Latest news with #Coxswain
STV News
29-05-2025
- General
- STV News
Vessel rescued after becoming entangled in fish farm ropes
A fishing vessel was rescued near Skye on Wednesday after it became entangled in ropes at a fish farm. The Portree RNLI lifeboat was dispatched to the scene near Rigg after they were alerted to a trapped fishing vessel at 10.18am. A second lifeboat, the Trent class Stanley Watson Barker, launched 15 minutes later for the Trotternish peninsula in the North East of the island. The vessel was freed and safely towed. RNLI Portree Volunteers were called out twice in three days. RNLI Portree Hamish Corrigall, Portree RNLI lifeboat Coxswain, said: 'When we arrived on scene, our priority was to ensure that the vessel and those onboard were safe and well. 'Once this had been established, we were then able to assist with freeing the fishing vessel. We assessed the situation before making the decision that undertaking a tow was necessary and the safest way to assist the casualties. 'We carry out regular training exercises for all types of emergency scenario, including vessel entanglement and fouled props, so the crew worked well together to ensure the vessel could be towed to safety.' Three days earlier, on May 25, volunteers from Portree RNLI were called to assist a casualty with a head injury on a yacht in Portree Bay. The crew provided emergency casualty care before transferring the casualty to the Portree pontoon and into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Irish Independent
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Irish Independent
Galway RNLI responds to back-to-back medical evacuations off Aran Islands
The Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat crew responded to two back-to-back medical evacuations from Inis Mór over the weekend. First, on Saturday May 24 at 1.40pm, the volunteer crew were requested to launch the all-weather Severn lifeboat, David Kirkaldy, following a request from the Coast Guard to transfer a patient off Inis Mór. Weather conditions at the time were fair with a force 5 south westerly wind. The crew received handover from the local doctor and with the assistance of the Aran Fire and Rescue Service, the lifeboat crew transferred the patient onboard. The lifeboat departed Inis Mór and safely transferred the patient to Ros a Mhíl and into the care of an awaiting ambulance crew. The next call came in during the early hours of Sunday morning at 2.15am, when the crew were requested to launch for a medical evacuation from Inis Mór. Arriving on scene, the crew received a handover from the island doctor before assisting the patient onboard the lifeboat where they were safely transferred to Ros a Mhíl and into the care of an awaiting ambulance. Both launches were led by Noel Seoighe, marking his first two successful callouts as Coxswain within a span of just over 12 hours. Speaking following the call out, Coxswain Noel Seoighe said: 'We would like to wish both casualties a speedy recovery. A big thank you for our volunteers who never hesitate to answer the pagers. 'As we see an increase of tourists visiting the Aran Islands, we would like to remind anyone planning a trip or activity at sea to enjoy themselves but to go prepared. Check weather and tides before venturing out, always wear a lifejacket or suitable flotation device for your activity and carry a means of communication. Should you get into difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.'
