Within four days of taking over as Coxswain of Torbay Lifeboats, Andrew Medley had the honour of signing the Scroll, which, as part of the RNLI’s 200th Anniversary celebrations, has been travelling around the Lifeboat Stations of the UK. On Thursday 4 April the Scroll arrived in Torbay and many Station personnel and Fundraisers gathered at the Lifeboat Station in Brixham to witness Volunteer Chris, on behalf of the RNLI, bring the Scroll which has been signed by HM the King, our President the Duke of Kent and our outgoing Chief Executive Mark Dowie, to Torbay.
************************************
Below is a slide-show of fantastic photographs taken by non-RNLI member Adrian Pearce at the gathering of the local fleet in Torbay on Sunday 03 March 2024 to celebrate 200 years of the RNLI.
A big ‘thank-you’ to Adrian for sharing these images with us.
The celebratory video below is courtesy of non-RNLI member Alan Letcher who captured some amazing drone footage of the celebrations to share with us all.
A don’t forget to listen to the 200 Years celebration song written and performed by Roger Smith … HERE
Recounting Torbay RNLI’s part in commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the RNLI:
Here’s a filmed ‘scrapbook’ that includes a few of the many photos taken, capturing some of the memorable moments of the parts played by Torbay RNLI’s crew, past and present.
It had been quite a week of celebration and commemoration! To summarise (albeit at some length!) …
It was only a week ago we were remembering, commemorating and celebrating RNLI’s 200th Anniversary with events over two days that included a gathering of lifeboats from five south Devon RNLI stations for a Blessing of the Fleet, a Thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey, and a service of our own at All Saints church in Brixham.
Over two days in March, Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th, Torbay’s crew, past and present, did their bit and more, to partake and celebrate with RNLI supporters, events that marked the charity’s second centenary, in the Bay and up in London.
On the Sunday, 3rd March, Torbay RNLI hosted a Gathering of lifeboats from all five south Devon RNLI stations; Salcombe, Dart, Torbay, Teignmouth and Exmouth.
The lifeboats met off Berry Head and proceeded in convoy across the Bay and around the Breakwater in to Brixham Harbour where the Coxswains and crew disembarked at the RNLI jetty to assemble outside Torbay RNLI boat station, for a ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ led by Helen Lovell-Smith MAO-Devon of Fishermen’s Mission.
In gorgeous weather, a large crowd of local supporters had gathered, watched and listened to sea shanties, the town band, followed by the service of thanksgiving service and blessing.
It was the first time all lifeboats had come together in this way, and their convoy in very close formation at almost 20 knots on this bright sunny day made for a very memorable and uplifting spectacle, and one that the local community will probably remember for many years.
The following day on Monday at 11:30am, there was a service of national commemoration at Westminster Abbey.
Torbay RNLI were represented at the very heart of proceedings, with Keith Bower, retired Deputy Coxswain leading a procession down the aisle to place a silver and marble replica of the RNLI Memorial sculpture on a table at the centre of the Abbey. The Memorial carries the names of over 600 RNLI volunteers who have died saving the lives of others at sea.
Keith’s central part in the service was assigned in recognition of the Gold Medal he was awarded for rescuing all the ten crew from aboard the stricken Lyrma in a major storm, seven and half miles east-south-east of Start Point, 48 years ago, when he coxed Torbay’s Arun Class ‘Edward Bridges’ 54-03, now permanently berthed and on display at Chatham Lifeboat Museum. In all UK and Ireland, only three living members of the RNLI currently hold this, their highest award: The Gold Medal for Conspicuous Gallantry.
Four other members of Torbay RNLI joined Keith in the congregation at Westminster Abbey, including John Turner, Carol Pearson, Gary Fletcher and Ian Barnaby who was awarded a MEB in the recent New Years Honours.
Later in the day, back in Torbay, at Brixham’s All Saints church, the Torbay RNLI Crew welcomed the local community and dignitaries to our own service of commemoration.
The Crew lined the entrance as a large congregation arrived, including the Vice Lord Lieutenant, Countess of Arran, the Civic Mayor of Torbay Council, Mark Spacagna, the Chair of Brixham Town Council, Michael Roseveare and Vice Admiral Richard Ibbotson of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.
Helen Lovell-Smith joined by Rt Reverend James Grier, Bishop of Plymouth, led the ceremony delivering a warm, embracing and uplifting service, at the end of which, over tea and cakes, the Crew chatted at length with members of the congregation about their memories and experiences of past shouts, all under artwork from the attending schools’ pupils, which decoratively festooned the church’s walls.
The service was supported by the primary schools of ‘Brixham C of E’, ‘St Clitherows’, and ‘Furzham’, whose children helped with the collection, led much of the singing and informed the congregation what RNLI Torbay is all about by reading a series of messages respectively relating to each of the letters spelling out ‘LIFEBOAT’.
Wives and girlfriends of the Torbay Crew performed two songs. During the second, a very old and well-known sea shanty, which casts aspersions on the sobriety and good reputation of sailors, they were joined by the Crew who helped complete a rousing second chorus.
After the tea and cakes, those crew not on duty/call, joined the rest of this congregation at the Manor Inn for some refreshments and a revisiting of the second chorus of that song before heading home.
It was a fitting end to these two days of events orchestrated by Torbay RNLI to celebrate the charity’s second century of saving lives at sea.
Torbay Lifeboats 