart work inside the wheelhouse of the Fleetwood Shannon Kenneth James Pierpoint

44 Lifeboat spring 2024

LLANDUDNO D-793: Oct 18,30 ON1333 (13-26): Oct 16 LOCHINVER ON1271 (17-40): Oct 16,21, Nov 17 LOOE B-894: Oct 20, Nov 21,29 D-872: Oct 20 LOUGH REE B-920: Oct 14 LOUGH SWILLY B-819: Oct 27, Nov 20 LOWESTOFT ON1312 (13-05): Oct 7,9, 12,29,30, Nov 15,23 LYME REGIS B-857: Oct 7(x2),8,11, 12,29, Nov 4,5, 12,14, 28,29 LYMINGTON B-882: Oct 7,8,22,31, Nov 5

Photo: RNLI/Nigel Millard

LAUNCHES LYTHAM ST ANNES D-800: Oct 21 M MABLETHORPE B-887: Nov 10 D-790: Oct 4 MACDUFF B-933: Oct 3,10 MALLAIG ON1250 (17-26): Nov 1,3, 11,20 MARGATE B-930: Oct 8,11, Nov 5,11, 20,26 D-841: Oct 10,11, Nov 5,20, 26(x2),29 MINEHEAD B-939: Oct 18 D-847: Oct 22 MOELFRE D-825: Oct 2,13 ON1305 (16-25): Oct 12,28 MONTROSE D-764: Nov 29 ON1317 (13-10): Nov 29,30 MORECAMBE D-855: Oct 10, Nov 12 H-002: Oct 8 Q MUDEFORD B-806: Oct 9,27,29(x4) N NEW BRIGHTON R B-837: Oct 4(x3),12,25, Nov 28,29 NEW QUAY (CEREDIGION) D-754: Oct 28, Nov 4 ON1355 (13-48): Oct 10,28 NEWBIGGIN B-932: Nov 20 NEWCASTLE D-738: Oct 18 NEWHAVEN ON1243 (17-21): Oct 6,7,8, 23, Nov 4,5,7 NEWQUAY (CORNWALL) D-773: Oct 2, Nov 16, 29(x2) NORTH BERWICK D-758: Nov 5(x2) O OBAN ON1227 (14-23): Oct 2(x2), Nov 8,30 P PADSTOW S ON1283 (16-04): Nov 4 PENARTH B-926: Oct 15, Nov 1,26 D-822: Oct 24, Nov 1,21,26 PENLEE B-893: Oct 3, Nov 10,20 ON1265 (17-36): Oct 17, Nov 20,22 PLYMOUTH B-908: Oct 15,18(x2),20,21, Nov 1,2,14 ON1264 (17-35): Oct 9,14, 20, Nov 21

POOLE B-826: Oct 1,7,10,18 D-804: Oct 5,7,21,25 PORT ERIN B-813: Nov 5,27 PORT ISAAC D-843: Nov 4 PORT ST MARY ON1234 (14-26): Oct 12 PORT TALBOT D-848: Oct 15,21,23 PORTAFERRY B-833: Oct 21,28 PORTHCAWL B-832: Oct 8,26,30, Nov 11 D-755: Oct 26, Nov 25 PORTISHEAD B-884: Oct 6,7,18, Nov 3, 5,20,24 PORTREE ON1214 (14-16): Oct 4,15, Nov 15 PORTRUSH ON1257 (17-30): Oct 23 PORTSMOUTH B-846: Oct 18,24,25(x2),26 D-850: Oct 24 QUEENSFERRY B-851: Oct 1,9,10,16, 22(x3),29, Nov 20,24 RAMSGATE B-878: Oct 4,10(x2),18,26, Nov 7 ON1197 (14-02): Oct 22,26, Nov 11 RED BAY B-843: Oct 19, Nov 19 ON1253 (14-32): Oct 19 REDCAR B-850: Oct 1(x2) D-786: Oct 1 RHYL D-770: Oct 25, Nov 2 ROCK D-772: Oct 8 ROSSLARE HARBOUR ON1276 (17-43): Oct 2, Nov 11 RYE HARBOUR B-900: Oct 10,15 SALCOMBE B-905: Oct 2, Nov 5 ON1289 (16-09): Oct 18(x2) SCARBOROUGH D-856: Oct 11,17, Nov 30 ON1322 (13-15): Oct 17 ON1340 (13-33): Oct 11 SELSEY D-827: Oct 7,14, Nov 15 ON1327 (13-20): Nov 3 SENNEN COVE T D-763: Oct 9 ON1294 (16-14): Oct 9

