Lerwick History

1896  A Silver Medal was awarded to Mr James Jamieson for saving two crew from the fishing boat Jessie , which sank off Oxna Island on 14 December 1895.

1930 The RNLI established an all weather lifeboat station and the first motor lifeboat was placed on service.

1957 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain John Sales for rescuing five men from the motor vessel Samba on 28 December 1956.

1958 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain John Sales and a Bronze Medal to Andrew Mouat, a Pilot with local knowledge, for rescuing three crew from the trawler Urbe on 16 October. Coxswain Sales also received a gift from the James Michael Bower Endowment Fund.

1969 A Framed Letter of Thanks was sent to Coxswain John Sales BEM and to each of the seven members of his crew for escorting three Norwegian fishing vessels into Lerwick harbour.

1973 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain George Leith for rescuing nine crew from the trawler Granton Osprey , which was aground on Bressay Island during hurricane force winds and very rough seas on 13 December 1972. Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum were awarded to each of the seven crew members.

1974 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain George Leith for rescuing four crew from the oil rig safety vessel Spearfish .

1978  An Arun class lifeboat was sent to the station. HRH The Duke of Kent, President of the RNLI, named the new lifeboat Soldian at a ceremony on 12 September.

1983 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark for rescuing three crew from the yacht Hermes in a hurricane, rough seas and torrential rain on 21 September 1982. Assistant Mechanic Andrew Leask and Emergency Mechanic Ian Newlands were each awarded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum for taking a line ashore in the lifeboat's inflatable Y boat.

Over the next 25 years several awards were made to Lerwick lifeboat station for rescues, often carried out in adverse weather conditions with rough seas and reduced visibility:

1989 Three crew from the fishing vessel Boy Andrew
Bronze Medal   Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark
  Vellum *   Crew Members Robert Wiseman and Iain Tulloch

1990 33 crew members from the fish factory ship Azu
Vellum*   Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark

1992 31 people from the ferry Laerling
Framed Letter of Thanks  Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark and five crew

1993 11 crew from the fishing vessel Quo Vadis Mc
Vellum*   Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark

Six crew from the fishing vessel Ardency in winds gusting up to force 14
Bronze Medal    Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark

1994 Three people from a liferaft from the fish factory ship Lunohods 1
Vellum*    Joint Second Coxswain William J Clark

37 crew from the fish factory ship Borodinskoye Polye
Bronze Medal and the Maud Smith Award for the bravest act of lifesaving in 1993
Joint Second Coxswain William J Clark
Vellum* Joint Second Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic Peter Thomson, Emergency Mechanic Ian Fraser and Crew Members Robert Wiseman, Richie Simpson and Theo Nicolson

1995  64 people from the fish factory ship Pionersk
Silver Medal    Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark
Vellum* Joint Second Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic P Thomson and Crew Members I Fraser, I Tulloch, R Wiseman and R Simpson

Five crew and saving the fishing vessel Achilles
Vellum*   Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark
Framed Letters of Thanks Joint Second Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic P Thomson and Crew Members I Fraser, I Tulloch, R Simpson and J Sinclair

1996 The new Severn class lifeboat, ON-1221 Michael and Jane Vernon , was placed on service.

1997 The RNLI's highest accolade, the Gold Medal, was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark and Bronze Medals were awarded to Second Coxswain Richie Simpson, Emergency Mechanics Peter Thomson, and Brian Laurenson and Crew Members Ian Leask and Michael Grant for a service to the cargo vessel Green Lily .

Coxswain Clark demonstrated incredible skill in handling the lifeboat and taking her alongside the violently rolling casualty and rescued five men from the vessel in horrendous weather conditions. He made the decision to launch after it appeared that all other hope had gone: a towline had parted, the helicopter could not work the casualty, and she was close to the rocky shore; there was no margin for error. Coxswain Clark manoeuvred the lifeboat in limited sea room, with 15m breaking seas and violent storm force 11 winds.

The Maud Smith Award for the bravest act of lifesaving in 1997 was made to Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark for this service.

A special RNLI Vellum was awarded posthumously to Coastguard helicopter Winchman Bill Deacon who tragically died during this service. In addition a collective Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to the entire crew of the Coastguard helicopter – Captain Norman Leask, Co-Pilot David Gribben, Winch Operator Paul Mansell and Winchman Bill Deacon in recognition of their actions during the service on 19 November to the Green Lily ?.

1999 Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark was awarded the MBE in Her Majesty's Birthday Honours.

*Vellum = Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum

Station honours

At Lerwick lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Framed Letter of Thanks 17
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 28
Bronze Medal 12
Silver Medal 4
Gold Medal 1