Valentia Life Boat

Chapter 40 Restaurant will soon be holding an event to fundraise for the RNLI station at Valentia Island in Co. Kerry, a service which is very valuable to the area. In light of this it seems only right to talk about the history of the RNLI in Ireland, and the achievements of the Valentia Lifeboat service.

Credit for setting up the RNLI is given to Sir William Hillary, who witnessed the death and destruction of shipwrecks first-hand while living on the Isle of Mann, and also participated in many rescue attempts himself. He appealed to the aristocracy, the Navy and also the government of the time in Britain for help in establishing a national rescue service. Hillary was born in 1771 to a family of French descent that owned sugar plantations in Jamaica. He became equerry (an officer of the household of a prince or noble who had charge over the stables) to the Duke of Sussex and sailed with his master through the Mediterranean in an open boat. He was made a baronet in 1804 after raising the first Essex Legion of Infantry and Cavalry at his own expense (£20,000 at the time), leading the 1,400 men himself in service of the king. He moved to the Isle of Mann in 1808 when he lost most of his money and needed to escape his creditors. He had also eloped and the marriage may have been contractually bigamous. One of the earliest lifeboat stations before the era of the RNLI was based in Douglas, Isle of Mann, which is where Hillary participated in the rescues. Despite his financial difficulties he still had a good name and many well-placed contacts. On 12^th February 1824 he held a meeting at the City of London Tavern in Bishopsgate where a resolution to adopt his plans of setting up a national sea rescue service was carried. In March of that year, the service was officially set up as a charity. Hillary died on the Isle of Mann on 5^th June 1847

Since its foundations, the RNLI has saved more than 139,000 lives, battling through the worst conditions possible. First founded with the name of National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, the name was changed in 1854 to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. This year also saw the introduction of cork life jackets for crew members. The 20^th century saw the first street collection for the RNLI in Manchester, a change from sails and oars to engines and petrol. The first women also joined the crews. 2001 saw the introduction of RNLI lifeguards and the lifeboat stations on inland waterways.

The RNLI is a charity providing a 24 hour lifeboat search and rescue service, as well as a seasonal lifeguard service. They have set values that they work to and that reflect how the organisation is run.

Purpose:  The RNLI saves lives at sea.
Vision: To end preventable loss of life at sea

Values: Our work is based on and driven by our values. Our volunteers and staff strive for excellence and are...
Selfless: willing to put the requirements of others before their own and the needs of the team before the individual, able to see the bigger picture and act in the best interests of the RNLI, to be inclusive and respectful of others and prepared to share their expertise with organisations that share their aims.
Dependable: always available, committed to doing their part in saving lives with professionalism and expertise, continuously developing and improving. Working in and for the community and delivering on their promises.

Trustworthy: responsible, accountable and efficient in the use of the donations entrusted to the organisation by its supporters, managing their affairs with transparency, integrity and impartiality.
Courageous: prepared to achieve their aims in changing and challenging environments. We are innovative, adaptable and determined in our mission to save more lives at sea.

Volunteer Ethos: the lifesaving service is provided wherever possible by volunteers, generously supported by voluntary donations and legacies.
Independent of Government: The organisation does not seek funding from central government
Major Charity, Community based: The organisation operates through local teams, centrally directed and resourced.
Maritime: The organisation’s exceptional expertise is in the preservation of life at sea and on the water through prevention and rescue
Heritage: the RNLI is proud of their history, tradition and their achievements in saving lives for over two centuries.

The Valentia Lifeboat Station

There has been a lifeboat station serving the Kerry coast off Valentia for almost 130 years, the crew members earning many awards of bravery for their deeds, saving many lives and recovering the bodies of those the sea takes, allowing their families to bury them and grieve.

Silver medals were awarded to coastguards William Rowe, Joseph Ronowden, William Mark, Richard Jeffers and Nicholas Hanning for rescuing 18 people from the shipwreck Veronica 1828, while another Silver Medal was awarded in 1861 to Hugh Cooper for rescuing two men from the wrecked barque Florence Graham. A permanent lifeboat station was established in 1864 at Reenard Point on the mainland, facing Valentia Island, by the RNLI. It was then moved in 1869 to Knightstown on Valentia Island as the only lifeboat crew available was located there. The station operated from Knightstown for 30 years before closing in 1896. Between 1939 and 1945, an auxiliary rescue boat was placed at Valentia during the war to rescue the crews of downed planes flying in from the Atlantic and a permanent station opened the following year, with the lifeboat kept on moorings off Knightstown. In 1963, a Bronze Medal was awarded to Mechanic John Joseph Houlihan for rescuing two men from a canoe that had capsized. The Maud Smith award for Gallantry was also presented for this service. 7 years later saw a Silver Medal being awarded to Coxswain Dermot Walsh and the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum to Bowman P Murphy and Crew Members J Curtin and N Murphy when the lifeboat rescued 10 men from the motor vessel Oranmore that had drifted towards the Kerry Head shoal. In 1983, Mechanic John Joseph Houlihan received another award, the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum, for rescuing an angler who had been washed from rocks into a rough sea by strong wings. Framed Letters of Thanks were awarded to the crew of Valentia for recovering the bodies from the crashed Indian Air Boeing 747 in 1985 and for a 12-hour service to the trawler Big Cat despite being off duty at the time in 1989. In 1995, a new boathouse was built providing better housing for the boarding boat and better facilities for the crew. Another Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded in 1997 to Coxswain Seanie Murphy after a search for four people that had been swept from the sea from rocks. Two people were recovered with minor scratches and bruises, one brought in unconscious that unfortunately could not be revived and a fourth man could not be found. In 1996, a new Severn class lifeboat was put into service. It carries a Y boat that can be launched by a lightweight crane and facilitates rescues close to the shore where the main boat may not be able to go. The Severn has protected propellers, which means it can hit ground without damage to them. As it is an all-weather boat, it is self-righting and has to go through a series of tough trials before being given the all-clear. It also has the latest in navigation, location and communication devices to assist in rescues, a valuable service in the rough seas surrounding our island.