Lyme Regis History

Before an RNLI lifeboat station was established at Lyme Regis in 1853 Medals for gallantry were awarded to:

1824 Captain C Benett RN – Gold Medal
 William Porter and John Freeman – Silver Medals

1825 The RNLI provided funds for a local boat to be used as a lifeboat.

1852 Four out of the five local lifeboat crew tragically lost their lives when their boat capsized in a hurricane, when assisting the barque Heroine.

1853 A Silver Medal was awarded to Mr William Bridle for this service.

1853 An RNLI lifeboat station was established with a 27ft Peake lifeboat.

1856 A Silver Medal was awarded to William Callaway, Mariner, for rescuing two men.

1864 A Silver Medal was awarded to Miss Alice B Le Geyt, a young lady on holiday, who rowed through the surf at the risk of her life to rescue two boys who had fallen into the sea.

1867 A Silver Medal was awarded to Lieut WH Elton RN for saving two men from the schooner Vulcan.

1884 A new boathouse was built and was used until 1932.

1928 A Centenary Vellum was awarded.

1932 The lifeboat station was closed when motor lifeboats were stationed at Weymouth and Exmouth.

1967 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established in May with a D class lifeboat.

 Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellums were awarded to Robert Jefford and Lionel Fisher when five people were rescued from the capsized cabin cruiser Lilian.

1969 The ILB capsized on service to the catamaran Karuna on 17 January. Robert Jefford was tragically drowned; the two other crew members survived.

 A Hatch class lifeboat arrived at the station.

1971 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Crew Member Mr John Hodder and six Framed Letters of Thanks were awarded for a service to a capsized dinghy with two boys on board.

1973 The Hatch class was replaced with a B class, Atlantic 21, lifeboat.

1977 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman John Hodder for saving four crew from the yacht Versean.

1979 Bronze Medals were awarded to Helmsman John Hodder and Crew Member Colin Jones for rescuing two women and a child from the yacht White Kitten. They also received the Ralph Glister Award.

1980 A new Atlantic 21 lifeboat, provided by the Independent Order of Foresters, was placed on service.

1984 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman John Hodder when the lifeboat recovered two bodies and rescued three people who had become trapped by the tide.

1997 The new boathouse was completed in July. A new B class lifeboat, the Atlantic 75 Pearl of Dorset, was placed on service on 29 September.

Station honours

At Lyme Regis lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Framed Letter of Thanks 6
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 4
Bronze Medal 3
Silver Medal 6
Gold Medal 1