SHEERNESS D-815: Oct 1,12, 14(x2),25,31, Nov 11(x2),18 ON1345 (13-38): Oct 1(x2), 7,9,18, Nov 4,23 SHERINGHAM B-818: Oct 8 SHOREHAM HARBOUR D-784: Oct 26, Nov 30 D-809: Oct 7 ON1295 (16-15): Oct 4(x2), 8,12,21, Nov 5,8 SILLOTH B-828: Oct 23, Nov 6 SKEGNESS D-826: Oct 2,10 ON1324 (13-17): Nov 10 SKERRIES B-866: Oct 13, Nov 3,20,21 SOUTHEND-ON-SEA B-885: Oct 5 D-818: Oct 5,6,27,31, Nov 11 H-004: Oct 5,14,16,21 SOUTHWOLD B-868: Oct 26 ST AGNES D-787: Nov 7 ST CATHERINE B-841: Oct 2 ST DAVIDS D-840: Oct 24 ON1306 (16-26): Oct 3,4, 12, Nov 25 ST HELIER B-934: Oct 15, Nov 27 ON1292 (16-12): Oct 2,8,15 ST IVES D-803: Oct 2,8,26, Nov 9 ON1318 (13-11): Nov 22 ST PETER PORT ON1203 (17-04): Oct 2,8 STAITHES AND RUNSWICK B-897: Nov 5 STONEHAVEN B-919: Oct 4, Nov 8,21 STORNOWAY ON1238 (17-18): Oct 1 STRANRAER D-833: Oct 6, Nov 27 STROMNESS ON1262 (17-33): Oct 27, Nov 17 SUNDERLAND D-879: Oct 8, Nov 16 SWANAGE D-752: Oct 7,8,14,16 ON1320 (13-13): Oct 7,8, 29, Nov 1 TEDDINGTON D-785: Oct 8(x2),14, Nov 12 D-874: Oct 1,9, Nov 5,12

U TEIGNMOUTH B-809: Oct 4,22, Nov 1, W 11,22 TENBY D-812: Nov 12 ON1281 (16-02): Oct 10,24, 27,29, Nov 12 THE LIZARD ON1300 (16-20): Oct 11, Nov 16 THE MUMBLES D-761: Oct 3,16,23, Nov 5 ON1307 (16-27): Oct 23 TIGHNABRUAICH B-862: Nov 29 TOBERMORY ON1270 (17-39): Oct 7,31 TORBAY D-788: Oct 2,4,11,14,17,19, Nov 3,12,19,28 ON1255 (17-28): Oct 2,16, Nov 3,28 TOWER E-07: Nov 12(x2),13(x2),14, 16(x2),17(x3),19,20,21(x2), 22(x4),23(x2) E-10: Oct 2(x3),3,5(x4), 6(x2),7,8(x3),9(x4),11(x4), 12(x2),14,15(x2),17(x2), 18(x2),19,20,22,23,24(x2), 25(x2),27(x2),28,29,31(x2), Nov 1,5(x2),8,9,24,28,29, 30(x4) Y TREARDDUR BAY B-847: Oct 2(x2),23 TROON D-821: Oct 2,19,26,28, Nov 25 ON1275 (14-38): Oct 2,23,26 TYNEMOUTH D-829: Oct 15,21 ON1263 (17-34): Oct 5,8, 15(x2),21, Nov 5

