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Rhyl RNLI joins Remembrance Day Parade

Lifeboats News Release

On Remembrance Sunday Rhyl RNLI volunteers joined hundreds from Rhyl’s community to pay respects

Crew Member Dougie Lonsdale carried the RNLI Standard for the parade and service.

RNLI/Ethan Beswick

Volunteers from Rhyl RNLI attended service at St Thomas Church before joining the march to the Gardens of Remembrance and having the honour to lay a wreath at the War Memorial. Along with representatives of the armed forces, emergency services, youth organisations and other community organisations, crew member Asa Wilman placed a wreath at the memorial. Continuing our tradition of the youngest crew member representing the station. On the 11th hour, Coxswain Ret. Peter Robinson fired maroons to mark the two-minute silence.
The role of the RNLI in the World Wars

During the Great War, the RNLI launched 1,808 times, saving a total of 5,332 lives. As the majority of men had been called away to assist with the war efforts, the average age of a RNLI crew member was over 50 years old. At the time, a large proportion of lifeboats were motorless, including Queenstown RNLI, who were one of the crews involved in the rescue efforts of the Lusitania.
By the outbreak of the Second World War, the majority of the RNLI’s fleet had been modernised to cope with the ever-increasing demands. Not only responding to ships that had been wrecked, RNLI crews were also involved in multiple other essential tasks, including the rescue of downed air crew, taking food and supplies to remote villages and ferrying doctors to inured people. Throughout the duration of the war, and not including Dunkirk, the RNLI saved 6,376 lives.

Rhyl was no exception to the war efforts, with Liverpool being such a large target for the Luftwaffe, any unspent munitions were often dropped over the North Wales coast. The lifeboat station at Rhyl also suffered during the Great War. Bertie, brother of the late Coxswain Harold Campini and Uncle in Law of our current events and fundraising team volunteer, Trish Campini. Was tragically lost on Tuesday 10th August 1915 shortly after arriving in Gallipoli. Bertie is commemorated on the Rhyl War Memorial.

RNLI/Ethan Beswick

Youngest crew member Asa Wilman laid the RNLI wreath during the service.

RNLI/Ethan Beswick

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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