Dover RNLI volunteers receive meritorious recognition for English Channel rescue
Members of the Dover lifeboat crew have been formally recognised by the RNLI for their courage, resilience and professionalism during a major rescue operation in the English Channel in August 2023.
On 12 August 2023, Dover’s Severn class all-weather lifeboat (ALB), RNLB City of London II, was tasked with responding to a large-scale rescue involving 68 casualties in the English Channel. Upon successfully completing this initial operation, the lifeboat was immediately re-tasked to respond to a mayday call, with further casualties reported in the water approximately six nautical miles away.
Despite the demanding conditions and the scale of the incidents, the lifeboat crew responded with speed, professionalism and exceptional teamwork. Their swift reaction and determined efforts ensured that all casualties were safely recovered. As a direct result of the crew’s courageous actions and compassion three lives were saved, and their conduct throughout the operation exemplified the very best traditions of the Lifeboat service.
At a meeting of the trustees of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in April 2024, the following crew members were formally recognised with Vellum Citations: Lee Hand (Coxswain in Command), Martin Hagan (Navigator), Paul Higgs (Mechanic), and crew members David Holmes, Michael Keohan, Paula Lain, and Carl Le Hegaret.
Lee Hand, Coxswain in command of the operation, said: 'This was a demanding operation, and the crew went above and beyond to act with the urgency and professionalism required to support those in the water who were in urgent need of lifesaving assistance. Without a doubt, had the team not been there that day, more lives would have been lost. In extremely challenging conditions, the crew truly exemplified the founding ethos of the RNLI.'
Paula 'Panda' Lain explained: 'What I felt that night was focus relying on and trusting my fellow crew and doing everything possible for people in unimaginable distress.
Parts of that night will never leave me, I remember the 19 people we pulled from the water, the three who were right on the edge of death and the fact that every one of them along with the original 68 survived. Knowing they had the chance to keep living their lives brings a gentle, steady happiness that sits underneath everything else.'
The Vellum recognition reflects the ongoing commitment of RNLI volunteers who place themselves at risk to save others at sea, often under extreme and unpredictable conditions, and serves as a powerful reminder of the critical, lifesaving role they perform every day.
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