RNLI Moelfre Mechanic at London's Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph Service
Here at RNLI Moelfre Lifeboat Station, we are all immensely proud that Vince Jones, the station's full-time mechanic, had the honour of representing the RNLI at this year's remembrance service at the Cenotaph in London.
Vince has been a mechanic at Moelfre lifeboat station for over twenty years, and took part in the parade along with other RNLI volunteers from around the UK and Ireland. Vince also had the added honour of placing the RNLI wreath on the Cenotaph steps.
Vince and the RNLI volunteers then marched with serving and ex-military veterans and representatives from various organisations from across the globe towards St.James Park, they then turned right onto Horse Guards Parade where Princess Anne took the salute.
Vince said ”I was nervous when I took my car test and even more nervous on my wedding day, I have also been out on rescues in horrendous weather, but my nerves on Sunday were tested to the limit! I kept thinking, have I got the wreath the right way up, and don’t trip - the eyes of the world are on me, but thank goodness it all went well! I felt immense pride that I had been asked to represent the RNLI at this special service, to remember the sacrifice of all those who have defended our freedom and protected our way of life. While I was waiting my turn to lay down the wreath, I thought about my family, especially my departed mother, who would have been overjoyed to see me taking part in the ceremony. I also thought of our Coxswain Alan Owen, who recently passed away while in service."
The RNLI played its own role in the famed Dunkirk “little ships” evacuation in 1940. 20 RNLI lifeboats were among the 700 private boats that sailed from Ramsgate to Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940 as part of Operation Dynamo, helping to rescue more than 338,000 British and French soldiers who were trapped on the beaches at Dunkirk during the Second World War.
For further information, please contact Phil Williams, Moelfre Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07773 979910
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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