Scottish Sun
01-05-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
I risked jail by writing illegal WW2 diary – now at age 99 I want to share my secrets after hiding it for 80-years
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FORCES fighting in World War Two knew the rules: Anyone who kept a diary risked being be jailed. But now, at the age of 99½, ex-Royal Marine Tom Hill has finally decided to reveal his secret wartime journal. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 At the age of 99½, ex-Royal Marine Tom Hill has finally decided to reveal his secret wartime journal Credit: Paul Tonge 7 Tom showed The Sun the tiny booklet that he has kept hidden for 80 years, pictured in military uniform Credit: Paul Tonge 7 Tom in a New York bar in August 1944 before heading out to the Pacific Credit: Paul Tonge Father-of-two Tom showed The Sun the tiny booklet that he has kept hidden for 80 years. It records the horrors and hilarity of war. As the anniversary of VE Day — when war ended in Europe — approaches, Tom says: 'I knew if I was caught with it I'd have ended up in jail. 'But I went to so many places and I knew if I didn't write them all down I'd forget where I'd been. 'I kept it hidden with my medical kit in a front leg pocket. Thankfully, the medical kit wasn't ever inspected so I got away with it.' But what a tale the notebook, only slightly bigger than a credit card, has to tell. It goes from the beaches of Normandy, where Tom spent 16 days under fire before his landing craft was sunk, to the Far East and Australia. He was in the Panama Canal when VE Day was declared on May 8, 1945. His delighted last entry on May 30 says simply: 'UK — Here I come!' Despite working as a tool setter — a protected job that meant he would never have to fight — Tom volunteered to join the Royal Marines, the only regiment that would take 17-year-olds, and he became a landing craft Coxswain. I went to so many places and knew if I didn't write them down I'd forget. I hid the diary in my medical kit and thankfully I got away with it Tom At his home in Birmingham, he says: 'I wanted to do my bit for my country, especially after witnessing Coventry Road being bombed and seeing first-hand how we were being targeted by the Germans.' WW2 Pilot Joe Peterburs who survived being shot down returns to skies Here, he reflects on some of the entries from his first-hand account of history . . . JUNE 1943: After six weeks training in Portsmouth, Tom travels to Scotland to join the former merchant ship Empire Battleaxe, which was home to 90 marines. JUNE 4, 1944: Back in Portsmouth, Tom ferries troops out to the Battleaxe at anchor in the Solent. He says: 'We didn't know of the plan for the D-Day landings in France. 'The first we knew of it was seeing troops playing with foreign money on board the ship. We hadn't been told a thing!' JUNE 6, 1944: After being held back 24 hours due to bad weather, Tom arrives off Normandy. He was in the four-man crew of an LCA landing craft, navigating eight miles through choppy waters, taking 35 troops at a time across from the ship to Sword Beach. 7 Tom's badge to signify he was part of combined operations Credit: Paul Tonge He says: 'The sights we saw going back and forth were terrible, just awful, ships being sunk and injured troops in the water, but we had to keep going. 'Shells were going over our heads, troops were being shot at. By night all hell seemed to break loose and we were in the crossfire. 'Either side of us I could see LCAs with their doors blown off. The sergeant on another LCA signalled to me that he had one engine and couldn't fire the other. 'He asked me to move around and take a look. 'I could see a body of one of our troops was wrapped round the propeller shaft rendering it unusable.' For 16 days Tom and his crew ferried in hundreds of troops and supplies to the beaches before being used to deliver mail. On one mail run they came across a ship where a shell had gone through a hatch, killing every soldier onboard. Tom recalls: 'There were two lads sharing a flagon of rum while they filled bags with body parts from down below.' JUNE 22, 1944: On day 16, the landing craft is hit by a storm and sunk. Tom says: 'We abandoned ship and swam together to the nearest boat, which was an American tugboat. 'The captain told us they were returning to the USA and asked if we wanted to go with them. If I drank one rum I must have had two or three pints of it. I've never ever been drunk since then. After grot time, where we spent time with pals, I was tied in my hammock from 11 o'clock until 4 o'clock. The lads thought it was hilarious Tom 'While the idea of a new life far from the noise of D-Day was an attractive thought, we got aboard a British ship and were given five days survivor's leave.' He then rejoined HMS Battleaxe on an 11-month mission, attached to the American 7th Fleet, all over the Pacific, from Samoa to Sydney. NOVEMBER 25, 1944: My 19th birthday, in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. A day I will never forget. Tom says: 'If I drank one rum I must have had two or three pints of it. I've never ever been drunk since then. After grot time, where we spent time with pals, I was tied in my hammock from 11 o'clock until 4 o'clock. 