Barmouth RNLI takes part in WWI Armistice Centenary Celebrations
Volunteers from Barmouth RNLI were invited to take part in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers’ Celebrations marking 100 years since the end of the First World War.
Held in Y Plas, Machynlleth on Saturday 10 November 2018, there were stands from representatives of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Army Cadets, the Fire and Rescue Service, Welsh Ambulance, Help for Heroes and many others.
Trevor Lewis, Community Safety Officer for Barmouth RNLI worked hard to put together a very impressive display.
Although there was little war-related lifeboat activity in Barmouth and Cardigan Bay during the First World War, posters showing the rescues made by lifeboats around the UK were displayed. Between 1914 and 1918, RNLI lifeboats launched 1,808 times and saved 5,332 lives, with some rescues made in atrocious conditions.
During the war, with so many young men enlisted on active duty, the average age of a lifeboat crew increased to over 50. 346 young men from Barmouth left to join the war effort, 63 of whom died in action, a huge number from our sparsely populated town. Photographs and a Roll of Honour listing recruits and casualties were displayed.
The event was a stark reminder of the great losses suffered and it honoured the courage and determination of those older volunteers who saved lives in the midst of great conflict.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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