Walmer Lifeboat Station

Walmer Lifeboat Station
Walmer Lifeboat Station on The Strand, Walmer. Built in 1871
Walmer, Kent
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Location	Walmer lifeboat station, The Strand, Walmer, Kent, UK
Country	UK
Coordinates	51°12′48.71″N 1°24′10.66″E
Opened	1830
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Walmer Lifeboat Station was established in 1830. Over two thousand ships are believed to have been wrecked on the Goodwin Sands, and the masts of several wrecks are visible from the shore at low tide. Hence there have always been two lifeboats located at the joined towns of Deal and Walmer along the coast opposite the sands.

History

1800–1939

In 1830, RNLI Gold Medals were awarded to Captain P Graham RN, Lieut HW Johnson RN and Lieut WS Watts RN, and a Silver Medal to John Durban for rescuing 13 crew from the ship Mountaineer and three other Deal boatmen on 24 November 1829. It was 26 years later however, in 1856, that an actual lifeboat station was established.

In 1896, crew member E Young drowned when he was trying to board the Steamship Trapian from the lifeboat. From 1912 to 1927 the station was closed, but when it re-opened the lifeboat was kept on a launching cradle at the head of the beach and soon afterwards, from 1930, the station had its first motor lifeboat.

World War One

Walmer lifeboat Charles Dibdin

During World War I, Deal had two lifeboats, the RNLB Charles Dibdin and the RNLB Frances Forbes Barton; William Stanton was coxswain of the Frances Forbes Barton. In 1944 a Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain Joseph Mercer for rescuing 13 men from an anti-submarine boat stranded on the Goodwin Sands.

Postwar to present

Walmer's last all-weather lifeboat was the RNLB Hampshire Rose. In 1964 an inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established with a D-class (EA16). The RNLB Hampshire Rose was retired from service on 5 May 1990 and, with the addition of a B-class Atlantic 21 lifeboat (for whose launching rig the boathouse was then extended in 1992), Walmer was permanently established as an inshore lifeboat station. A new Atlantic 21, RNLB James Burgess (B-589), was placed on service in 1992. in the same year as a visit by the Queen Mother as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and on 22 January 1997 a new D-class lifeboat, RNLB Lord Kitchener (D-514), was placed on service.

A new Atlantic 85-class lifeboat, RNLB Donald Mclauchlan (B-808), was put on station in December 2006, with a new D-class (IB1), RNLB Duggie Rodbard II (D-794) in 2016.

Station Honours

At Walmer lifeboat station the following RNLI awards have been made:

• RNLI Gold Medal, three,
  • 1830, to Captain P Graham RN, Lt H W Johnson RN and Lt W S Watts RN, and a Silver Medal to John Durban, for rescuing 13 crew from the ship Mountaineer and three boatmen from Deal, on 24 November 1829.

• RNLI Silver Medal, four, including
  • 1859, to John Moss for saving one man from the tender of the lugger Stornoway on 19 December 1858.
  • 1948, to Coxswain Frederick Upton and Bronze Medal to Mechanic Cecil Cavell for rescuing 30 men, including two stowaways, and a dog from the steamer Silvia Onorato aground on the Goodwin Sands. The lifeboat spent 45 hours at sea.
  • 1952, to Coxswain Frederick Upton and Bronze Medal to Mechanic Cecil Cavell for rescuing 38 men from the wreck of the steamer Agen that was aground on the South Goodwin bank, close to three other wrecks from which the Walmer lifeboat had rescued 115 people over the previous six years.

• RNLI Bronze Medal, four, including
  • 1977, to Coxswain Bruce Brown for rescuing the four crew from the sinking cabin cruiser Shark, along with the Second Coxswain who had become trapped in the cabin. Also awarded to Pat Hardman, who, with the aid of Bruce Brown was able to rescue Cyril Williams and the four crew of the ship.

• The Maud Smith Award 1948
  (for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew)
  • 1948, to Coxswain Frederick Upton.

• The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum, ten, including
  • 1969, to Helmsman Bruce Brown and Crew Members Cyril Williams and John Riley for rescuing four people cut off by the tide.
  • 1970. Along with the Ralph Glister Award, to Helmsman Cyril Williams and Crew Members Leslie Coe and Charles Taylor for rescuing two men cut off by the tide in a cave.
  • 1972, to Coxswain Henry Brown for saving the yacht Nell and her six crew, plus a cat.
  • 1991 to Helmsman Duane Brown for rescuing the three crew from the yacht Josse aground on Goodwin Sands.
  • 2002 to Helmsman Andrew Coe, Adam Cowell and Philip Brenchly for the rescue of the 32 ft yacht Thai Thai off the Goodwin Sands.

• A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution, six, including
  • 1978, to Coxswain Bruce Brown and Second Coxswain Cyril Williams for refloating the vessel Elmela off the Goodwin Sands.
  • 1985, to Helmsman Anthony Evans for rescuing two men who were cut off by the tide after their canoe had capsized.
  • 1991, to crew members John Collins and Shaun East for the Josse rescue.

• Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)
  • 2023, to Denis Brophy, Lifeboat Operations Manager

• In 1997 a special award went to Pat Hardman, for his 27½ years of volunteer work for the RNLI in Deal, in which time he saved 119 lives from shipwreck.
• In 2005 a special award went to Les Coe, for his 50 years of volunteer work for Walmer Lifeboat during which time he served as a crew member and Head Launcher.

Walmer Lifeboats

All-weather lifeboats

ON	Op.No.	Name	In service	Class	Comments
–	–	Royal Thames Yacht Club	1856–1861	29-foot 5in Self-righting (P&S)
–	–	Royal Thames Yacht Club	1861–1871	37-foot Self-righting (P&S)
–	–	Centurion	1871–1884	36-foot Self-righting (P&S)
34	–	Civil Service No.4	1884–1895	40-foot 1in Self-righting (P&S)
394	–	Civil Service No.4	1897–1912	40-foot Self-righting (P&S)	Station closed, 1912
480	–	Barbara Fleming	1927–1933	40-foot Self-righting (P&S)	Station reopened, 1927
762	–	Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No.2)	1933–1959	41ft Watson	First motor lifeboat at station
948	–	Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No.32)	1959–1975	42ft Watson
1024	37-32	The Hampshire Rose	1975–1990	Rother	All-Weather Lifeboat withdrawn 1990 Replaced with B-class (Atlantic 21)

Inshore lifeboats

D-class

Op.No.	Name	In service	Class	Comments
D-14	Unnamed	1964	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-26	Unnamed	1965	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-24	Unnamed	1966	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-135	Unnamed	1967–1970	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-200	Unnamed	1971–1976	D-class (Avon S650)
D-254	Unnamed	1977–1988	D-class (Zodiac III)
D-363	Unnamed	1988–1997	D-class (EA16)
D-514	Lord Kitchener	1997–2006	D-class (EA16)
D-663	Duggie Rodbard	2006–2016	D-class (IB1)
D-794	Duggie Rodbard II	2016–	D-class (IB1)

B-class

Op.No.	Name	In service	Class	Comments
B-512	US Navy League	1990–1992	B-class (Atlantic 21)
B-589	James Burgess	1992–2006	B-class (Atlantic 21)
B-808	Donald McLauchlan	2006–	B-class (Atlantic 85)

See also

• List of RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

External links

Media related to Walmer Lifeboat Station at Wikimedia Commons

• lifeboat station homepage