Wells RNLI had the pleasure of welcoming Ronald Quested, aged 97.
On Sunday 11 August Wells RNLI had the pleasure of welcoming Ronald Quested, aged 97, and his family to the station. Ronald and his family were delighted to see Wells RNLI’s Shannon class lifeboat ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ return from Sheringham RNLI’s open day and be recovered.
The crew room fell silent as Ronald shared stories of his time in the Merchant Navy with the crew over tea and cake. He shared how he has an identical twin brother, Len Quested, who resides in Australia. They served with the sea cadets from the age of 14 to 16 where they qualified as semaphore signallers, leading seamen and A-class marksmen.
Both Ron and his brother served in WW2 as Radio Officers from the age of 17 for the Merchant Navy and also volunteered as DEMS gunners. Ronald served in the Battle of the Atlantic and took war supplies to Northern Italy for the Second Front and Len served in the Arctic Convoy.
Ronald served on six ships during the six years he was with the Merchant Navy, and he personally volunteered with the electrical engineering officer to service and maintain the engine and radio on board the motorised lifeboat on each ship, in preparation for the weekly lifeboat drill.
Ronald went on to marry Betty, a Red Cross Nurse. She waited for him for six years while he was at sea. They went on to have five children together.
Her name is on the number three on the port side of the ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ lifeboat and Ronald’s family have brought him to the Wells Lifeboat Station once a year as a memorial to her since its inception.
He has been an active member of the Greater London Branch of the Merchant Navy Association since 1995. He has travelled abroad for World Reunions, taken part in Freedom of the City parades across the UK and continues to attend memorials and services. He is proud to be the standard bearer on Merchant Navy Day and Remembrance Day in the village where he lives. He still practices his morse code today.
He was asked to participate in last year’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, sharing the stage with other veterans and Royalty, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. He accepted with honour.
Of the day Ronald said; ‘I had to pinch myself as being here with the crew and being able to see the lifeboat and touch it I thought I was in heaven. I have such great respect for each of you - you will never be forgotten.’
Each of the 15,000 names has its own unique story. We are lucky here at Wells RNLI to get to hear some of them. It’s such a fitting tribute to Ronald’s late wife and his Merchant Navy career.
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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