A number of awards have been established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) since its creation in 1824. None are approved by the Crown, and are therefore unofficial awards. As such, they do not appear in the official British order of wear,[1] although the principal lifesaving award, the Medal of the RNLI, can be worn on the right breast in uniform by members of the British armed forces.[2]
RNLI Medal, version awarded 1862–1902Ribbon: RNLI Medal and Decoration
The medal was established in 1824, the same year the RNLI was founded, to reward "humane and intrepid exertions in saving life from shipwrecks on our coasts, deemed sufficiently conspicuous to merit honourable distinction".[3] The medal can be awarded for saving life at sea in gold, silver and, since 1917, in bronze.[4]
While awards are now only made to lifeboat crew who risk their lives in rescue attempts,[5] a number of nineteenth century medals were bestowed on others who saved life from the sea. These included coastguard officers[6] and those who affected a rescue by wading or swimming into the sea from the shore.[7]
Apart from the metal of manufacture, the design of the three classes is the same. When established in 1824, the obverse bore the effigy of King George IV, the first patron of the Institution. In 1862 this was changed to a profile of Queen Victoria, with changes to Edward VII in 1902 and George V in 1911. In 1937 Royal permission to portray George VI was refused, as the award is not granted by the Crown, and since then the profile of the RNLI founder Sir William Hillary has been used.[8] The reverse, designed by William Wyon, shows three sailors in a lifeboat rescuing a fourth from the sea, below the inscription "Let not the deep swallow me up" taken from Psalm 69.[9] The reverse of the Edward VII version shows a figure of Hope adjusting the lifejacket of a lifeboatman. The original reverse was restored for issues from 1911.[8] The medal is engraved on the edge with the name of the recipient and the date the award was approved.[8]
The very first medals were presented without any means of suspension, and then with a suspension loop for the plain dark blue ribbon. Since about 1852 the current suspension, in the form of two dolphins, has been used, and additional awards in the same class have been recognised by clasps attached to the ribbon.[8]
Up to 2004, a total of 150 gold, 1,563 silver and 791 bronze medals had been awarded.[4] Recipients of the Silver Medal have included Grace Darling, who achieved national fame in 1838 when she took part in her lighthouse keeper father's rescue of nine people whose ship had run aground off the coast of Northumberland coast. Her father, William Darling, also received the Silver Medal.[10]
RNLI Decoration
The Decoration of the Institution was awarded for conspicuous and special services to the RNLI, other than actual personal life-saving.[11] Established in 1901, many awards were made for long and devoted service by Branch Honorary Secretaries and Ladies Auxiliaries.[12]
A new design was approved in 1912, to be awarded in both gold and silver. Awards were discontinued in May 1914 after objections were raised by King George V that the decoration, a private award without Royal sanction, conflicted with the principle of the Crown as the fount of honour.[12]
The decoration of 1901 was a circular gilt medal 27mm in diameter and surmounted by a crown. It depicts a lifeboat going to the assistance of a sailing ship in distress, surrounded by a white enamel lifebelt bearing the words Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The reverse in plain. It is suspended from a plain dark blue ribbon, shaped in a bow when worn by women. The 1912 design, manufactured by Garrard & Co of London, was a stylised cross in dark blue enamel, with the letters R N L I in the angles of the cross, interlaced with a rope.[12]
RNLI Long Service Medal
RNLI Long Service awards Above: Lapel badge, awarded to 2020 Right: Medal with 60 year clasp
Established in 2020, it is awarded for twenty years service with the RNLI, either as crew or as a support volunteer, and replaces the award of enamel lapel badges. Clasps, attached to the ribbon, are presented to mark each further period of ten years service. Clasps are inscribed 30, 4050 or 60 Years, as appropriate. By September 2020, a total of 733 medals had been issued, including several with the 60 Year clasp.[13]
The medal is circular and is struck in silver-plated base metal. The obverse shows the left-facing bust of the RNLI founder Sir William Hillary, surrounded by the words Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The reverse shows a representation of two outstretched hands clasped above a raging sea with, on a surrounding band, the inscription "With courage nothing is impossible". Each medal is named to the recipient on the rim. The ribbon, suspended from a fixed straight suspender, is navy blue with narrow red and yellow edges, the colours of the RNLI.[13]
Other awards
Notable service that does not justify the award of a medal can be rewarded with either the "Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum" or a "Framed Letter of Appreciation".
