Long serving lifeboat Coxswain / Mechanic Martin Jaggs MBE retires
To remain as volunteer Coxswain / Mechanic at Lytham St Annes
Coxswain / Mechanic Martin Jaggs MBE retired as the full time Station Mechanic and Coxswain of the Lytham St Annes Lifeboat at the end of January 2021 but he will remain with the Station as a Volunteer Coxswain / Mechanic so his vast experience will not be lost.
Martin joined the crew in 1988 and became second Assistant Mechanic four years later. All-weather lifeboat stations require a full time Mechanic to maintain the lifeboat and the vast amount of equipment and buildings. When Tony West retired from that post in 1995 Martin took over as the station’s only full time employee and alongside that role he also became 2nd Coxswain to command the lifeboat if the Coxswain was unavailable. He was promoted to Station Coxswain / Mechanic in 1998, the first in this dual role in Lytham St Annes history. Over the years he was awarded a number of 'Letters of Thanks and Appreciation' by the RNLI for rescues carried out in dangerous and trying circumstances.
Martin left this post and the Station on 31 December 2015 to start a new job as the Divisional Operations Manager (D.O.M.) for the new England Central Division of the RNLI. In charge of stations on both sides of the northern English coast. He was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen in Her Birthday Honours list in June 2016 by the award of a M.B.E. for his services to the RNLI. In 2017 the Central England Division was closed in a reorganisation of the RNLI’s Operations Teams and Martin returned to Lytham St Annes as Station Mechanic and a volunteer Coxswain.
Martin is well known around the coast from his time as D.O.M. and also his many times standing in at other stations as cover if their own Coxswains or Mechanics were unavailable. He was also involved in fundraising for the charity, both locally and at times for RNLI events elsewhere.
Martin hoped to be able to spend some more time with his family and hobbies now that he is not forced to be on duty full time but his 'retirement' started with helping to move a number of lifeboats between stations so he is still fully committed to the RNLI.
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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