River Mersey flotilla to mark 4,000 lives saved in North West as RNLI turns 200

Jo Partner, RNLI Head of Region in Wales, the West and the Isle of Man says:

‘I am thrilled we’re able to make the bicentenary of the RNLI in such a unique way here in the North West. The flotilla really will be quite a spectacle and will serve as a reminder not only of the courage and commitment of all those who have been part of the RNLI family for over the past two centuries, but also those who have given so generously to keeping our service afloat.

‘Today we celebrate a world-class lifesaving service and I’m immensely grateful to all those involved with the charity – our volunteers, supporters and staff. We hope this impressive flotilla will inspire future generations of lifesavers and supporters who will take the RNLI into its next century and beyond.’

RNLI Heritage Archive and Research Manager, Hayley Whiting, says:

‘The RNLI’s founder, Sir William Hillary, witnessed the treacherous nature of the sea first-hand when living on the Isle of Man and he wanted to take action. His first appeal to the nation in 1823 did not have the desired result but, thankfully, he persevered and gained the support of several philanthropic members of society, who put their names to the charity at a meeting in the City of London Tavern on 4 March 1824.

‘Twelve resolutions were passed at that meeting, the core of which still stand as part of the RNLI’s Charter 200 years later. This shows how the RNLI’s values and purpose have remained unwavering for 200 years, despite the social and economic changes and challenges of the past two centuries.

‘Hillary’s vision was ambitious and forward-thinking, and no doubt he would be extremely proud to see the charity he founded still going strong today, and to see how much it has achieved.’

The charity has a history of innovation, and adapting to challenging circumstances, such as:

• Lifejackets: In 1861, Whitby lifeboat crew launched six times to rescue stricken vessels in a storm, but on their sixth launch a freak wave capsized the lifeboat and all but one of the crew were lost. The sole survivor was Henry Freeman, who survived because he was wearing a new design of cork lifejacket. After this event, the cork lifejacket became more widely adopted by lifeboat crews.

• Fundraising: In 1886, 27 lifeboat crew members from Southport and St Annes lost their lives while trying to rescue the crew of the Mexico. A public appeal was launched, driven by local man Charles Macara. An 1891 appeal raised £10,000 in two weeks. On 1 October, Charles and his wife Marion organised the first Lifeboat Saturday. Bands, floats and lifeboats paraded through the streets of Manchester, followed by volunteers collecting money. More than £5,000 was taken on the day, which was the first recorded example of a charity street collection.

• Lifeboats: In 1914, over 140 people were saved when the hospital steamship Rohilla was wrecked. The ship had been en route to Dunkirk to help wounded soldiers but was broken up when it ran aground on rocks near Whitby. Five lifeboats battled terrible seas to reach the ship. A motor lifeboat (the first of its kind) from Tynemouth, took the last 50 people on board. In total, 144 people were saved by the crews, who worked for over 50 hours in atrocious conditions. The motor lifeboat proved its capabilities and became more widely accepted by lifeboat crews after this event.

• Wartime: When the First World War broke out, many lifeboat volunteers were called away to fight. The average age of lifeboat crews at home increased to over 50. During 1914-18, RNLI lifeboats launched 1,808 times, saving 5,332 lives. In 1939, young lifeboat volunteers were called away again to war. By the end of the Second World War, RNLI crews had saved 6,376 lives around the coasts of Britain and Ireland.

In 1940, 19 RNLI lifeboats were used to evacuate troops from Dunkirk. Two had RNLI crews onboard, while the others were crewed by the Royal Navy. The lifeboats and their stand-in crews saved thousands of lives while being shelled and bombed for days.

Throughout its bicentenary year, the charity is running events and activities to remember its important history and celebrate the modern lifesaving service it is today, while hoping to inspire generations of future lifesavers and supporters.

A Service of Thanksgiving to mark 200 years of the RNLI will take place at Westminster Abbey on 4 March 2024 at 11.30am. It will be attended by representatives from RNLI lifesaving communities around the UK and Ireland.

For further information about the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, visit RNLI.org/200.

* Statistics from RNLI Operational Data from 4 March 1824 to 31 December 2023 inclusive. A life saved shows how many of the people helped by the RNLI would have lost their life had the RNLI not been there.

RNLI Notes to Editors

The media are invited to board the ferry from Seacombe at 11.20am which will follow the flotilla for filming/photography. Onboard the ferry and available for interview will be John Curry, Chair of the Hoylake and West Kirby RNLI Management Group. John is the former Lifeboat Operations Manager at Hoylake and is former West Kirby RNLI crew. John is a retired Liverpool Pilot and organised the 175th anniversary sail-past that is being recreated. Also available for interview on the ferry is New Brighton RNLI volunteer Emily Craven, one of the crew recently recognised for a lifesaving rescue: https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2023/july/21/rnli-new-brighton-crew-recognised-for-lifesaving-rescue

• Click here to access the RNLI 200th anniversary media pack, which contains a selection of RNLI archive images from key points in the charity’s history, an RNLI history timeline, and a film of ‘200 years in 200 seconds’ – all of which can be downloaded.

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