'The lads thought it was hilarious.' Later, a prisoner of war became seriously ill and Tom had to ferry a doctor from an American ship to treat him. He says: 'I got alongside and shouted for them to throw a line down. I was greeted with the response, 'Sorry pal, I haven't got a pen or paper'. 'It made me really cross that I had to sit in the water for a long time waiting for a rope while we had a really sick POW.' 7 Tom serving in Australia in 1944 Credit: Paul Tonge MARCH 19, 1945: Sydney. Tom says: 'Water was always in short supply so we'd strip off and shower in the rain. We had a detachment arrive of six nurses who were all on deck when it started raining. 'A Tannoy announcement reminded us there were females on board and not to strip off and shower. 'One of the nurses piped up, 'Don't worry, lads. We've seen it all before'. MAY 8, 1945: Panama Canal. Tom says: 'VE Day didn't matter much to me. By then, D-Day and France felt like it was far away. 'But despite the end of it all in Europe, the campaign in the Pacific and Japan was still going on.' MAY 30, 1945: New York. UK here we come. Tom says: 'We got back into Portsmouth and were given ten days leave. Our commanding officer told us to make the most of it as afterwards we would be heading back to the Philippines. I remember feeling like it was really unfair. We'd been everywhere.' Eighty years later, retired school caretaker Tom carries survivor's guilt that he made it home when he watched so many others perish. On Thursday, Tom will be attending a Royal British Legion VE Day party with dozens of World War Two veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffs. He says: 'I'm one of the lucky ones, I'm still here. What I saw on D-Day and in the Pacific will always stay with me. 'So many good men I served with didn't get to see the world in peace. 'I think of them all often and will do so again on VE Day.' 7 Tom helped British troops land on Sword Beach for D-Day Credit: IWM 7 Veterans and volunteers celebrate new walkway at therapy garden Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun
The Irish Sun
01-05-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
I risked jail by writing illegal WW2 diary – now at age 99 I want to share my secrets after hiding it for 80-years
FORCES fighting in World War Two knew the rules: Anyone who kept a diary risked being be jailed. But now, at the age of 99½, ex- Advertisement 7 At the age of 99½, ex-Royal Marine Tom Hill has finally decided to reveal his secret wartime journal Credit: Paul Tonge 7 Tom showed The Sun the tiny booklet that he has kept hidden for 80 years, pictured in military uniform Credit: Paul Tonge 7 Tom in a New York bar in August 1944 before heading out to the Pacific Credit: Paul Tonge Father-of-two Tom showed The Sun the tiny booklet that he has kept hidden for 80 years. It records the horrors and hilarity of war. As the anniversary of 'But I went to so many places and I knew if I didn't write them all down I'd forget where I'd been. Advertisement READ MORE ON WW2 'I kept it hidden with my medical kit in a front leg pocket. Thankfully, the medical kit wasn't ever inspected so I got away with it.' But what a tale the notebook, only slightly bigger than a credit card, has to tell. It goes from the beaches of Normandy, where Tom spent 16 days under fire before his landing craft was sunk, to the Far East and Australia. He was in the Panama Canal when VE Day was declared on May 8, 1945. His delighted last entry on May 30 says simply: 'UK — Here I come!' Advertisement Most read in The Sun Despite working as a tool setter — a protected job that meant he would never have to fight — Tom volunteered to join the Royal Marines, the only regiment that would take 17-year-olds, and he became a landing craft Coxswain. I went to so many places and knew if I didn't write them down I'd forget. I hid the diary in my medical kit and thankfully I got away with it Tom At his home in Birmingham, he says: 'I wanted to do my bit for my country, especially after witnessing Coventry Road being bombed and seeing first-hand how we were being targeted by the Germans.' WW2 Pilot Joe Peterburs who survived being shot down returns to skies Here, he reflects on some of the entries from his first-hand account of history . . . JUNE 1943: After six weeks training in Portsmouth, Tom travels to Scotland to join the former merchant ship Empire Battleaxe, which was home to 90 marines. Advertisement JUNE 4, 1944: Back in Portsmouth, Tom ferries troops out to the Battleaxe at anchor in the Solent. He says: 'We didn't know of the plan for the D-Day landings in France. 'The first we knew of it was seeing troops playing with foreign money on board the ship. We hadn't been told a thing!' JUNE 6, 1944: After being held back 24 hours due to bad weather, Tom arrives off Normandy. Advertisement He was in the four-man crew of an LCA landing craft, navigating eight miles through choppy waters, taking 35 troops at a time across from the ship to Sword Beach. 7 Tom's badge to signify he was part of combined operations Credit: Paul Tonge He says: 'The sights we saw going back and forth were terrible, just awful, ships being sunk and injured troops in the water, but we had to keep going. 'Shells were going over our heads, troops were being shot at. By night all hell seemed to break loose and we were in the crossfire. Advertisement 'Either side of us I could see LCAs with their doors blown off. The sergeant on another LCA signalled to me that he had one engine and couldn't fire the other. 