Clovelly Lifeboat Station

Clovelly History


1869 A Silver Medal was awarded to Chief Officer Coastguard George Bumby for bringing 13 people safely ashore in a long boat from the barque Od ne wrecked at Portledge Mouth.

1870 An RNLI station was established and a boathouse was built on the harbour shore.

1882 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Richard Headon for saving 34 lives during the previous 12 years.

1890 Silver Medals were awarded to Sidney Abbott and Robert Hodge for rescuing two men from a capsized boat.

1892 A boathouse and slipway were built to improve launching into the harbour.

1902 Bowman John Dunn died from the effects of exposure during a lifeboat service on 28 April.

1936 The station’s first motor lifeboat arrived at the station.

1949 Bronze Medals were awarded to Bowman Percy Shackson and Assistant Mechanic William Braund for rescuing two people from a rock under the cliffs at Baggy Point on 30 August 1948. The Maud Smith Award for Courage for Bravest Deed of the Year was also awarded for this service.

1954 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain George Lamey for rescuing three crew from the ketch Progress. It took ten attempts to rescue the crew, a cat, some new born kittens and a canary.

1962 A collective Framed Letter of Thanks was presented to the Coxswain and crew for a service to the tanker Green Ranger.

1968 A large 70-foot Clyde class lifeboat was placed on service. This was one of only two stations operating this cruising lifeboat, the other being Kirkwall in Scotland.

1971 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.

The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Dr D Mackenzie, the Honorary Medical Adviser, for boarding the motor vessel Embdena in hazardous conditions to attend to a seriously injured man.

1972 Framed Letters of Thanks were presented to Mechanics RG Tanner and PJ Croft for rescuing two men trapped on the cliffs.

1974 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Staff Coxswain Michael Stafford Houchen for saving three crew and the trawler St Pierre.

1979 A special framed certificate was awarded to the Coxswain and crew for display at the station for the services to several yachts in difficulties during the Fastnet Race on 15 August.

1987 Framed Letters of Thanks were presented to the Coxswain and four crew for rescuing four people from the yacht Moon Dragon.

1988 The Clyde class lifeboat was withdrawn from service and the station closed on 15 August.

1990–1997
An independent inshore lifeboat operated from the original boathouse and was managed by the Clovelly Trust.

1998 The RNLI re-opened the station and a B class Atlantic 21 lifeboat was placed on service.

1999 The new Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-759 Spirit of Clovelly, was placed on service.


Station honours

At Clovelly lifeboat station the following awards have been made:


Framed Letter of Thanks 8

Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 1

Bronze Medal 4

Silver Medal 4