Registered Charity No. UK 209603
The Lilly Wainwright - 1964 to 1990
Lilly Wainwright manouvering outside the boathouse
Lilly Wainwright preparing to launch
Lilly Wainwright launching
Lilly Wainwright at sea
| On 30th January, 1964 a new
lifeboat
arrived at Llandudno. She was a 37' Oakley class self-righter,
driven by two 52 hp 'Porbeagle' diesel engines, giving her a top speed
of just over 8 knots. She was built by Groves & Gutteridge at
Cowes at a cost of £33,000.00. This was provided out of a
legacy from Mr J. Wainwright of York plus a gift from the 'Arthur
Jowett Fund' and the RNLI funds. A new 'Case 1000' launching
tractor, T3, was also sent to Llandudno for launching and recovering
this new, heavier lifeboat. |
Some of the crew in the 1960's
Back Row: Carradoc Harris; J. Williams; M. Davies; Gordon Bellamy; Bob Jones; Tommy Griffiths
Front Row: W. Williams; C. Watson; D. Heritage; C.T. Jones, G. Kelly
| The Lilly Wainwright was
first
launched on service on 13th March,
1964 at 1605 after a man in a sailing dinghy had been seen being
carried
out to sea off the Conwy Estuary by the ebb tide. A helicopter
eventually spotted the dinghy on the rocks on Orme's Head and some of
the lifeboat's shore helpers climbed down to investigate. The
dinghy was found jammed between rocks, with no sign of her occupant and
it was assumed, after a search of the area, that the man had got ashore
safely. The dinghy was refloated and rowed out to the waiting
lifeboat by one of the shore helpers and the lifeboat towed the dinghy
back to the beach at 1800. |
Ted Yates; Gordon Bellamy; Ernie Lloyd Jones; Harold Griffiths with
Princess Marina
Dennis Heritage; Colin Watson; Tommy Griffiths; Bob Jones; Glyn Jones; Mike Macarthy
with Princess Marina
| The naming ceremony of the
new
lifeboat took place on 15th May,
1964. A Service of Dedication was conducted by the Bishop of
Bangor, the Rt. Rev. G. Williams. H.R.H. Princess Marina, Duchess
of Kent, President of the RNLI, christened the new lifeboat "The Lilly
Wainwright". Amongst the many official guests at this ceremony
was lady Mostyn, President of the Llandudno Ladies Lifeboat
Guild. Her husband's grandmother had named the first Llandudno
Lifeboat back in 1861. |
jigsaw 13
| In May, 1965 one of
the RNLI's new high speed Inshore Lifeboats
was sent to Llandudno. This boat was 15'6" long, built of
neoprene-proofed nylon and driven by a 40 hp outboard engine, which
gave a top speed of over 20 knots. It was manned by a crew of two
or three and capable of being launched within minutes and ideal for
dealing with incidents involving small boats, bathers and people cut
off by the tide. These boats are now known as ILB's or 'D' class
lifeboats. The new boat at Llandudno was No.54 and was called out
on service for the first time on 23rd May, 1965 after a youth had
become trapped on some rocks with the lifeboat men assisting in his
rescue. Towards the end of 1965 the tractor T73 was replaced by T72, another 'Case 1000' tractor. In October 1966 a new Inshore Lifeboat, No. D109, was sent to Llandudno. She cost approximately £1,000.00 with all her gear and the boat was presented to the RNLI by two local sisters, Mrs S.J. Sutcliffe and Miss M.A. Law, in memory of Mrs Sutcliffe's husband. In May 1968 Llandudno lifeboat made international news when she went to the aid of the pleasure steamer “St. Trillo” which, with fouled propellors, was dragging her anchor and drifting towards the Little Orme. On board were 420 people, including 325 wealthy Americans from the Swedish liner “Kungsholm”. The “St. Trillo” was acting as tender and returning passengers to the ship as part of a “Spring Adventure Cruise”. The real adventure began when the mooring rope from the “Kungsholm” became wrapped round the propellors of the “St. Trillo”. In worsening weather lifeboats from Llandudno, Rhyl and Beaumaris stood by but the situation became serious when the ships doctor reported that at least three passengers needed emergency doses of insulin. By this time the “Kungsholm” had put to sea because of the northerly gale and it was into the teeth of this gale that the Lilly Wainwright set off in pursuit of the liner and collect insulin packs and syringes which were then transferred to the “St. Trillo”. With ropes attached to two lifeboats at the stern and the Conwy trawler “Kilravock” acting as a tug, the “St. Trillo” was later berthed at Llandudno Pier, from where the passengers were taken to a hotel for the night. The passengers expressed their gratitude to the crewmen by placing dollars to the value of £3,562.00 in a collecting box. One of the crew members - Eirian Williams - is the nephew of Robin Williams, who served as coxswain from 1930 to 1940 and is the grandson of JohnWilliams who servied in the first Llandudno lifeboat. In October 1969 a 'Fowler Challenger III' tractor T56 was sent to Llandudno to replace the 'Case 1000' tractor. On October 1970 Robert Jones took over as motor mechanic and on 1st January 1971 Meurig Davies took over as coxswain. At the RNLI's AGM held at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 22nd May, 1973, Mrs R.A. Cave-Rogers, who had served as Honorary Secretary of the Llandudno Station Guild from 1939 to 1944 and again from 1952 to 1972, was presented with the RNLI's Gold Badge. At the same AGM, Mrs O.E. Lloyd Jones, who had been Honorary Treasurer of the Llandudno Station Guild since 1947, also received a Gold Badge. On 27th April, 1974 the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum was accorded to Helmsman Robert Jones in recognition of his courage, determination