UNION HALL B-924: Oct 11,15 WELLS D-797: Oct 8,11, Nov 8,11 WEST KIRBY D-751: Oct 1,15,23, Nov 1,2 D-883: Nov 17 WEST MERSEA B-879: Oct 12,14,15,20, Nov 2,3,14 WESTON-SUPER-MARE B-830: Oct 29 D-832: Oct 7,12,22,29, Nov 12,23 WEXFORD D-782: Oct 2(x2) WEYMOUTH B-917: Oct 1,10,11,12,25, Nov 5,14 ON1261 (17-32): Oct 3,7, 8(x2),12,13,14 WHITBY D-810: Oct 6, Nov 5 ON1340 (13-33): Nov 5 ON1356 (13-49): Oct 6 WHITSTABLE B-877: Oct 14 WICK ON1224 (14-20): Nov 15 WITHERNSEA D-837: Oct 1,7 WORKINGTON D-767: Oct 15 YARMOUTH ON1249 (17-25): Oct 6,9,14,25 YOUGHAL B-890: Oct 19, Nov 2

ON STATION D-883, Leonard Pownall, West Kirby, 2 November 2023 D-882, Williams & Cole, Burry Port, 14 November 2023

NAMING CEREMONIES B-925, John Rowntree, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, 1 October 2023 ON1351 (13-44), George and Frances Phelon, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, 1 October 2023 B-939, Penny J II, Minehead, 7 October 2023 D-870, Leonard Mills, Campbeltown, 14 October 2023 D-881, Dorothy Mills, relief fleet, 26 October 2023

Lifeboat spring 2024 45

THE BUMPER RNLI QUIZ

3 What were the first RNLI lifejackets made of? a. Kapok b. Calico c. Cork

4 In 1907, four Cornish RNLI crews rowed through a storm to aid SS Suevic. How many lives did they save? a. 234 b. 345 c. 456

5 During a 1914 rescue, what did Wexford lifeboat crew use to plug a hole in a casualty boat? a. Bread b. Chewing gum c. Pine tar

6 How much do you know about the RNLI? This quiz will challenge your knowledge across 200 years of saving lives at sea. Check your answers at the bottom of the page opposite and see if you're an RNLI rookie or nautical know-it-all!

Where did 19 RNLI lifeboats sail to in 1940? a. Honfleur b. Dunkirk c. Jersey

THROUGH THE AGES

In 1824, Sir William Hillary’s vision for a service dedicated to saving lives at sea became a reality at … a. Government House, Isle of Man b. City of London Tavern, Bishopsgate c. Lloyd’s Coffee House, City of London

What 1891 RNLI event in Manchester (pictured above) changed the face of charity fundraising? a. First street collection b. First inland rescue c. First sponsored welly wang

What RNLI craft was Largs Helm Brian Rankin referring to when he said: ‘I love that boat. She can do anything an all-weather lifeboat can – except make cups of tea.’ a. Atlantic 85 b. D class c. Shannon

46 Lifeboat spring 2024

THE RNLI QUIZ

THE RNLI TODAY

GALLANTRY

The vast majority of RNLI people are … a. Volunteers b. Staff c. Professional mariners

In his account of the 1881 rescue to SS Indian Chief, RNLI Ramsgate’s Charles Fish said the wind was … a. 'Strong enough to remove horns of oxen' b. 'Like being gnawed in the face by a dog' c. 'A bit chippy'

9 Which is the busiest RNLI lifeboat station? a. Southend b. Tower c. Poole

13 The RNLI works with global leaders, public health organisations and at-risk communities to help reduce drowning … a. Just in the UK and Ireland b. At weekends c. Worldwide

