1935 – Edward, Prince of Wales honours the Mumbles Lifeboat one hundred years of lifeboat work. Ferryside station also recognised.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has awarded Vellums to two lifeboat stations in Wales, The Mumbles and Ferryside, in honour of the fact that they have been in existence for one hundred years.
The vellums will be signed by the Prince of Wales as president of the institution. Both stations were established by the institution in 1835. The Mumbles station known as Swansea until 1904 was controlled by the Swnasea Harbour trustees until 1863 when the institution took over its management. Since then its lifeboats have been out on service 143 times and have rescued 197 lives. These lives have not been rescued without loss. Twice the lifeboat capsized on service, in 1883 with the loss of six. Two silver medals have been awarded for gallantry.
Ferryside Station’s work
The Ferryside Station was known until 1892 as Carmarthen Bay. Since 1860 its lifeboats have been out on service 42 times and have rescued 92 lives. In 1901 the King of Norway and Sweden awarded a silver medal to the Coxswain, David Jones, for the rescue of fifteen lives from the ship “Australia” of Christiana, and in 1905 the same Coxswain won the Institute’s silver medal for his gallantry when the lifeboat, returning from servie, was for some hours underwater and on her beam-ends, and members of her crew were several times washed overboard but were hauled back again.
Merchant Navy Association. Swansea Newsletter. 2006. Issue 9.