'He asked me to move around and take a look. 'I could see a body of one of our troops was wrapped round the propeller shaft rendering it unusable.' For 16 days Tom and his crew ferried in hundreds of troops and supplies to the beaches before being used to deliver mail. Advertisement On one mail run they came across a ship where a shell had gone through a hatch, killing every soldier onboard. Tom recalls: 'There were two lads sharing a flagon of rum while they filled bags with body parts from down below.' JUNE 22, 1944: On day 16, the landing craft is hit by a storm and sunk. Tom says: 'We abandoned ship and swam together to the nearest boat, which was an American tugboat. Advertisement 'The captain told us they were returning to the USA and asked if we wanted to go with them. If I drank one rum I must have had two or three pints of it. I've never ever been drunk since then. After grot time, where we spent time with pals, I was tied in my hammock from 11 o'clock until 4 o'clock. The lads thought it was hilarious Tom 'While the idea of a new life far from the noise of D-Day was an attractive thought, we got aboard a British ship and were given five days survivor's leave.' He then rejoined HMS Battleaxe on an 11-month mission, attached to the American 7th Fleet, all over the Pacific, from Samoa to Sydney. NOVEMBER 25, 1944: My 19th birthday, in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. A day I will never forget. Advertisement Tom says: 'If I drank one rum I must have had two or three pints of it. I've never ever been drunk since then. After grot time, where we spent time with pals, I was tied in my hammock from 11 o'clock until 4 o'clock. 'The lads thought it was hilarious.' Later, a prisoner of war became seriously ill and Tom had to ferry a doctor from an American ship to treat him. He says: 'I got alongside and shouted for them to throw a line down. I was greeted with the response, 'Sorry pal, I haven't got a pen or paper'. Advertisement 'It made me really cross that I had to sit in the water for a long time waiting for a rope while we had a really sick POW.' 7 Tom serving in Australia in 1944 Credit: Paul Tonge MARCH 19, 1945: Sydney. Tom says: 'Water was always in short supply so we'd strip off and shower in the rain. We had a detachment arrive of six nurses who were all on deck when it started raining. 'A Tannoy announcement reminded us there were females on board and not to strip off and shower. Advertisement 'One of the nurses piped up, 'Don't worry, lads. We've seen it all before'. MAY 8, 1945: Panama Canal. Tom says: 'VE Day didn't matter much to me. By then, D-Day and France felt like it was far away. 'But despite the end of it all in Europe, the campaign in the Pacific and Japan was still going on.' MAY 30, 1945: New York. UK here we come. Advertisement Tom says: 'We got back into Portsmouth and were given ten days leave. Our commanding officer told us to make the most of it as afterwards we would be heading back to the Philippines. I remember feeling like it was really unfair. We'd been everywhere.' Eighty years later, retired school caretaker Tom carries survivor's guilt that he made it home when he watched so many others perish. On Thursday, Tom will be attending a Royal British Legion VE Day party with dozens of World War Two veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffs. He says: 'I'm one of the lucky ones, I'm still here. What I saw on D-Day and in the Pacific will always stay with me. Advertisement 'So many good men I served with didn't get to see the world in peace. 'I think of them all often and will do so again on VE Day.' 7 Tom helped British troops land on Sword Beach for D-Day Credit: IWM 7 Veterans and volunteers celebrate new walkway at therapy garden Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun Advertisement Lotto love at garden WHEN a therapy garden wanted to build a new path for veterans in wheelchairs, a group of Lottery winners worth £115million stepped in to help. Veterans' Growth, near Battle, East Sussex, is a seven-acre site set up by injured Afghan and Iraq veteran Staff Sergeant Jason Stevens, 44. Backed by National Lottery funding, it is a place where ex-servicemen and women can tend plants as therapy. Jason planned the path in honour of VE Day 80 – and among those who offered to help were Neil Trotter, who won £108million on the Lottery in 2014. He found the work relatively easy – as he now manages his own estate of 500 acres, which includes woods, lakes and wild flower meadows. Sharon Hall, 58, of Havant, Hants, was a Royal Navy master-at-arms when she won £1million on a Bullion scratchcard in 2004. She and husband John, 61, collected their cheque onboard HMS Victory. Sharon spent the morning working in the potting shed, while John helped put hardcore on to the path. Mum-of-two Sharon says: 'Being a veteran, coming here means a huge amount. 'I've served with people who've been injured and have suffered PTSD. 'Some of them are floundering, so to come to somewhere like this where you can feel the peace around is so restful. I spent the morning in the potting shed and it's just so therapeutic. 'It's so nice to give something back and to know that people can come here and get some relief from the torment that they might be suffering.'
