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The following has been reproduced with kind permission of Jeff Morris of the Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society.
Hoylake and West Kirby are situated on the north west corner of the Wirral Peninsular overlooking the picturesque Dee Estuary, with the hills of North Wales as a backdrop, as attractive as the scene is the famous Sands of Dee are also notoriously treacherous, with many a vessel having come to grief on the various sandbanks and many a modern day visitor being caught out by the speed of the incoming tide.
The inshore Lifeboat Station West Kirby was established in 1966, together with a similar station at Flint on the opposite side of the estuary to cope with the growing number of incidents in the area, The Hoylake Lifeboat station dates back to 1803 and celebrated its Bi-Centenary in 2003.
Hoylake Lifeboat station is one of the oldest on the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, and was founded by the Mersey docks and Harbour Board in 1803 and taken over by the RNLI in 1894. For a time there was also a Lifeboat Station on Hilbre Island in the Dee Estuary which was also manned by the men of Hoylake, this Station was closed in the 1930's.
Hoylake has always had a "carriage launched" lifeboat. At first the boat was pulled to the water by a team of horses, frames for storing the harnesses can still be seen on the wall in the current boathouse which was built in1899. today the lifeboat and carriage are towed by a caterpillar tracked Talus tractor which has been specifically designed to launch carriage lifeboats.
Since the RNLI took over the station, two silver and five bronze medals have been awarded to the crewmen of Hoylake.
On 22nd of December 1810, the Hoylake Lifeboat was tasked to a vessel called "Traveller", she was aground in the River Mersey in a fierce storm and in danger of being lost, on her way to the casualty, The Lifeboat was swamped by an enormous wave and eight of her crew perished.
In 1902 a Silver medal was awarded to Coxswain Thomas Dodd for the rescue of the crew of nine of the Barque Matador of Riga, on 16 and 17 October in a severe gale and very heavy sea's, The Imperial Russian Association for Life-Saving on Waters awarded the crew their First Class Certificate of Merit for this service and this illuminating certificate is still on display in the boathouse.
In 1943 Bronze medals were awarded to Coxswain Herbert Jones, Lifeboatman Ben Armitage and Coastguard WJ Widdup for the rescue of the occupants of a small dingy that was out of control on lee shore, in a strong westerly wind and very rough sea.
The coxswain considered the time it would take to muster the crew, launch and position the Lifeboat would take to long, so a rowing boat was used to rescue the casualties.
A Bronze medal was awarded to Coxswain Harold (Danny) Triggs for a service to the tug "Diane" in which two lives were saved, the tug had sunk and the men were on the wheelhouse roof when Coxswain Triggs put the Lifeboat alongside and plucked the men to safety.
In 1979 a bronze medal was awarded to Coxswain Harry Jones and the RNLI thanks on Vellum accorded to Second Cox, John McDermott and crewman David Dodd (both men later Coxswain) for a service on 20th September when the lifeboat saved the catamaran Truganini and her crew of three in a westerly storm and very rough sea's. Medal service certificate were awarded to other crewmembers, Geoff Ormrod (later Coxswain), Peter Jones, Alan Tolley and Gordon Bird.
In August 1992 the present lifeboat Lady of Hilbre was involved in the rescue of a Polish yacht and her crew of nine during the Tall Ships Race. In very rough sea's and a full gale the yacht was eventually towed to safety in Birkenhead. Coxswain John McDermott and all his crew were congratulated by the RNLI for fine seamanship and professionalism.
Coxswains at Hoylake.
Thomas Seed 1803 - 1808 William H Jones 1946 - 1948
Joseph Bennett 1808 - 1822 Benjamin Armitage 1948 - 1951
1822 - 1840 John H Bird 1951 - 1963
George Davies 1840 - 1856 Harold (Danny) Triggs 1963 - 1974
John Bird 1857 - 1890 Thomas (Harry) Jones 1974 - 1981
Samuel (Joshua) Armitage 1890 - 1894 John McDermott 1981 - 1997
Thomas Dodd 1894 - 1916 David Dodd , MBE 1997 - 1998
Arthur T Dodd 1916 - 1919 Geoff Ormrod 1998 - 2001
John Sherlock 1919 - 1929 Dave Whiteley 2001 - Date
Herbert Jones 1929 - 1946
