
Portrush RNLI celebrates 100 years of the Chambers family saving lives at sea.
In February 2024 just before the launch of the RNLI 200 years – Portrush Heritage Society celebrated 100 years of a local family saving lives at sea in Portrush.
Now as Portrush RNLI celebrates their latest crew member Magdalena Kiszko receiving her pager and we reach the end of our bicentenary, we look back a remarkable legacy of the Chambers Family, two of whom are still saving lives today. This account has been written by Frances Wilson and is an important part of our station’s history.
‘When the new motorised lifeboat, the TBBH, arrived in Portrush in July 1924 the new post of Mechanic was created. Little did those who appointed Karl Chambers to the job realise that he would be the first of a long line of the Chambers family dedicated to saving lives at sea, and which continues to this day.
KARL CHAMBERS - LIFEBOAT MECHANIC 1924-1947
The post of Lifeboat Mechanic attracted eight applicants and Karl Chambers of Princess Street, a 33-year-old Royal Navy veteran was selected. His experience serving on destroyers in the North Sea and as coxswain of a naval motorboat would have stood him in good stead, as would his role working for the Portrush Coastguard. On appointment, one of his first jobs was as part of the eight-man crew bringing the TBBH from the builder’s yard in Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Portrush where she was welcomed by a large crowd and a bonfire on Ramore Head. During his service Karl, as well as Coxswain James Martin, were awarded the Institution’s Thanks on Vellum for rescuing fellow crew member John Fleming, when he was washed out of the lifeboat in tremendous seas on 19 October 1935.
GILBERT CHAMBERS - LIFEBOAT MECHANIC 1947 - 1978
Gilbert was Karl’s son and a Royal Navy veteran and former member of HM Coastguard. He had assisted his father from 1937 so was well versed with the job when he took over ten years later. He was in post when the station’s new lifeboat, the Lady Scott, arrived in 1949 and served as mechanic until he passed away suddenly at the age of 59 in May 1978.
He took part in the Argo Delos (1960) and the Bergen (1965) rescues, two dramatic callouts involving the Lady Scott and for each was awarded the Institution’s Thanks on Vellum. He was awarded the British Empire Medal for his work with the RNLI in the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 1975. In 1976 he also took on the role of second coxswain and was honoured by selection for the RNLI’S representative crew for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Review at Spithead in 1977.
DEREK CHAMBERS - LIFEBOAT MECHANIC/COXSWAIN 1978-1998
Derek was appointed mechanic on the death of his father and later took on the additional role of coxswain. In doing so he became one the very few full-time coxswain/mechanics in the RNLI. During his years of service, 84 lives were saved by lifeboats he maintained.
There were many changes during Derek’s time of service including the increase in popularity of the sea as a venue for recreational activities such as sailing, angling, surfing, and kayaking.
1981 saw the arrival of a new lifeboat, the Richard Evans, with a top speed of 16 knots - almost double that of the Lady Scott - and a much greater range. In addition, she did not require a boathouse and so remained on view at her moorings in the harbour. Following his retirement in 1998, Derek was awarded the Institution’s Thanks on Vellum and after his death, a flagpole was built outside the Lifeboat Station as a memorial.
ANTHONY CHAMBERS - LIFEBOAT MECHANIC 1998-2020
Anthony took over as mechanic from his brother, Derek, in 1998 and during his 20 years of service in that role was responsible for the engines of three lifeboats – the Richard Evans, the Katie Hannan and the William Gordon Burr.
Growing up, Anthony was familiar with the sound of the telephone (no pagers then!) at the bottom of the stairs ringing at all times of day and night to summon his father, Gilbert, to the boat. He had spent time in the boathouse and on the boats from a young age so it was inevitable that, at the age of 19, he would officially join the crew. Among the many rescues Anthony has been involved in, two stand out for special mention.
RAMORE HEAD RESCUE 2002
On Monday 9 September 2002, a young boy was stuck on a ledge at Ramore Head. Anthony and Damian Rohdich immediately launched the Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) on their own initiative and were at the cliff face within four minutes. Damien, with no rock-climbing experience and wearing full lifeboat gear, scaled the rock face to assist the boy while Anthony called for the Coastguard using the lifeboat’s radio. It took over an hour to complete the rescue and both men received commendations for their actions.
CASTLEROCK RESCUE 2009
On 5 August 2009, two boys were cut off by the tide in a cave at Castlerock. The ILB made several unsuccessful attempts to go into the cave before Anthony entered the water and was able to swim gradually into the cave. Here he found the boys cold but unharmed and was able to rescue them both. He brought them out one at a time and, in an interview afterwards, said that his strength was gone by the time he reached the boat for the second time. For this he was awarded the RNLI’s Bronze Medal.
Anthony was also awarded a Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2003 for his long service to the lifeboat and retired in 2020 after a total service of 40 years.
KARL O’NEILL AND JASON CHAMBERS
The current generation of the Chambers family are Anthony’s two nephews, Karl and Jason, who have both been connected with the RNLI since a young age.
KARL O’NEILL - COXSWAIN AND LIFEGUARD
Karl joined up at 18 in 2008 and was on the ILB during the Castlerock cave rescue in 2009. In 2011 he joined the Lifeguard Service and in 2012 took on the role of senior lifeguard, continuing to build on his skills and managing lifeguard teams on local beaches. In 2018 he became the lead Lifeguard Supervisor for Lifeguards in Northern Ireland, moving into a management role within the service. In October 2022, Karl was passed out as a Severn class lifeboat Coxswain.
JASON CHAMBERS - RELIEF MECHANIC AND CREW
Jason is relief mechanic and crew on the lifeboat. He took part in the Fanad Head Rescue in December 2019 when three lifeboat crews, Lough Swilly, Arranmore and Portrush, were requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard following a Mayday alert from a boat which had got into difficulty 20 miles north of Fanad Head. For their outstanding actions at sea in rescuing the five men onboard, the three lifeboat crews each received a Chief Executive’s Commendation from the RNLI.
CHANGING TIMES
In the 100 years that the Chambers family have been involved with the Portrush Lifeboat, many changes have taken place.
In 1924 Karl Chambers was responsible for the maintenance of an 80 horsepower petrol engine boat capable of eight knots. The current lifeboat has two 1200 horsepower caterpillar diesel engines and is capable of 25 knots.
The number of rescues has increased dramatically. The TBBH served for 25 years, went out 78 times and saved 17 lives. The Richard Evans served for 19 years, went out 316 times and saved 70 lives. In one 4-day period in 1987 she spent 25 hours at sea.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the dedication shown by all those connected with the RNLI and to whom many individuals owe their lives.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Anthony Chambers for recounting his time spent with the RNLI
SOURCES
• Hugh McGrattan (2008). From Laura to Katie; the Story of the Portrush Lifeboats from 1860.
• Hugh McGrattan (2015) Portrush; The Port on the Promontory.
• Nikki Girvan (2020) Surviving the Storms.
• RNLI Website
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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