Two hundred birthdays and a wedding - double whammy of celebrations for Appledore RNLI

A milestone birthday and a double crew wedding have made it a busy two consecutive weekends for Appledore RNLI.

Two centuries ago Appledore became the first port anywhere in the British Isles to receive a commissioned RNLI lifeboat and on Sunday, May 4 the station celebrated a particularly special lifeboat day and its 200th birthday.

North Devon lifeboats from Ilfracombe and Clovelly paraded into the estuary led by Appledore’s Tamar class all-weather lifeboat the Mollie Hunt.

Above: A flotilla of North Devon lifeboats at Appledore RNLI's 200 Lifeboat Day. Credit: Dave James

The procession made a spectacular sight with Ilfracombe’s Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, Atlantic 85 boats from both Appledore and Clovelly, plus Appledore’s smaller D class and the RNLI lifeguards.

The crowds enjoyed a display of manoeuvrability from Ilfracombe’s nimble Shannon before Appledore rescued its area operations manager, Phil Hill from a large yellow inflatable duck being pulled down river by the tide. 

Above: Waiting to be rescued – Appledore RNLI operations manager Phil Hill clings to the station ‘mascot’ while waiting for his colleagues to save him in a rescue demonstration. Credit: Hamish Cameron 

The Coastguard and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service – which often work together with the RNLI – were in attendance, plus visitors enjoyed music from Appledore Band and Shanty singers; food by the Fundraising Guild, Appledore Bakery and Market Street Kitchen, with ice cream by Hockings.

Above: Visitors enjoy Appledore RNLI’s 200th anniversary Lifeboat Day. Credit: Simon Ellery

To end the day a memorial plaque was unveiled at the lifeboat station commemorating the first three lifeboat men who were ever lost from any RNLI lifeboat. 

On November 24, 1833, Appledore lifeboat crewmen Benjamin Pile, Samuel Blackmore and John Peake, were drowned attempting to rescue 10 crewmen from the Mary Ann sailing vessel, which had driven onto Northam Burrows during a severe gale. 

Above: Unveiling the memorial plaque to the three Appledore Lifeboat crew lost in 1833, the first RNLI members to lose their lives at sea. Credit: Appledore RNLI

Above: Appledore’s all-weather lifeboat Mollie Hunt open for visitors at Appledore Quay. Credit: Simon Ellery

A double wedding kept the party going to the next weekend, as Appledore RNLI crew members Natalie Simmons and Richard Withey married on Friday, May 9 in a small family country wedding, with their dog Cooper as ring bearer. 

On their way back from the wedding they stopped off at the Lifeboat Station where a guard of honour welcomed them.

Above: Appledore RNLI crew Natalie Simmons and Richard Withey receive a guard of honour at the station on their wedding day. Credit: Appledore RNLI

Natalie and Richard have been together for 16 years. They both joined the volunteer crew more than eight years ago. All the crew, many of whom celebrated with them the following evening, wish them long, healthy and happy lives together

During their time with Appledore RNLI, Natalie has become inshore and all weather lifeboat crew, navigator, helm and is now a trainee coxswain.

As shore crew, Richard became a launch and recovery driver for both vehicles, as well as head launcher. He then moved over and became a crew member on both lifeboats and is now a trainee Tamar mechanic.

Above: Just married – Appledore RNLI crew Natalie Simmons and Richard Withey. Credit: Lucy LoVel

The history of Appledore RNLI

Appledore has a history of lifeboats as long as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) which was established on 1824 and marked its 200th anniversary last year.

With the Appledore Bar (or Bideford Bar) reputed to be the second most dangerous in the British Isles, a group of local gentlemen formed the 'Bideford Branch Association' and appealed to the RNLI for one of its new 12 commissioned lifeboats to be stationed at Appledore. The request was granted.

Before the RNLI was established, the men of Appledore were involved in numerous rescues carried out by the pilot gig rowing boats.

Frequent wrecks and a high loss of life saw much public outcry and prompted the call for a dedicated Appledore lifeboat.

The distance of the bar from the shore and the exposed beaches open to the Atlantic prevented assistance being given by ordinary boats in bad weather, so a lifeboat was sorely needed.

On February 28, 1825 the very first RNLI working lifeboat within the Institution, covering UK and Ireland, – Lifeboat No 1, aptly named the Volunteer - arrived in Appledore.

In 200 years Appledore has had 11 main lifeboats and four inshore lifeboats. In previous years they also manned lifeboats based on Northam and Braunton Burrows. Thousands of rescues have taken place and hundreds of lives saved.

Vast developments in the lifeboats and kit used by the charity’s lifesavers have been seen – from the early oar-powered vessels to today’s technology-packed boats, including Mollie Hunt, Appledore’s all-weather Tamar class lifeboat and Glanely, its inshore Atlantic 85.

There is also a small inflatable lifeboat housed within the main boat plus a boarding boat also used for many up-river low tide shouts... and from the rudimentary cork lifejackets which did not originate until the 1850s, to the full protective kit each crew member now wears.

Amongst the many awards presented locally, members of the crew have been awarded 22 silver medals, six bronze medals and 4 foreign medals, all for gallantry, a word defined as: spirited and conspicuous bravery, heroic bravery, fearlessness, daring and courage.

The RNLI remains a charity and has never received any government money for the vital life-saving work it does.