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Littlestone RNLI volunteer awarded medal for 50 years of lifesaving service

Lifeboats News Release

Littlestone RNLI volunteer Charlie Davies has been awarded a medal for his 50 years of service, covering a quarter of the RNLI’s 200 year history. During his time as a volunteer he has fulfilled roles as lifeboat crew, Deputy Launch Authority, Lifeboat Operations Manager and Lifeboat Visits Officer

Charlie Davies, the recipient of a 50 year long service medal, stands beside an RNLI delivery lorry with the words driven to Save More Lives

RNLI/John Kenny

Charlie Davies beside the RNLI delivery lorry at Littlestone RNLI

Charlie Davies was born in Folkestone Hospital and twelve hours later was taken home to Littlestone where his family lived. He was brought up on our coast and as a boy spent plenty of time on the water fishing and enjoying the bay. This helped him gain a deep understanding of the waters around Littlestone that would be invaluable later on as a member of the local RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew. Aged 15 he joined the Royal Navy and trained at HMS Ganges before serving as a sonar operator on the destroyer HMS Decoy and then the anti-aircraft frigate HMS Jaguar. Charlie travelled the world with time spent in South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand to name but a few! In 1973 Charlie’s Royal Navy involvement shifted from the Cold War to the Cod War with his ship posted to fishery protection duties during the Icelandic fishing dispute.

On leaving the Royal Navy in 1974, Charlie returned to Littlestone and started working at the Dungeness nuclear power station in operations and then maintenance. This gave him the opportunity to join his brother on the Littlestone RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew and so began half a century of commitment and time dedicated to saving lives at sea. He also served as an Auxiliary Coastguard for 44 years, underlining this dedication to helping others.

This article is too short to fully encompass all the positive work that Charlie and colleagues like Ken Boardman, Fred McMahon, Pat Leigh and many others have done for the RNLI but their work on the new station in the 1970s, using material kindly donated by companies working on the Dungeness power station has made us what we are today. They were also helped by a concrete firm in Lydd that supplied materials for the building of the M20. Many tonnes of waste concrete, unusable on the M20 found its way to the foundations, boat hall floor and hard surfaces that still exist today. Because of the generosity of local firms and time freely given by RNLI volunteers Charlie estimates that the new station cost the RNLI about £6,500 (which would be about £42,500 in today’s money).

Charlie has served on numerous different lifeboats including the D class (without radio in the early days), Atlantic 16 and Atlantic 21.Whilst serving on the lifeboat in the late 70s Littlestone RNLI crew represented the RNLI at The London Boat show where he was introduced to former Prime Minister Edward Heath. On reaching statutory boat crew retirement age he then served for five years as a Deputy Launch Authority followed by over 20 years as Honorary Secretary – a title which later became Lifeboat Operations Manager. He stepped down from this demanding role in 2020 when the station received its new lifeboat The Jean McIvor - a new Atlantic 85 lifeboat. Since then he has acted as Lifeboats Visits Officer .

Charlie said ‘It has been the honour of my life to serve this great charitable institution at Littlestone for a quarter of its 200 year history. I’ve seen the quality of the boats and kit over my time with the RNLI improve massively, making our job much safer and more efficient than it has ever been. We rely on public donations for everything we do and I thank the public for the great support they continue to give us. We couldn’t save lives at sea without you.

'All RNLI volunteers are links in a chain going back to 1824. I hope we are still keeping people safe at sea in another 200 years.'


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 142,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

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A black and white photo from the late 1970s of Charlie Davies meeting former Prime Minister Edward Heath on the RNLI stand at the London Boat Show

RNLI

Charlie Davies meets former rime Minster Edward Heath on the RNLI stand at the London Boat Show
A black and white photo from 1976 of Atlantic 21 lifeboat B-533 which Charlie Davies crewed

RNLI

Atlantic 21 charity lifeboat B-533 which Charlie crewed from 1976

Susan Pilcher

Littlestone RNLI volunteers take part in the 200th anniversary One Moment One Crew photo. Charlie is 11th from the left
A spectacular picture of the Littlestone RNLI Atlantic 85 lifeboat speeding across the water with surf thrown up behind it

RNLI/Oliver Thrall

The Jean McIvor-the latest charity lifeboat at Littlestone during Charlie's time with us

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

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