Walmer lifeboat station celebrates the RNLI’s 200th anniversary
On the day the charity turns 200, March 4 2024, the RNLI is revealing its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved an incredible 146,277 lives during its two centuries of lifesaving.
Walmer RNLI lifeboat station was officially established on 5 June 1856 and in that time its crews have launched the lifeboats 2,048 times and saved 1,181 lives.
The decision to have a lifeboat station at Walmer was an easy one, since there had been several disastrous incidents where ships had required assistance in The Downs, the waters off Deal and Walmer, with rescues being made by local boatmen. With the treacherous Goodwin Sands also several miles off-shore, this natural sandbank provided a safe anchorage for shipping passing through the Channel.
A Service of Thanksgiving to mark 200 years of the RNLI will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on 4 March. It will be attended by representatives from RNLI lifesaving communities around the UK and Ireland, including Operations Manager Denis Brophy, Lifeboat Chair Roger Blown, Helm Lee Waddon and Shop Manager Julie Coe from Walmer.
The Operations Manager said: ‘The RNLI has been saving lives at sea for 200 years. I have been associated with the charity for 57 years as coxswain of our last all-weather lifeboat Hampshire Rose, Atlantic helm, and since 2001, Lifeboat Operations Manager. I am just one of the latest of those continuing the lifesaving work which has been carried out by many generations before us. I am proud to be part of the history of the charity.’
As part of the marking of the 200th Anniversary, the station has already held its own celebratory church service at St Saviour’s Church in Walmer and next Saturday, 9 March volunteers from across the station, their families, friends and members of the Deal Coastguard Rescue Team will be holding a fundraising 300 mile row, cycle and run at Deal Town Hall. The station is also holding a Dinner to mark the event in June.
Founded in a London tavern on 4 March 1824 following an appeal from Sir William Hillary, who lived on the Isle of Man and witnessed many shipwrecks, the RNLI has continued saving lives at sea throughout the tests of its history, including tragic disasters, funding challenges and two World Wars.
Two centuries have seen vast developments in the lifeboats and kit used by the charity’s lifesavers – from the early oar-powered vessels to today’s technology-packed boats, which are now built in-house by the charity; and from the rudimentary cork lifejackets of the 1850s to the full protective kit each crew member is now issued with.
The RNLI’s lifesaving reach and remit has also developed over the course of 200 years. Today, it operates 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland, including four on the River Thames, and has seasonal lifeguards on over 240 lifeguarded beaches around the UK. It designs and builds its own lifeboats and runs domestic and international water safety programmes.
While much has changed in 200 years, two things have remained the same – the charity’s dependence on volunteers, who give their time and commitment to save others, and the voluntary contributions from the public which have funded the service for the past two centuries.
For further information about the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, visit RNLI.org/200.
Notes to editors
Walmer lifeboat station was established in 1856.
It currently operates two inshore lifeboats – a B Class Atlantic 85 Donald McLauchlan and a smaller D Class Duggie Rodbard II.
Crews have received 28 Awards for Gallantry
To find out more about Walmer lifeboat station go to https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/walmer-lifeboat-station
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 charity not been there. · 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.
RNLI media contacts
- Chris Winslade, Lifeboat Press Officer, Walmer Lifeboat Station on 01304 374475 or 07906 623037 [email protected]
- Julie Rainey, RNLI Regional Communications Lead on 07827 358256 [email protected]
- Hatti Mellor, RNLI Regional Communications Manager (London/East/South East) on 07724 801305 [email protected]
- For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789 or [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.