Donate now

Military veteran RNLI volunteers to take part in Paddington Remembrance Service

Lifeboats News Release

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) staff and volunteers from across the south west, south Wales and the south east are set to commemorate the nation’s fallen heroes as part of Great Western Railway’s (GWR) Poppies to Paddington.

The RNLI is proud to announce its involvement in this year’s operation, organised by GWR in partnership with The Veterans Charity, to mark Remembrance Day 2024.

The initiative, which has become an annual tradition since its launch during the pandemic, brings together communities from across England and Wales to honour those who have served in the armed forces by placing wreaths on trains bound for London Paddington.

RNLI volunteers from across the GWR network – including many former service personnel – will join the operation by placing commemorative wreaths on board early-morning services on Monday 11 November, at 90 stations along the route.

Now in its fifth year, the Poppies to Paddington operation will feature 10 GWR trains carrying hundreds of wreaths from RNLI communities across the network. On arrival in London, the wreaths will be laid at Paddington station’s war memorial on Platform 1 ahead of a special service of remembrance starting at 10:45 am. The wreaths will be accompanied by RNLI military veterans Simon Jeffery, Coxswain at Plymouth RNLI and Tony Rendle, mechanic at Penlee RNLI, who will both attend the service at Paddington.

RNLI Chief Executive, Peter Sparkes, said:

“We are deeply honoured to be part of the Poppies to Paddington service this year. With so many of our lifeboat stations and inland fundraising branches located along the GWR network, it’s a fitting way for our volunteers to participate in this national Act of Remembrance alongside the Armed Forces.

“The wreaths placed onboard will represent our RNLI communities who save lives at sea, honouring those crew who have made the ultimate sacrifice over the past 200 years of the RNLI, including World War I and II.’

Simon Jeffery, RNLI Coxswain at Plymouth lifeboat station, served in the Second Royal Tank Regiment between 1997 and 2005, based in Germany. Simon was part of peace support in Kosovo and did two tours of the war in Iraq, Simon will board the sleeper train in Plymouth with a wreath from the station. He says;

‘It’s a huge privilege and an honour to represent the RNLI, and my station in Plymouth, both by delivering the wreath and being part of the service of Remembrance. I am extremely proud of my time in the armed forces, and I will be thinking of those I served with on Monday. Being part of the RNLI is similar in some ways. As part of a team, it is important that you know everyone has your back, when the pager goes off at 2am and we launch on a shout, I know that my crew are there with me.’

Gaynor Williams, RNLI Education and Water Safety volunteer from Par in Cornwall, organised a knitathon with volunteers, knitting enough poppies to make a large wreath to take to London. She says;

‘I am so pleased to have the opportunity to support the RNLI’s involvement in Poppies to Paddington and honour my parents. Both were officers and served in the Wrens and Fleet Air Army. My father had two lucky escapes but was an unsung hero, as were most of the young men, but they didn’t talk about it. I get the chance to honour them both and the sacrifices they all made. It is important to me, and I am so privileged that I can do this as part of my role with the RNLI.’

GWR Operations Director, Richard Rowland, said: “We were really proud to partner with the RNLI earlier this year as part of its celebrations marking 200 years of saving lives at sea and it’s wonderful they’ll be supporting our fifth Poppies to Paddington operation.

‘Poppies to Paddington will involve 10 train services covering the length and breadth of the Great Western network, including the use our Night Riviera sleeper service from Penzance for the first time, and it promises to be another poignant occasion at London Paddington.’

The RNLI’s partnership with GWR was launched this year as part of the charity’s 200th anniversary and was marked by the unveiling of a commemorative RNLI 200 livery on a GWR train in May.

The RNLI’s participation holds special significance as its connection to the armed forces and acts of bravery during wartime are woven into the charity’s history. Lifeboat crews continued to save lives throughout both World Wars, and many of today’s volunteers and staff are either current or ex-service personnel.

During the First World War, many young lifeboat crew members left their stations to fight, causing the average age of the lifeboat crews left at home to increase to over 50. During the war years (1914-18), RNLI lifeboats launched 1,808 times, saving 5,332 lives.

In 1939, lifeboat volunteers were called away again to war. Nevertheless, by the end of the Second World War in 1945, RNLI crews had saved 6,376 lives around the coasts of Britain and Ireland.

The RNLI’s ongoing commitment to supporting those who serve in the armed forces was made official when the charity signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2023, reaffirming the charity’s dedication to providing a welcoming community for ex-service personnel looking to continue serving the public in a different capacity.

Ends

Notes to Editors

· For more information about the RNLI and its wartime legacy, visit RNLI.org which includes a short video that can be downloaded.

· On 4 March 2024, the RNLI celebrated 200 years of saving lives at sea – thanks to volunteers giving their time to save others, all funded by voluntary public donations. Throughout its 200th anniversary year, the charity is running events and activities to commemorate its history, celebrate the lifesaving service it provides today, and inspire generations of future lifesavers and supporters. For more information visit RNLI.org/200.

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

About Great Western Railway

· First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services and helps more than 80 million passengers reach their destination every year. GWR has been awarded a National Rail Contract to operate the Great Western network: https://www.gwr.com/about-us

About The Veterans Charity

· The Veterans Charity was founded in 2008 and provides immediate needs support to Veterans and families who find themselves in hardship. In the past six years alone it has delivered vital provisions including food shopping, clothing, household items, utilities support and communications devices to more than 2,200 cases, bringing much-needed and deserved relief and morale boost. The Veterans Charity is registered in England and Wales as a charity under number 1123149.

RNLI/Phil Monckton

RNLI volunteers Gaynor Williams and Tony Rendle with train manager Joe Lorusso

RNLI/Phil Monckton

Gaynor's knitted poppy wreath

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.