History
A private lifeboat began service at Fishguard in 1822, built and operated by Lt. Thomas Evans RN, (later Captain), the agent in Fishguard for Lloyd's of London. Evans had constructed the boat himself, mostly at his own cost, and with a £50 grant from Lloyds. On 29–30 November 1833, Evans and his crew rescued the Master and crew from the sloop Ranger, and was subsequently awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal. [4] [5]
The Fishguard lifeboat, with Evans aboard, rescued the Master and six crew of the schooner Trieve (or Trevor) on 17 February 1836. Eight years later, having discovered that an award of £10 had been made to the lifeboat men for this service, he pointed out that he has been responsible for the construction and maintenance of the lifeboat, at a personal cost of £500, during which time, 25 lives had been saved. "For long continuing exertions in the cause of humanity", Evans was awarded a special RNIPLS Silver Medal, double gilt, with a gold swivel ring. [7]
A further six silver medals were awarded for rescues around Fishguard before 1855, including two medals to sisters Martha and Margaret Llewellyn, who waded into the surf, to rescue three men from the smack Margaret of Barmouth on 22 October 1846. [9] [10]
At a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on 7 Dec 1854, it was resolved to place a 30-foot lifeboat, of Mr Peake's design, at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, and instructions were given for the provision of a boathouse. [11]
A local committee had been formed, and Rev. C. H. Barham, of Trecwn was elected Chairman, "a gentleman possessed of large fortune, and of the still more valuable gifts — a liberal mind and philanthropic disposition". The committee, having raised the amount of £193, was formally accepted into the Institution as a branch, which then agreed to supply a lifeboat and carriage. [12]
In August 1855, a 30-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboat, one with (10) oars and sails, was transported first to Haverfordwest, by the Great Western and South Wales railway companies, and then onto Fishguard. [12]
A lifeboat house was constructed at the north-west end of Goodwick Sands, at a cost of £105. [13] [14]
A No.2 station was established at Fishguard in 1869. It was found that a larger 12-oared lifeboat was necessary for more distant services than the existing 6-oared No.1 lifeboat, which was retained for close shore work. A boathouse was constructed at Wig Wen cove, close to the site of the current station building. The cost of the lifeboat was defrayed by funds raised in the City of Worcester by Capt. F. Saumarez Fraser, RN, and on 30 August 1869, the lifeboat was paraded through the streets of Worcester, arriving at Pitchcroft, where it was named Fraser, before being launched on demonstration in the River Severn. [13] [15]
In May 1874 the RNLI awarded the Fishguard lifeboat No.1 crew £27 for their lifesaving services over the previous month; they included saving a total of 17 crew from the schooners J.T.S., Squirrel and Gem and the smack Lerry. [16]
On 16 November 1882 the lifeboat attended 15 different vessels and saved 46 lives. [10]
A slipway was built alongside the shore by the Great Western Railway in 1911 for a new boathouse; both were replaced in 1930. [10] The lifeboat Charterhouse (ON563) was on station between 1909 and 1931, during which time her crews saved 47 lives. Her centenary was celebrated in 2009, still afloat and renamed Marian. [17] [18]
In February 1946, Fishguard lifeboat White Star (ON 710) was at sea for more than 24 hours in severe weather, standing by the broken-down submarine HMS Universal and helping to rescue her crew. [19]
When the BBC TV children's programme Blue Peter launched their annual appeal in November 1993, the target was to raise enough money to replace the six Inshore lifeboats, at Beaumaris, Cleethorpes, Littlehampton, North Berwick, Portaferry and St Agnes. Such was the success of the "Pieces of Eight" appeal, which raised over £1.4 million, that for the first time, there was also enough money to fund an All-weather lifeboat. [20]
The new Trent-class All-weather lifeboat arrived at Fishguard in 1994. On 17 June 1995, in front of a large crowd of onlookers, Blue Peter presenters carried out the naming ceremony, with the boat being named 14-03 Blue Peter VII (ON 1198). [21]
Royal National Lifeboat Institution 
