Newquay History

1853  A Silver Medal was awarded to Thomas Tegg for rescuing the crew of the schooner Comet.

1860 The RNLI established a lifeboat station and the first lifeboat was taken to the beach by carriage for launching.

1895 A slipway was built at Towan Head so the lifeboat could launch directly into the sea. The slipway was one of the steepest in the country; it was impossible to recover the lifeboat up it so the lifeboat was taken back to the boathouse by carriage from the beach.

1899 A new boathouse was built at Towan Head.

1908 On 6 March, when returning from exercise, the lifeboat capsized twice. All the crew were recovered safely except Harry Storey who died from shock.

1918 A Silver Medal was awarded to Acting Coxswain James Gill and Bronze Medal to Second Coxswain RJ Trebilcock for a service on 17 December 1917 to the steamer Osten. The lifeboat was struck by a heavy sea and smashed onto the rocks. All the crew eventually reached the shore but five men were severely injured. The steamer was brought to safety later.

1934 The station closed as horses were no longer available to help recover the lifeboat.

1940 The station re-opened temporarily during the Second World War with the station’s first motor lifeboat; it closed again in 1945.

1965 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established with a D class lifeboat in June.

1973 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Crew Member Norman Bailey for swimming from the ILB to Horse Rocks to reassure 11 people who were stranded.

1984 A collective Framed Letter of Thanks was presented to Helmsman D Snell and Crew Members W Martin, C Pearce and P Rockall for rescuing a sea angler who had been washed off rocks on the western end of Fistral Beach.

A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.

1994 A new boathouse was built providing housing for the lifeboat and improved crew facilities.

1995 A B class Atlantic 21 lifeboat arrived at the station in February and the Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-715 Phyllis, was placed on service on 13 September.

1996 A Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to Crew Member Kevin Gee for the rescue of three people cut off by tide near Bedruthen Steps.

1997 Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum were awarded to D class Crew Members Jeremy Griffiths, Gareth Horner and Martin Snell when three people were cut off by tide.

2000 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman Wayne Martin and Framed Letters of Thanks were presented to Crew Members Laurence Pascoe, Jeremy Griffiths and Tractor Driver Philip Trebilcock for rescuing two windsurfers in severe weather conditions on 22 July.

2005 The new D class lifeboat Valerie Wilson was placed on service on 17 February.

 Helmsman Kevin Gee was awarded a Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman for his part in saving a surfer's life in force 7 winds and large waves on 18 April.

Station honours

At Newquay lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Framed Letter of Thanks 6
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 5
Bronze Medal 1
Silver Medal 2