Donate now

Tobermory RNLI mourns loss of Lifeboat Operations Manager, Dr Sam Jones

Lifeboats News Release

Tobermory RNLI Lifeboat Station is mourning the loss of volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager, Dr Sam Jones who passed away recently.

Sam on the flying bridge of the Tobermory lifeboat

RNLI

Sam on the flying bridge of the Tobermory lifeboat

Dr Sam Jones, aged 56, passed away peacefully on Saturday 5 October after a short illness. She was born in Birmingham on November 26, 1967. After graduating from the London School of Economics with an LLB (Hons) in Law in 1989, she went on to complete a DPhil in Socio-Legal Studies in 1992 from the University of Oxford, where she also served as a Special Constable during her studies.

After graduating from Oxford, she followed a varied career in the Security Services based in London and Belfast for a number of years until taking the position of Clerk to the Standards Committee in the Scottish Parliament in 2000. Prior to this, she purchased a flat in Tobermory and ultimately made Mull her permanent and much-loved home. Sam set up her own successful business indulging in a passion for landscape photography, running workshops and selling her spectacular prints, which have been featured in publications such as National Geographic and The Sunday Times. During this time, she worked in a variety of roles including with the Argyll and the Isles Tourism Co-operative and as a development officer for Ulva Ferry. After working as a project manager within the RNLI, she went back to her legal roots and pursued a career initially with the Legal Ombudsman and then as a Senior Investigation Officer with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

In 2010, Sam joined the Tobermory RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew and thus began her passion for the organisation, its current lifesaving operations, and the institution’s history. During her time as all-weather lifeboat crew she passed out as Navigator, undertaking 35 ‘shouts’ and assisting 98 people at sea including saving three lives. She appeared in BBC2’s ‘Saving Lives at Sea’ talking about her part in the rescue of a fishing boat in 60mph winds off the island of Tiree in January 2013.

Sam was a skilled wordsmith and was also volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer from 2010, publishing more than 250 press releases. After standing down from her volunteer operational crew role, Sam was made a Deputy Launching Authority. In 2017, she took the role of volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager and led the station with much respect and admiration from the Tobermory volunteers, staff and wider personnel within the RNLI. She was the embodiment of the RNLI ethos of ‘One Crew’ and brought together all volunteers involved with the station seamlessly and often referred to her ‘lifeboat family’ proudly. During her time as Lifeboat Operations Manager, she sat on the RNLI’s Scottish Council and also trained as a mediator within the RNLI.

Sam was involved in the planning of the RNLI’s 200th anniversary celebrations in 2024. She featured in the ‘200 Voices’ podcast series discussing the history of the RNLI and the organisation’s evolution from inception to the present day (‘Weathering the Storm: Dr Sam Jones). She was proud to have been invited to attend the 200th Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in March 2024 where the Duke of Kent admired her ‘tartan trews’ she had specially tailored for the occasion. She was moved by the new verse in the hymn ‘Eternal Father Strong to Save’ penned for the anniversary celebrations and subsequently requested this be sung at her funeral which was honoured.

In 2018, Sam took her love of the RNLI further and enrolled in a master’s degree in Maritime Historical Studies at the University of Exeter. Her passion for the subject soon shone through and she was offered the opportunity to pursue a PhD. For the following five and a half years she researched and completed her thesis on the history of the RNLI between 1849 and 1897, whilst working in a full-time job. She successfully defended her thesis in July 2024 and was awarded her second doctorate, leading to the affectionate nickname of ‘Dr Dr Sam’ amongst her friends. One of her PhD supervisors, Dr James Davey, said of Sam: ‘She was a gifted historian, whose natural modesty only partly obscured the hard work and intellect that went into her work.’

Sam was a popular member of the Mull community. She was passionate about rugby and became involved with the Isle of Mull Rugby Club especially the ladies’ team and travelled far and wide to watch Scotland play. She was a daily figure on her beloved lighthouse path walking along it in all weathers with her canine sidekick, Diesel the Springer Spaniel. Sam was a lover of good food and fine wines (or more often ales or Talisker). During the pandemic she developed a love of home brewing and somehow found the time to research and brew an astonishing multitude of different beers. She spent many a happy sunny afternoon manning the barbecue; beer in hand, cooking for friends and blasting out Daft Punk tunes.

Jill Hepburn, Head of Region for the RNLI in Scotland, said: ‘We at the RNLI are still coming to terms with the huge loss of Sam. Her selfless dedication optimised our charity’s values and her absence across multiple areas of the organisation will be a monumental loss to us all. The outpouring of support since Sam’s passing shows just how much she meant to so many people, and that was illustrated at her funeral where we were joined by so many friends, family and fellow volunteers from across the UK and Ireland.’

Station Coxswain David McHaffie said: ‘Sam will be missed by so many people in the station, the wider RNLI family, our whole island community and her own family. She was so dedicated to the RNLI and everything it stood for and was proud of the development of the station during her involvement. Sam was a champion of the ‘One Crew’ message and was instrumental to several of our female crew members becoming part of the crew. Sam’s time in the RNLI will be remembered for years to come by exchanging stories but also by the fantastic photos she so perfectly captured from the boat and of the boat.’

Sam has left a huge void in many people’s lives, her close friends, her family, the RNLI and the Mull community. She is survived by siblings Val and Chris and predeceased by brother Richard.

To quote some of the messages left after her passing: she was a force of nature, one in a million, an absolute legend, one of life’s great characters. Fair winds and following seas Sam, a life well lived.

Notes to editors

· Tobermory lifeboat station has been operating since 1937. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/tobermory-lifeboat-station

· You can listen to ‘Weathering the Storm: Dr Sam Jones’ on 200 Voices here: https://rnli.org/magazine/magazine-featured-list/2023/september/200-voices-dr-sam-jone

RNLI media contacts

Leanne Blair, Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]

Natasha Rushby, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Tom McGuire, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland and Ireland, 00353 87 476 4436, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789

RNLI online

For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.


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 over 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 142,200 lives.


Sam with her PhD thesis shortly after passing her viva

RNLI/Leanne Blair

Sam with her PhD thesis shortly after passing her viva
Sam and her 'One Crew' lifeboat family

RNLI/Nina Pope

Sam and her 'One Crew' lifeboat family
Sam's portrait taken by Jack Lowe of the Lifeboat Station Project

RNLI/Jack Lowe

Sam's portrait taken by Jack Lowe of the Lifeboat Station Project

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.

Categories