YOUR KINDNESS

How many lives did RNLI crews and lifeguards save in 2022? a. 506 b. 396 c. 246

The RNLI’s lifesaving service is funded mainly by … a. The government b. Insider trading c. Kind donations

Henry Blogg of Cromer, the most decorated lifesaver in RNLI history, kept all his medals … a. In a sideboard drawer b. In a fancy display case c. Pinned to his Facebook profile

An RNLI lifeguard needs to be able to swim 200m … a. At 2½ mph b. In 3½ minutes c. In less than 12 parsecs

Six in ten lifeboat launches are only possible thanks to … a. Gifts in Wills b. Gifts in kind c. Coffee and doughnuts

The RNLI Gold Medal for Gallantry was last presented in 1997 to which coxswain? a. Dic Evans of Moelfre b. Patrick Sliney of Ballycotton c. Hewitt Clark of Lerwick

Complete the RNLI safety message: If you find yourself in difficulty in the water, you should to live. a. Swim hard b. Float c. Work

What is the RNLI’s annual community fundraising appeal called? a. Flag day b. Mayday c. SOS day

Porthcawl's Aileen Jones, the first female crew member to receive an RNLI medal, made her famous rescue in which year? a. 1984 b. 2004 c. 2024

Photos: Nihab Rahman, RNLI/Nick Mailer

Answers: 1b, 2a, 3c, 4c, 5a, 6b, 7a, 8a, 9b, 10a, 11b, 12b, 13c, 14c, 15a, 16b, 17b, 18a, 19c, 20b

Lifeboat spring 2024 47

Your next read:

To Save Every One With a foreword by James Bond actor Daniel Craig, who grew up watching the Hoylake lifeboat crew launch to the rescue, To Save Every One is a guide to the RNLI's fascinating past and present. Here’s an extract, showing how far lifeboat crew training has come in 200 years

Today our crews train with cutting-edge technology and other rescue agencies. Lough Swilly lifeboat volunteers are pictured during a joint training and winching exercise with an Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew

48 Lifeboat spring 2024

Every RNLI lifeboat crew member goes through some of the world’s best and most rigorous lifesaving training. By the time they launch on their first rescue, they will have received training in using their kit, their lifeboat’s layout and what to do in an emergency. But crew training wasn’t always like this. When the first fishermen and sailors who became the earliest registered crew members headed out in heavy wooden lifeboats to save those in need, they’d had next to no training for the job. It helped that many of them were already from seafaring communities and accustomed to life on the waves – they understood the water and its dangers. Many, however, were still not familiar with the other vital aspects of lifesaving, such as the early recognition of certain serious conditions or the correct way to handle broken bones. Far less was

known about the human body and its care in an emergency. Early training ‘Send immediately for medical assistance, blankets, and dry clothing, but proceed to treat the Patient instantly on the spot, in the open air, with the face downward, whether on shore or afloat; exposing the face, neck, and chest to the wind, except in severe weather, and removing all tight clothing from the neck and chest, especially the braces.’ These lifesaving instructions were shared in an issue of the Lifeboat journal and are some of the earliest evidence of what we now know as lifesaving training. The journal says they were the result of ‘extensive inquiries which were made by the Institution in 1863–4 amongst Medical Men, Medical Bodies, and Coroners throughout the United Kingdom.’

BOOKS

Among other advice in past Lifeboat journals is the suggestion that lifesavers could use a feather to tickle the throat of someone who is unconscious, and a warning that under no circumstances should a body be held upside down to revive it. There’s also plenty of advice about the use of alcohol, which was kept on lifeboats until the mid-20th century. A passage from a Lifeboat journal of 1915 describes how the crew was absolutely not permitted to drink the stores of alcohol when the sun was shining: ‘The spirits carried in Life-boats are always to be kept locked up in the provision box or locker fitted in the boat, and the Coxswain is to keep the keys. They [the spirits] are primarily intended for any persons rescued from a wreck who may be in a dangerous state of collapse from cold, exposure, or want of food. The Crew are on no account to partake of the spirits in summer, or on short services in winter when the weather is mild.’