and seamanship when the inshore lifeboat rescued a member of the crew of a sailing dinghy which went on the rocks at Little Orme, Llandudno Bay, in a fresh north westerly wind and a very rough sea. At the RNLI's AGM at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 8th May, 1975, Mr Thomas Taylor, who had served as Honorary Secretary of the Llandudno Lifeboat Station since 1948, was presented with a Gold Badge. In February 1977 a new ILB No. D250 was sent to Llandudno. She was provided out of funds donated to the RNLI by 'Tesco Stores Ltd' and at a ceremony held on the Promenade on 12th July the new boat was formally handed over and then dedicated by the Rector of Llandudno, the Rev. Canon Roberts. On 4th August, 1977, the Lilly Wainwright was launched at 1630 to attend the yacht "Dyllys" which was in difficulties 12 miles north of Llandudno. In extremely rough seas and a force 8 south-westerly gale and torrential rain, which greatly reduced visibility, the lifeboat crew battled their way out, reaching the casualty at 2010. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Vessel "White Rover" was standing by the "Dyllys" and she provided a lee while the lifeboat was manoeuvred up to the yacht. A line was thrown across and secured and slowly the tow got under way. The lifeboat and her tow arrived in Llandudno Bay at 2310 but no suitable mooring was available and so, because the weather forecast indicated that the gale force winds would veer to the north-west, it was decided to tow the yacht round the Great Orme to Deganwy, where the yacht was safely moored at 0200. The lifeboat returned to her station again at 0315. For this excellent service a Letter of Appreciation, signed by the Director of the RNLI, was later sent to coxswain Meurig Davies and his crew. In December 1977 the 'Fowler Challenger III' tractor was replaced by a new 'Case 115B' tractor T86. Mr Thomas Taylor retired as Honorary Secretary in 1978 and to mark his years of devoted service he was presented with a Bar to his Gold Badge at the RNLI's AGM on 1979. He was succeeded as Honorary Secretary of the Llandudno Lifeboat Station by Lt. Commdr. E. Yates. In April, 1982 Adrian Dunkerley took over as motor mechanic. On 13th June, 1983 there was a Service of Dedication held for the extension of the boathouse. |
| In 1984 coxswain Meurig
Davies
and
head launcher G. Jones were each awarded 'Long Service Badges' by the
RNLI, which are presented to to crews and shore helpers after 20 years
service. An extension to the boathouse to accommodate the
'Unimog' towing vehicle, used with the ILB was formally opened in June
1984. The Opening Ceremony was performed by Mr George Scarth of
Pudsey who had made a substantial donation towards the cost of this
extension, in memory of his late wife, Edith. In 1985 crew member
H. Hughes was awarded a long Service Badge. In June 1987 Lionel
Collis took over as motor mechanic. The Station's tractor driver,
G. Short, was awarded a 'Long Service Badge in 1987. In 1987 one
the RNLI's new purpose-built 'Talus M8-H' launching tractors, T102 was
sent to Llandudno. In 1987 Les Jones became deputy second coxswain and emergency mechanic. At a ceremony on 17th July, 1988 a new ILB, D359, was formally handed over at Llandudno. This boat was provided out of funds raised by the '41 Club', the boat being named '41 Club I' and Dedicated by the Rector of Llandudno, the Rev. Derek Richards. In September, 1989 Dan Jones became second coxswain. On 4th September, 1989 a training exercise went badly wrong when the lifeboat's recovery tractor got stuck in the mud. The crew spent the night on board the boat in case they got an emergency call. The drama unfolded when, because of an unusually low tide the tractor had to travel further than usual down the beach to recover the boat, and it sank in the mud. The 18.39 tonnes tractor quickly became bogged down. Initial rescue attempts failed and the incoming tide quickly covered the tractor and it was decided to leave it where it was overnight. A Moxey's dumper which had tried to rescue it was itself rescued as crowds watched. The rescue was resumed at low tide the following morning with the help of an anchor trailer borrowed from Rhyl lifeboat station. Two vehicles owned by Buckley's of Glan Conwy then anchored themselves to the trailer and then attached their winches to the tractor, which was pulled out in a matter of seconds. The tractor then hauled the lifeboat ashore. It was a long night for the crew, but they took it as part of the job. On 26th February, 1990, the North Wales Coast suffered the worst flooding in living memory, with Towyn, Pensarn and Kinmel Bay being particularly badly affected. Hundreds of people were stranded when the sea broke through the coastal defences and flooded a very large area. ILB's from Llandudno, Rhyl and Flint were called out to help with the evacuation. The conditions which greeted the crewmen were extremely difficult, with flood water up to 6' deep in places, currents of up to 5 knots, masses of floating debris and countless underwater obstructions ranging from collapsed walls to open manhole covers and street lights which were 'live' beneath the the water. Llandudno's 'Unimog' and Flint's Land Rover proved of immense use. The crews of the three ILB's brought to safety some 580 people between 26th February and 1st March, some of the crew spending up to 19 hours a day working in the dreadful conditions. The chairman of the RNLI later sent special 'Certificates of Thanks' to all the crews and shore helpers from the three lifeboat stations involved. |