The Sun
01-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
I risked jail by writing illegal WW2 diary – now at age 99 I want to share my secrets after hiding it for 80-years
FORCES fighting in World War Two knew the rules: Anyone who kept a diary risked being be jailed. But now, at the age of 99½, ex- Royal Marine Tom Hill has finally decided to reveal his secret wartime journal. 7 7 7 Father-of-two Tom showed The Sun the tiny booklet that he has kept hidden for 80 years. It records the horrors and hilarity of war. As the anniversary of VE Day — when war ended in Europe — approaches, Tom says: 'I knew if I was caught with it I'd have ended up in jail. 'But I went to so many places and I knew if I didn't write them all down I'd forget where I'd been. 'I kept it hidden with my medical kit in a front leg pocket. Thankfully, the medical kit wasn't ever inspected so I got away with it.' But what a tale the notebook, only slightly bigger than a credit card, has to tell. It goes from the beaches of Normandy, where Tom spent 16 days under fire before his landing craft was sunk, to the Far East and Australia. He was in the Panama Canal when VE Day was declared on May 8, 1945. His delighted last entry on May 30 says simply: 'UK — Here I come!' Despite working as a tool setter — a protected job that meant he would never have to fight — Tom volunteered to join the Royal Marines, the only regiment that would take 17-year-olds, and he became a landing craft Coxswain. I went to so many places and knew if I didn't write them down I'd forget. I hid the diary in my medical kit and thankfully I got away with it Tom At his home in Birmingham, he says: 'I wanted to do my bit for my country, especially after witnessing Coventry Road being bombed and seeing first-hand how we were being targeted by the Germans.' WW2 Pilot Joe Peterburs who survived being shot down returns to skies Here, he reflects on some of the entries from his first-hand account of history . . . JUNE 1943: After six weeks training in Portsmouth, Tom travels to Scotland to join the former merchant ship Empire Battleaxe, which was home to 90 marines. JUNE 4, 1944: Back in Portsmouth, Tom ferries troops out to the Battleaxe at anchor in the Solent. He says: 'We didn't know of the plan for the D-Day landings in France. 'The first we knew of it was seeing troops playing with foreign money on board the ship. We hadn't been told a thing!' JUNE 6, 1944: After being held back 24 hours due to bad weather, Tom arrives off Normandy. He was in the four-man crew of an LCA landing craft, navigating eight miles through choppy waters, taking 35 troops at a time across from the ship to Sword Beach. He says: 'The sights we saw going back and forth were terrible, just awful, ships being sunk and injured troops in the water, but we had to keep going. 'Shells were going over our heads, troops were being shot at. By night all hell seemed to break loose and we were in the crossfire. 'Either side of us I could see LCAs with their doors blown off. The sergeant on another LCA signalled to me that he had one engine and couldn't fire the other. 'He asked me to move around and take a look. 'I could see a body of one of our troops was wrapped round the propeller shaft rendering it unusable.' For 16 days Tom and his crew ferried in hundreds of troops and supplies to the beaches before being used to deliver mail. On one mail run they came across a ship where a shell had gone through a hatch, killing every soldier onboard. Tom recalls: 'There were two lads sharing a flagon of rum while they filled bags with body parts from down below.' JUNE 22, 1944: On day 16, the landing craft is hit by a storm and sunk. Tom says: 'We abandoned ship and swam together to the nearest boat, which was an American tugboat. 