Plymouth RNLI Coxswain accompanies Poppies to Paddington
Simon Jeffery Plymouth RNLI Coxswain boarded the Great Western Railway service to Paddington to accompany the wreaths on their journey to Paddington for a service at the station’s war memorial.
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.
Simon 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.
He said: ‘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.’
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.’
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.
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 involves 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 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.
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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