A message today from the winners of the RNLI Salcombe Fundraisers 2017 Grand Raffle.
Karen and Peter Hales
“Here as promised are some photos to record our fabulous visit to Mullion Cove Hotel.
We have had a wonderful time. We are so lucky not only to have won but to have had glorious weather…almost too hot for exploring”!
Tickets for the 2018 Raffle are now on sale.
Available from the RNLI Salcombe museum and shop and various other shops within the town.
Sunday 24th June 2018 was a very special day for RNLI Salcombe Mechanic and eleven year veteran Sam Viles and his wife Paula.
For Salcombe Lifeboats it was a honour to host the Christening of Sam and Paula’s first child Iris, aboard the Salcombe All Weather Lifeboat, The Baltic Exchange III.
Best wishes go to Sam, Paula & Iris from the Crew at Salcombe Lifeboats.
Regrettably, an urgent operational task has resulted in HMS SUTHERLAND being committed elsewhere and she will not now be able to join the flotilla of six lifeboats for the wreath-laying ceremony at 1215 on Thursday 27 October.
A small arms detachment from the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth has, however, agreed to step into the breach and fire a 13 gun salute from 5.56mm rifles as the wreaths are laid – one gun for each soul lost; they will fire from a position in the gardens of “The Bolt” at South Sands which will be open from 11:45am.
A Maritime and Coast Guard Agency rescue helicopter will also now join the lifeboats for the ceremony.
Although a disappointing development, SUTHERLAND’s absence will not detract from the principal aim, that of an appropriate commemoration of the disaster 100 years ago this week.
Salcombe RNLI have arranged two large Memorial Stones to be placed on each side of the mouth of Salcombe Harbour overlooking the position where the Lifeboat capsized in 1916.
One of the Stones has been brought into Salcombe and is currently on display (until about the end if September) before going to its permanent site on the coastal footpath.
On 27th October 2016, the Centenary of the capsize of the William and Emma, Salcombe Lifeboat Station will commemorate the tragic loss of 13 lives and give thanks for the saving of two with the following events :
10:00 am : Service of Commemoration in Holy Trinity Church Salcombe led by the Bishop of Plymouth, the Rt. Rev. Nick McKinnel. All are most welcome to attend.
During the service a “maroon” will be fired from the church tower to signal the beginning and end of a two-minute silence. The Bishop of Plymouth will also dedicate a plaque as a permanent memorial to those who perished in the disaster.12:15 pm : Wreath laying at sea from “The Baltic Exchange III”, Salcombe’s All Weather Lifeboat, in the vicinity of the Bar; “Joan Bate”, Salcombe’s Inshore Lifeboat and the Plymouth All Weather Lifeboat , will also be in attendance.
“HMS Sutherland“, a Plymouth based Type 23 frigate, will fire a 13 gun salute as the wreaths are laid – one for each soul lost. http://royalnavy.mod.uk/hmssutherland
The following decommissioned lifeboats will also take part in the ceremony: • City of Bradford III (served on the Humber 1954-1977 and Lytham St Annes1978-1985). • Samuel & Marie Parkhouse (now named Onoros) (served in Salcombe 1938-1962). • Mary Irene Miller (served in Port Patrick 1989-2011).After the ceremony all participating lifeboats will process up the harbour to Whitestrand.
Boat owners are welcome to witness the wreath laying ceremony from the water, we do however request that you remain a respectable distance from the main ceremony and do not impede the passage of the small flotilla of lifeboats as it makes its way to and from the event.
14:45 hrs : Talk/Presentation/Film show in Cliff House for reserved for the descendants of the 1916 crew and guests of Salcombe Lifeboat Station (by Invitation only). NB: This is the same talk/film as will be presented at other times during the summer – see “Talks and presentations”.