'The captain told us they were returning to the USA and asked if we wanted to go with them. If I drank one rum I must have had two or three pints of it. I've never ever been drunk since then. After grot time, where we spent time with pals, I was tied in my hammock from 11 o'clock until 4 o'clock. The lads thought it was hilarious Tom 'While the idea of a new life far from the noise of D-Day was an attractive thought, we got aboard a British ship and were given five days survivor's leave.' He then rejoined HMS Battleaxe on an 11-month mission, attached to the American 7th Fleet, all over the Pacific, from Samoa to Sydney. NOVEMBER 25, 1944: My 19th birthday, in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. A day I will never forget. Tom says: 'If I drank one rum I must have had two or three pints of it. I've never ever been drunk since then. After grot time, where we spent time with pals, I was tied in my hammock from 11 o'clock until 4 o'clock. 'The lads thought it was hilarious.' Later, a prisoner of war became seriously ill and Tom had to ferry a doctor from an American ship to treat him. He says: 'I got alongside and shouted for them to throw a line down. I was greeted with the response, 'Sorry pal, I haven't got a pen or paper'. 'It made me really cross that I had to sit in the water for a long time waiting for a rope while we had a really sick POW.' 7 MARCH 19, 1945: Sydney. Tom says: 'Water was always in short supply so we'd strip off and shower in the rain. We had a detachment arrive of six nurses who were all on deck when it started raining. 'A Tannoy announcement reminded us there were females on board and not to strip off and shower. 'One of the nurses piped up, 'Don't worry, lads. We've seen it all before'. MAY 8, 1945: Panama Canal. Tom says: 'VE Day didn't matter much to me. By then, D-Day and France felt like it was far away. 'But despite the end of it all in Europe, the campaign in the Pacific and Japan was still going on.' MAY 30, 1945: New York. UK here we come. Tom says: 'We got back into Portsmouth and were given ten days leave. Our commanding officer told us to make the most of it as afterwards we would be heading back to the Philippines. I remember feeling like it was really unfair. We'd been everywhere.' Eighty years later, retired school caretaker Tom carries survivor's guilt that he made it home when he watched so many others perish. On Thursday, Tom will be attending a Royal British Legion VE Day party with dozens of World War Two veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffs. He says: 'I'm one of the lucky ones, I'm still here. What I saw on D-Day and in the Pacific will always stay with me. 'So many good men I served with didn't get to see the world in peace. 'I think of them all often and will do so again on VE Day.' 7 7 Lotto love at garden WHEN a therapy garden wanted to build a new path for veterans in wheelchairs, a group of Lottery winners worth £115million stepped in to help. Veterans' Growth, near Battle, East Sussex, is a seven-acre site set up by injured Afghan and Iraq veteran Staff Sergeant Jason Stevens, 44. Backed by National Lottery funding, it is a place where ex-servicemen and women can tend plants as therapy. Jason planned the path in honour of VE Day 80 – and among those who offered to help were Neil Trotter, who won £108million on the Lottery in 2014. He found the work relatively easy – as he now manages his own estate of 500 acres, which includes woods, lakes and wild flower meadows. Sharon Hall, 58, of Havant, Hants, was a Royal Navy master-at-arms when she won £1million on a Bullion scratchcard in 2004. She and husband John, 61, collected their cheque onboard HMS Victory. Sharon spent the morning working in the potting shed, while John helped put hardcore on to the path. Mum-of-two Sharon says: 'Being a veteran, coming here means a huge amount. 'I've served with people who've been injured and have suffered PTSD. 'Some of them are floundering, so to come to somewhere like this where you can feel the peace around is so restful. I spent the morning in the potting shed and it's just so therapeutic. 'It's so nice to give something back and to know that people can come here and get some relief from the torment that they might be suffering.'