Above: Don't try this at home! An extract from an article titled ‘Directions For Restoring The Apparently Drowned’, from the Lifeboat journal of May 1882

'When the first fishermen and sailors who became crew members headed out in heavy wooden lifeboats to save those in need, they’d had next to no training'

‘Degenerate into loafers’ The introduction of motorised lifeboats in the early 20th century meant that there was less need for crew members to have a maritime background, although many still did come from the fishing and boating communities where the lifeboats were needed most. An issue of the Lifeboat journal from 1916 tells how the idea

100mm flap

of recruiting men from non-maritime backgrounds would almost certainly lead to grave problems: ‘From time immemorial it has been the custom of the Life-boat Service not to maintain fixed crews for Life-boats, but to draw volunteers as required from the seafaring population of the coast towns and villages where Life-boats are stationed … as the men, continuing to pursue their avocations as fishermen, boatmen, etc., and spending their lives in open boats, are kept in constant

training for the particular class of work which is required in the Life-boat Service, the very nature of which is such that the occasions of use are few and far between; and a crew of men who did no other work would, it is feared, soon degenerate into loafers.’

5mm

249607-8 To Save

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea, providing a lifebo at service, lifegu ards and safety education. Like generation s of selfless lifesavers befor e them, today’s volunteer crew members are ready to rescu e around the clock all inspired by , passion, talen t and kindness. The charity’s found er, Sir William Hillary, vowed that ‘with coura ge, nothing is impossible’. His vision of formi ng a rescue servi ce funded by voluntary donat ions became a reality in 1824, and, 200 years on, the charity continues to rescu people every day. e Everyone who gives their time or support to the RNLI is a lifesa ver.

Everyone HB Jacket

v2 – last modified:

15 November 2023

Photo: RNLI/Nigel Millard

10:56 AM

Spine CONFIRMED @ 24mm HarperCollins (hardback

) Front cover size:

173mm x 246mm 5mm 100mm flap

Since 1824, peop le have counted on the RNLI to safe on, in and keep them next to the wate r. Over the last than 144,000 lives 200 years, mor have been save e d, and many mor from harm by e kept the incredible volunteers and who continue dono rs to honour the vision of the RNL I: to save every one.

This is the story of the Royal N Institution’s rema rkable 200-y the charity’s invalu able role to People are at the heart of the R book explores their incredible w two centuries. Seeing huge soci and cultural shifts during this pe two world wars , in which it playe the RNLI has made a significant c to the Maritime History and shap UK, Ireland and beyond. From the rowing the very first wooden lifeb modern count erparts’ mastery of developments in sea-going and sa equipment, from female lifesavers to animal rescu es capturing the he nation. From young lifesavers to th lives of the Instit ution’s selfless vol taking in royal connections and outs of bravery on the way, it is a story o people doing extra ordinary thing s. This beautiful book of kindness, coura community is one to treasure for its c and colourful depic tion of the past and of this well-loved charity.

But where did

the story begin and who were lifesavers? And those pioneeri who powers the ng lifesaving wor k today?

Today, our crew members come from a wide range of backgrounds, with only around 10% being from the seafaring population that first made up our crews. But how did that come about? And what does today’s lifeboat training look like? Find out by ordering your copy of To Save Every One: 200 Years of RNLI Courage at shop.RNLI.org/SaveEveryOneBook Price (hardback): £25 Published by HarperNonFiction. Available now. ISBN 978-0-00-8