The RNLI have also established a number of awards that can be awarded to groups, including boat crews. Examples include the Ralph Glister Award, inaugurated in 1968, awarded annually to a rescue boat crew who have given outstanding service;[14][15] and the Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award, established in 1986, given annually for the most meritorious rescue carried out by an inshore lifeboat crew.[16]
Official awards to the RNLI
Members of the RNLI have also received a number of official awards, both for gallantry and distinguished service. These include Henry Blogg and William Fleming who both received, in addition to a number of RNLI awards, the George Cross;[17] and Edward Parker and Howard Primrose Knight, both awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for their "gallantry and determination when ferrying troops from the beaches" during the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation.[18]
↑ For example: In 1832 a silver medal was awarded to coastguard who saved crew of a wrecked sloop. "Station history". rnli.org. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
↑ Examples of silver medals: "1847: Two sisters waded into a stormy sea to rescue 3 men from stranded smack. "Fishguard Lifeboat Station". Historypoints.org. Retrieved 29 January 2021. 1884: A woman on shore held onto a rope in a storm, allowing 15 crew of ship to get ashore. "The woman who saved 15 sailors from drowning". BBC News. 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018."
Cox, Barry, ed. (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry, The Complete Record of Royal National Lifeboat Institution Gallantry Medals and how they were won. 1824-1996. Spink & Son Ltd., London. ISBN0907605893.
Dorling, Captain H. Taprell (1956). Ribbons and Medals. A.H.Baldwin & Sons, London.
Farrell, Tony (December 2020). "Royal National Lifeboat Institution Long Service Medal". Orders & Medals Research Society Journal. 59 (2). ISSN1474-3353.
Myers, J.A.L. (June 2003). "Golden Jubilee Medal – Royal National Lifeboat Institution". Orders & Medals Research Society Journal. 42 (2). ISSN1474-3353.
The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI, is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circumstances where military honours are not appropriate.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways.
Padstow Lifeboat Station has been at Trevose Head west of Padstow, Cornwall, since 1967. Before that it was at Hawker's Cove on the Camel estuary between the town and the sea. The lifeboat station is run by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and since 2006 has been the base for Tamar-class RNLB Spirit of Padstow.
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.
The Sea Gallantry Medal (SGM), is a United Kingdom award for civil gallantry at sea.
Blyth Lifeboat Station is operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and currently operates a D-class (IB1) Sally Forth (D-878) and a B-class lifeboat Patricia Southall (B-923)
Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat station is a RNLI base in Norfolk, England. There were originally two separate stations at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston – two coastal towns either side of the River Yare. These were merged in 1926.
Angle Lifeboat Station, Angle, Pembrokeshire, Wales, first opened in 1868 after a request from the local Coastguard for a lifeboat station to be opened within the Milford Haven Waterway. Originally called Milford Lifeboat Station, in 1892 the name was officially changed by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) committee.
Appledore Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Appledore, Devon in the United Kingdom. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1825 and the present station was opened in 2001. It operates a Tamar-class all-weather boat (AWB) and an Atlantic 85 B Class inshore lifeboat (ILB).
Torbay Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Brixham, Devon in England. Brixham Lifeboat Station was opened in 1866 but since 1924 has been known as 'Torbay'. Since 2005 it has operated a Severn-class all-weather lifeboat (ALB) together with a D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat (ILB).
The Burma Gallantry Medal (BGM) was a military decoration awarded for acts of gallantry, in both war and peace, by Governor's commissioned officers, non-commissioned Officers and other ranks of the British Burmese military. These included its Army, Frontier Force, Military Police, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and Auxiliary Air Force. Clasps, attached to the ribbon, could be awarded to mark further awards of the medal.
Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Aldeburgh in the English county of Suffolk.
Southwold Lifeboat Station is an RNLI operated lifeboat station located in the town of Southwold in the English county of Suffolk.
Lowestoft Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) operated lifeboat station in the town of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The station is located at the mouth of Lowestoft's outer harbour on the South pier. It is one of the oldest lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom, having been established in 1801.
Hayling Island Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution station located on Hayling Island in the English county of Hampshire, on the eastern side of the island at the entrance to Chichester Harbour where it joins the major shipping route of the Solent, and is opposite the village of West Wittering. This major shipping route is busy at all times of the year and there are estimated to be 10,000 boats in the Chichester area alone. The Hayling Island station provides cover for the area 24 hours a day, all year, by means of two inshore rigid inflatable lifeboats placed on this station.
Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station in the coastal resort of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, West Wales. It was established in 1861, but there has been a lifeboat serving the town since 1843.
Humber Lifeboat Station is an All-weather lifeboat station based at the mouth of the River Humber.
Barmouth Lifeboat Station is located in Barmouth, a town at the mouth of the Afon Mawddach river in Gwynedd, Wales. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1828.
Fleetwood Lifeboat Station is located on The Esplanade at the port of Fleetwood, a Lancashire town at the north end of The Fylde, situated at the mouth of the River Wyre.
Clacton-on-Sea Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station located in the town of Clacton-on-Sea in the county of Essex. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the RNLI in 1878.
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