Wartime lifeboat heroes of Wales remembered on VE Day anniversary

Pembrokeshire Herald

08-05-2025

Welsh RNLI crews braved mines, storms and enemy fire to save lives at sea
AS the country marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is paying tribute to the bravery of its volunteer crews in Wales who served during the Second World War. From the storm-lashed coasts of Anglesey to the exposed lifeboat stations of Pembrokeshire and Gower, Welsh RNLI crews launched into perilous seas to save lives, often under enemy threat.
Between 1939 and 1945, lifeboats from stations across Wales were launched repeatedly to respond to wartime emergencies. Despite limited resources, ageing equipment and extreme danger, the RNLI never stopped saving lives. During the two World Wars combined, lifeboats around the UK and Ireland launched 5,478 times and rescued nearly 11,700 people.
A significant number of those launches came from Welsh waters.
One of the most remarkable Welsh rescues of the Second World War came in January 1940, when Moelfre Lifeboat Station, on the east coast of Anglesey, responded to a mayday from the SS Gleneden of Glasgow. The vessel was in trouble during a fierce northeasterly gale and very rough seas. The volunteer lifeboat crew, battling bitter cold and towering waves, managed to save all 60 crew members aboard the stricken ship. For their actions, Coxswain John Matthews was awarded the Silver Medal for gallantry, and Motor Mechanic Robert Williams received the Bronze Medal.
Crew at St Davids, seen walking up from the lifeboat station during WWII (Image: RNLI)
In December 1944, as the war was drawing to a close, another Welsh lifeboat launched into danger. The Mumbles lifeboat, Edward, Prince of Wales, responded to distress signals from the Canadian cargo vessel Chebogue, which had broken her back in hurricane-force winds off the South Wales coast. In a night-time rescue carried out under extraordinary conditions, the Mumbles crew saved 42 lives.
These heroic missions were carried out not by trained naval personnel, but by local men—fishermen, harbour workers, and retirees—who volunteered their time and risked their lives. With many young men serving on the front lines, lifeboat crews in Wales were often made up of older volunteers, with some in their fifties, sixties and even seventies stepping up to fill the gaps.
Wartime conditions made the work of the RNLI even more dangerous. Lifeboat stations were occasionally damaged or destroyed in air raids. In all, 40 RNLI crew members across the UK and Ireland died during the war, including those who were machine-gunned by enemy aircraft, blown up by floating mines, or lost during stormy rescues. Seven lifeboats were lost in action.
Although most of the RNLI's wartime launches were in response to vessels in distress, the crews often found themselves navigating minefields, dodging enemy fire, and recovering the dead as well as the living. One Welsh example came from Courtmacsherry, across the water from Pembrokeshire, where 14 volunteers rowed 12 miles through calm seas without wind, only to find they were too late. Undeterred, they recovered the bodies and brought them home so that loved ones could bury them with dignity.
Wales also played its part in one of the most famous operations of the war—Dunkirk. In May 1940, 19 RNLI lifeboats were part of the fleet of civilian vessels known as the Little Ships that crossed the English Channel to rescue British troops stranded on the beaches of northern France. Lifeboats from Ramsgate and Margate were operated by RNLI crews who brought with them unfamiliar equipment such as steel helmets, gas masks, and extra supplies. They worked for over 30 hours amid wreckage, gunfire and strong currents. Although not from Wales, the spirit of this operation mirrored the courage shown by lifeboatmen in Welsh waters throughout the war.
To mark this VE Day anniversary, the RNLI is calling on the public to help uncover more stories connected to lifeboat stations in Wales during the war. A grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund has made it possible for the charity to launch a new project: RNLI 1939–45: Stories of Courage. The project aims to record and preserve these memories before they are lost to time.
Hayley Whiting, RNLI Heritage Archive and Research Manager, said: 'Our Welsh lifeboat crews experienced some of the most difficult years in the charity's history. Lifeboats were damaged, lifeboat stations were hit, and lives were lost. But their determination never wavered. As we reflect on VE Day, we remember not just those who served on the front lines, but those who braved the storms at home to bring others back to safety.'