61305-1

HarperCollinsP ublishers

A royalty from the sale of this book will be paid in support of the RNLI (see inside)

audio · ebook

Forew ord by

Dan iel Cra ig

CMYK

Lifeboat spring 2024 49

Living the dream Given just days to live, actor Timothy Spall vowed that if he ever recovered he would get a boat. He did both and found the RNLI I got the call of the sea 25 years ago. I don’t know why, but I kept thinking about boats. I was seriously ill at the time and said to my wife, Shane: ‘If I get better, we're getting a boat.’ It was a mad notion. Anyway, I recovered, we got a narrow boat and explored lots of inland waterways. Later, we got a seagoing boat for pootling up and down the Thames. Once, we got stranded on the Medway. Something had fallen off the rudder which sent us in circles. Tankers were coming in and out and it was quite traumatic. A passing boat towed us back up, and we moored near Sheerness Lifeboat Station. Such great guys there – with their kind, quiet help. The following morning, we got fixed up and they escorted us to a safe spot to get underway again. A few years later, I met Penlee crew – just as we were about to sail around Land's End. I told them I was a bit scared. They didn’t say: ‘don’t do 50 Lifeboat spring 2024

it, then.’ But I bumped into Coxswain Patch a day later. He had been checking out my boat and reassured me it was OK. By the time we had done our circumnavigation and crossed the Menai Straits, I felt quite experienced. I thought it would be plain sailing back home but, by nightfall, I was exhausted and lost. I called for help and the RNLI Sheerness inshore crew came out. They calmed us down and got us alongside a pontoon. They were brilliant.

‘If you call for help, they will come. There’s no judgement’ Everybody makes mistakes, including professional skippers. The sea is a dangerous element and anyone can get caught out by it. The RNLI is a brilliant organisation that gives you a feeling of security. If you call for help, they

Timothy Spall OBE – with a career spanning stage and screen for more than 4 decades

will come. There’s no judgement. You could try to paddle across the Channel on a plank with a baguette and, if you got into trouble, they would be there. Although, they may advise you not to try it again! These excellent volunteers are trained with 200 years of experience. We should celebrate them and remember that, when they're risking their lives, there’s a whole network of people who have a stake in that, including their families. Obviously, running the RNLI costs money. Good people are constantly raising funds and we must help them. All RNLI people have that desire to do everything in their power to help others. What an amazingly positive thing that is – it's humanity incarnate. Hear Timothy’s full interview and a new voice every day at: RNLI.org/200voices Photo: RNLI/Richard Adams

THANK YOU For all you’ve done, and for all you do. For your kind donations, which help fund every rescue. But also for so much more … • For reading Lifeboat magazine. For bearing witness to what our incredible volunteers do. For sharing these stories with your friends, so people know of the courage in their communities.

• For knowing – and doing – what’s right. For standing firm and proud with the people determined to stop drowning, close to home and all around the world.

• For your words of support – the letters you send, the friendly visits to lifeboat stations, the moving comments on social media.

This kind of support has kept us going for 200 years – and counting. It’s what powered the rescues you’ve read about in this special issue of Lifeboat magazine. And it’s not finished yet.

• For buying a cold beer for an off-duty lifeboat crew member, or an ice cream for an on-duty lifeguard. Simple, human acts that keep our bodies cool and our hearts warm. • For your prayers. We know so many of you include us in these, doing all you can to help bring us home safe. • For taking care and keeping yourself and your loved ones safe by the water – the simplest way to save a life. • For the cakes you’ve baked, the miles you’ve run, the raffles you’ve entered. It all adds up, and we hope it’s been fun for you too. • For telling your children and grandchildren about the RNLI, and passing the love of the sea, and the joy to be found in helping others, on to the next generation.

Photo: RNLI/Nathan Williams

In a changing world, there are challenges ahead if we’re to save every one. With courage and kindness, we’ll answer calls for help, reunite frightened people with their loved ones, and bring communities together in a spirit of helping and hope. Please stand beside us for the next chapter of our history – turn to your souvenir booklet: A Story of Kindness. A special thank you also to the members of the RNLI 200 Club, who have funded events and activities in this special year. You’ve helped honour the heroes of the past, celebrate today’s lifesavers, and inspire future support.