Southwold History
1841 A lifeboat was placed at Southwold by the Southwold Lifeboat Society and a boathouse was built under the North Cliff.
1849 A Silver Medal was awarded to Acting Coxswain John Fisher for rescuing two men from the brigantine Ury on 4 December 1948.
1854 Silver Medals were awarded to Coxswain Benjamin Herrington and Second Coxswain William Waters for rescuing nine crew from the brigantine Sheraton Grange on 29 November 1853.
The RNLI took over the lifeboat station.
1858 In February the Southwold lifeboat, a large sailing boat, capsized during an exercise and three people lost their lives.
1859 Silver Medals were awarded to Coxswain Benjamin Herrington and Second Coxswain John Craigie for saving 11 people from the brigantine Lucinde.
1866 A second station was established.
1895 Silver Medals were awarded to Edward W Goldsmith, Thomas H Palmer and Alfred Took for saving four people from the wrecked vessel James and Eleanor.
A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain John Craigie for ‘his long and gallant services’ over 48 years.
1898 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain John Craigie on his retirement.
1911 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain S May for saving the barge Beryl.
1925 A Bronze Medal was awarded to James Gilings for rescuing a man on 26 November 1924.
The station’s first motor lifeboat was placed on service.
1927 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain Frank Upcraft for his efforts to rescue some of the crew of the steamer Georgia which ran around on the Haisborough Sands. Cromer and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboats were also involved in this rescue.
1940 The lifeboat Mary Scott was one of 19 RNLI lifeboats that helped to bring off the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in May.
1963 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established in July with a D class lifeboat.
1966 An ILB boathouse was built at Blackshore and the ILB was launched stern first down a short slipway into the river.
1972 Bronze Medals awarded to Crew Members Patrick Pile and Martin Helmer for rescuing three people from a capsized motor dinghy.
1973 The D class lifeboat was withdrawn and replaced by a B class Atlantic 21 lifeboat.
1981 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Helmsman Roger Edward Trigg and Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum were awarded to Crew Member Jonathan Adnams and to A Chambers, the skipper of the fishing vessel Broadside, for helping to rescue the three crew of the fishing vessel Concord.
1983 A Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to Helmsman Roger Trigg for assisting the fishing vessels Broadside and Ecstasy.
1985 A Vellum was awarded to the station to commemorate 120 years as a lifeboat station.
1989 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman Jonathan Adnams for rescuing four people from the fishing vessel Aquamanda II.
1990 The Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award for the most meritorious service performed by an Atlantic 21 lifeboat in 1989 was awarded to Helmsman Jonathan Adnams and Crew Members Marcus Gladwell and Paul Horsnell for the service to the fishing vessel Aquamanda II on 11 April 1989.
A Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to Helmsman Jonathan Adnams for rescuing the two crew from the yacht Haura.
1993 A new boathouse was built near the harbour entrance, providing housing for the B Atlantic 21 lifeboat and crew facilities.
1998 The new Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-750 Leslie Tranmer, was placed on service on 28 October.
Station honours
At Southwold lifeboat station the following awards have been made:
Framed Letter of Thanks 2
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 4
Bronze Medal 5
Silver Medal 10
