Registered Charity No. UK 209603
Thomas & Annie Wade Richards - 1933 to 1953
Crew of Thomas and Annie Wade Richards
On 16th September 1933 a new lifeboat the Thomas & Annie Wade Richards, arrived at Llandudno. She was built at the Cowes Boatyard of J. Samuel White and was a 35'6" relf-righter, driven by a 35hp Weyburn AE6 petrol engine, which gave her a top speed of 7.33 knots. A launching tractor was placed at Llandudno to facility easier launching and recovery of the new boat. This tractor , number T14, was a Clayton and had been in use at Port Logan until the station was closed. James Jones was appointed motor mechanic of the new Llandudno Lifeboat. The first service for the new lifeboat was on 6th May, 1934 at 1100. The yacht "Mizpah" lost her sails in heavy seas and a southerly gale, 2 miles off the Little Orme. In torrential rain the crew of three were rescued, totally exhausted and their yacht taken in tow to Conwy, the lifeboat returning to station at 1700. The next service launch was again to the "Mizpah" on 20th August, 1934 when the yacht began to drag her anchor in a near gale and heavy seas in Llandudno Bay. The lifeboat was launched at 1030 and the crew of three were rescued and the yacht towed to safety. |
Thomas & Annie being launched
| The naming ceremony of the
new lifeboat took place on 28th
September,
1934 and presiding over the occasion was Lord Mostyn, President of the
Llandudno Branch of the RNLI, who was the grandson of Lady Augusta
Mostyn, who had christened the first Llandudno Lifeboat in 1861.
The new boat provided out of legacies, one from Dr. Thomas Richards of
Llangadock and one from Miss Sarah Lewis of Aberystwyth. After
the Service of Dedication, which was led by the Rector of Llandudno,
Rev. Canon Rowlands, the boat was christened by Miss A.E. Lewis.
On 1st June 1939 HM Submarine Thetis dived whilst on trials in
Liverpool Bay. Llandudno lifeboat took out a doctor to destroyer
Somali. Ninety-nie lives were lost is this submarine disaster -
four escaped by means of the Davis apparatus. In September, 1940 Trevor Davies took over as coxswain. On 9th November, 1940 the trawler "Leonard" tied up alongside Llandudno Pier, her hold full of water. A NNW gale was blowing, with heavy seas. The Pier Master informed Coxswain Davies. A pump was obtained from the Auxiliary Fire Brigade but could not be worked from the Pier so the pump and several firemen were put on board the Thomas and Annie Wade Richards which was launched at 1130. Whist the pump was put to work some of the lifeboat men boarded the trawler and helped unload her cargo of fish and put some of her gear onto the Pier. The work continued all day and night until 0645 on the 10th November. With most of the water having been pumped out by then the boat set off towards Bangor, closely escorted by the lifeboat, which finally returned to her boathouse at 1300 have been on service for over 25 hours. At the beginning on January, 1944 a fierce WSW gale blew up, churning up very heavy seas. The storm continued unabated for several days. The boat belonging to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board, which supplied the various lightvessels in the area, was prevented from taking urgently needed food out to the "Western Lightvessel", which was moored 15 miles north by west of Orme's Head. A request was made by the Docks Board and the Thomas & Annie Wade Richards was launched at 1030 on 7th January and took supplies out to the men on the lightvessel. It was learned that the men on the lightvessel had been without food for three days. The lifeboat returned to base at 1800. A Letter of Thanks was was sent to the Llandudno Station by the Directors of the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board. On 7th August, 1946 the Clayton tractor T14 was replaced by another Clayton tractor, T12. The Thomas & Annie Wade Richards were again called to the "Western Lightvessel" which was being towed to another location on 21st January 1947 when the tow line parted and one of the crew of the lightvessel was injured. The lifeboat launched at 1600 with a doctor on board and reached the lightvessel 16 miles north of the Great Orme. The doctor was put on board and treated the injured man who was then brought back to Llandudno by the lifeboat arriving at 2345. On 27th July, 1948 a brand new "Case LA" launching tractor No. T40 was sent to replace the old Clayton tractor. What proved to be the last effective service by the Thomas & Annie Wade Richards at Llandudno took place on 10th April 1952. She was launched at 1536 to a fishing boat which had been reported to be in difficulties two miles off the Great Orme. She was the "Liver Bird" of Conwy with one man and his dog on board. The man had a badly injured finger and was taken aboard the lifeboat and given first aid, his boat being towed to Conwy before the lifeboat returned to Llandudno at 2115. The boat launched 57 times and saved 38 lives. |