Hayling Island's station history

Silver Medals awarded to William Goldring, James Spraggs and David Farmer for a service on 17 October 1862.  When the Portsmouth sloop Cygnet sank on the Woolsiner Sandbank her crew of three men was seen clinging to her rigging with the sea washing over them.  The sloop had become unmanageable after encountering a heavy gale, and striking a shoal, was overwhelmed by heavy waves and began to break up.  After an unsuccessful attempt to reach the casualty in his smack Captain Goldring launched her skiff and together with two crew rescued the three men who had been marooned for over five hours.

Lifeboat house constructed at a cost of £250.

Silver Medal awarded to Major F W Festing of the Royal Marine Artillery, in admiration of his intrepid conduct in putting off in an open boat with 12 fishermen and rescuing three of the crew of the schooner Ocean which was wrecked during gale force winds on the Woolsiner Shoal near Hayling Island on 14 January 1865.

Acetylene beach lamp supplied.

New lifeboat house constructed on a site three quarters of a mile further east of at a cost of £900.

The station was closed on the placing of motor lifeboats at Bembridge and Selsey.

Station re-opened as an inshore lifeboat station with the placing of an Atlantic 21 class lifeboat on 25 March.

Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution were awarded to Helmsman Patrick Lamperd, the Honorary Medical Adviser, Dr Richard Newman and crew members Frank Dunster and Brian Quinton in recognition of the service carried out by them when the inshore lifeboat rescued a man and his son from the cabin cruiser Tomey Too on 3 January.

Bronze Medal awarded to Helmsman Frank Dunster in recognition of his courage and seamanship when the lifeboat rescued the crew of four of the yacht Fitz’s Flyer in a south-westerly gale and a very rough sea on 14 December 1980.  Two attempts to take the lifeboat alongside the yachts port and lee side were unsuccessful due to the large seas.  On the third run, two crew were rescued and it took four more attempts to snatch a third man.  A further run was made to pick up the yacht’s skipper.  Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum accorded to crew members Trevor Pearce and Graham Wickham.  The Ralph Glister Award for 1980 was also awarded for this service.

Silver Medal awarded to crew member Roderick James and a Bronze Second-Service Clasp awarded to Helmsman Frank Dunster for services on 19 September 1981.  In a south-easterly near gale a teenage boy was seen clinging to the post of a groyne 20 yards out to sea with very rough confused seas breaking over him.  Two attempts to rescue the boy by shore helpers and four attempts by the lifeboat was unsuccessful.  Then when the lifeboat came to within 30 feet, and the exhausted boy let go and disappeared, Roderick James entered the water, grabbed him and made for the shore where shore helpers were there to help them.  Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum accorded to crew member Graham Raines, shore helpers Trevor Pearce and Nigel Roper.  The Ralph Glister Award for 1981 was also awarded for this service.

The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum accorded to crew member David B Sigournay in recognition of the seamanship displayed by him in his expert handling of a strange and unreliable craft which he boarded from the lifeboat and brought safely in harbour with the injured occupant in broaching conditions on 7 December 1986.

Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution awarded to Helmsman Roderick James and to Helmsman Frank Dunster in recognition of the service on 24 September, when nine people were rescued from the 41 foot ketch Seaway Endeavour which was in difficulties in rough breaking seas on the East Pole Sands.  Helmsman Dunster rescued five people with his own boat Hayling Rescue and the Atlantic 21 class lifeboat Aldershot rescued the remaining four people.  Crew members of both the lifeboat and the shore boat were sent letters of thanks signed by the Chief of Operations.

Bronze Medal awarded to crew member Graham Raines in recognition of the courage and determination displayed by him when the lifeboat assisted in the rescue of one of the crew of the yacht Dingaling which was in difficulties near Chichester Bar in a south-westerly gale and very rough seas on 9 October 1988.  In addition the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum accorded to Helmsman Frank Dunster and crew member Roderick James for their skill and determination during this service.  The Ralph Glister Award and the newly instituted Walter Groombridge Award for the best Atlantic 21 class lifeboat rescue of the previous year, were awarded to Helmsman Frank Dunster, crew member Graham Raines and crew member Roderick James, for the above service.

Second-Service Clasp to the Silver Medal awarded to Helmsman Roderick James, and Silver Medal to Frank Dunster, helmsman of the rigid inflatable Hayling Rescue., and Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum accorded to crew members Christopher Reed, Warren Hayles, Evan Lampard and Damien Taylor and A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution to crew member Richard Mumford for rescuing nine of the seventeen crew of the yacht Donald Searle which was in difficulties at the edge of the East Pole Sands in a strong gale, very rough seas and a heavy swell on 25 October 1992.  The Ralph Glister Award and the Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award were awarded to Helmsman Roderick James and crew members Warren Hayles and Christ Reed for the this service.

New boathouse constructed for the Atlantic 21 class lifeboat as well as the D class.  It also provides crew facilities, a display area/museum and control room.

D class lifeboat placed on Temporary Station duty on 29 March.

Atlantic 75 class lifeboat B712 was placed on service on 21 June and Atlantic 21 class lifeboat withdrawn.

New D class lifeboat D-496 was placed on service on 12 May.

A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution, Mr Peter Nicholson, awarded to Helmsman Graham Raines and crew member Evan Lamperd for the rescue of a man and a woman from a RIB aground on the West Pole Sands.  The service was conducted at night amidst breaking waves on the shallow sands.  The other two crew members received Letters of Thanks signed by the Chief Executive.

Helmsman Graham Raines has been honoured by Her Majesty The Queen in the birthday honours list and made a Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE).

The new class of lifeboat IB1, D642 Amanda, James and Ben was placed on service on Tuesday 24 May.  D496 has been withdrawn to ILC.

Chichester Harbour Conservancy granted Hayling Island Lifeboat Station the Freedom of the Harbour.  The lifeboat station is only the second organisation to ever be granted this honour.

Boathouse extension for FIB1 & IB1 completed in November at a cost of £770,631.

The new station B class lifeboat B-829 Derrick Battle was placed on service on 26 February.  Lifeboat B-712 has been withdrawn to the relief fleet. This lifeboat was generously funded by the late Mrs Betty Battle.

A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution, Admiral the Lord Boyce was awarded to Helmsman Peter Hanscombe in recognition of his seamanship and leadership skills when the B class inshore lifeboat established a tow and brought a disabled yacht to safety during the evening of 8 March 2010.  The service was conducted in rough seas and west south west Force 7 winds gusting to Force 8.