Great Yarmouth and Gorleston History
1802 Great Yarmouth received its first lifeboat although it was never called out on service.
1825 The Norfolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Mariners stationed its first lifeboat at Great Yarmouth.
Four Silver Medals were awarded for Gallantry in 1833 and 1855 (three).
1857 Great Yarmouth station was taken over by the RNLI.
1858 A Silver Medal was awarded to William Johnston for the rescue of four crew from the sloop Queen.
1859 A new lifeboat house was built at a cost of £375.
1860 Silver Medals were awarded to Captain Thomas Davis RN and Coxswain George Milligan for rescuing five men from the fishing smack Jack Bull.
1866 Twelve Gorleston Boatmen died when their private lifeboat Rescuer capsized in a storm.
The Gorleston lifeboat station was established by the RNLI.
1867 The Rescuer was returning to harbour after a rescue when a fishing lugger collided with her. She capsized and six of her crew and 19 other people drowned.
1870 A Silver Medal was awarded to Captain David Robertson RN for two rescues to the brigantine Giovannina A and schooner Favorite.
1881 Six lifeboatmen from the Great Yarmouth lifeboat Abraham Thomas drowned when their vessel overturned in heavy seas attempting to rescue a seaman from the stranded schooner Guiding Star.
A new boathouse was built at Gorleston for £329.
1883 A second boathouse (Gorleston No. 2) was built alongside the 1881 house.
1888 Four crew from the private Gorleston lifeboat Refuge drowned whilst on a service to a steamer.
1891 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain EW Woods for rescuing the crew from the ketch Ada.
1897 Gorleston station received its first steam lifeboat City of Glasgow.
A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain William Todd on his retirement and for past services.
1904-1916
Nine Silver Medals were awarded for rescues carried out during this period, five of which were to Coxswain Sidney Harris.
1914 Horses were used for the last time to launch the lifeboat.
1919 Great Yarmouth lifeboat station closed.
1921 Gorleston received its first motor lifeboat.
1922 An outstanding service was carried out in October by the Gorleston pulling and sailing lifeboat and the Lowestoft motor lifeboat when, after a struggle lasting 32 hours, the whole crew of 24 and a black kitten were safely brought ashore from the steamship Hopelyn. A Gold Medal was awarded to the Gorleston Coxswain William Fleming and 15 Bronze Medals were awarded to the crew.
1926 Gorleston No. 2 station closed. Gorleston No. 1 station was renamed Great Yarmouth and Gorleston.
A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain William Fleming for the rescue of four crew from the ketch Henrietta.
1927 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain William Fleming for his part in an exceptional service to the Dutch oil tanker Georgia. Lifeboats from Cromer, Southwold and Lowestoft also took part in the rescue. This service is one of the greatest in the history of the service and a Gold Medal was awarded to Coxswain Henry Blogg from Cromer lifeboat.
1938 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain Charles A Johnson for a series of difficult services to seven barges over a period of 11 hours in November.
1940 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain Johnson for a service to HM trawler Resolvo when the crew of 10 were rescued.
The lifeboat Louise Stephens was one of 19 lifeboats involved in the Dunkirk evacuation.
1941 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Johnson and a Bronze Medal to Motor Mechanic GF Mobbs for a service to six ships in a convoy that were wrecked on 6 August. In this service 119 people were rescued by the Cromer, Gorleston, Sheringham and Lowestoft lifeboats.
A Bronze Medal (his fourth) was awarded to Coxswain Johnson for a service to the English Trader.
1946 Coxswain Charles A Johnson retired. He was coxswain from 1934 to 1946 and holder of one Silver Medal and four Bronze Medals. During his period of office Gorleston lifeboats were launched on 169 occasions and saved 192 lives.
1954 William George Fleming, coxswain from 1922 to 1934, died at the age of 89. He served for 50 years in the Gorleston lifeboats and helped rescue 1,188 people. He was decorated with the George Cross and was also awarded the RNLI’s Gold Medal, a Silver Medal and three Bronze Medals.
1957 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.
1963 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established with a D class lifeboat.
1966 A Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to the coxswain and crew following the service to the auxiliary cutter Theodora.
1970 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic John Bryan when the lifeboat took off five crew from the motor vessel Karen Bravo.
1974 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Acting Coxswain David Bennington when two crew were rescued from the fishing vessel My Doris.
1975 A second Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic John Bryan for rescuing five people from the motor vessel Biscaya and one person from the tug Titan.
A B class Atlantic 21 lifeboat was sent to the station.
1978 The D class lifeboat was withdrawn from the station.
1980 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Richard Hawkins for rescuing two crew from the fishing vessel St Margarite.
1981 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Richard Hawkins for saving the yacht Seamist of Rhu and rescuing her two crew. A Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to Crew Member Paul Carter for his part in the service.
1982 More than 100 lifeboat crew received the Freedom of the Borough of Great Yarmouth.
1987 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Richard Hawkins for rescuing two crew from the rig support vessel Seaforth Conquerer.
1991 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Richard Hawkins for rescuing two crew from the yacht Southern Cross. A Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to Second Coxswain David V Mason.
1993 Improved facilities were provided including changing and drying rooms, toilet, crew meeting and training room, workshop, fuel store, gift shop and display area for the former Gorleston lifeboat John and Mary Meiklam of Gladswood.
1996 A collective Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to the coxswain and crew when they rescued the three crew from the mast and rigging of the yacht Poule D’Eau.
HRH Princess Alexandra officially named the station’s new Trent class lifeboat Samarbeta, the Swedish for ‘working together’.
A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain David Mason when the lifeboat rescued six people and saved the yacht Olline. The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Assistant Mechanic Stephen Bartram who boarded the yacht and remained onboard throughout the service.
This was the first Medal award service by a Trent class lifeboat.
1998 Framed Letters of Thanks were awarded to Bob Keegan, Steve Gowing and Simon Phillips from the Great Yarmouth Port Authority for their assistance to people in the water.
2002 A new boathouse extension was completed and a new davit installed in September.
2005 Coxswain Stephen Bartram and Crew Member Kevin Bennington were awarded Framed Letters of Thanks from the Chairman after saving the lives of the four crew of the yacht Twister on 13 May.
2006 It was decided to award a Vellum to the station to mark its 150th anniversary in 2007.
Station honours
At Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat station the following awards have been made:
Framed Letter of Thanks 9
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 5
Bronze Medal 24
Silver Medal 21
Gold Medal 1
