Fishguard Lifeboat Station () is located on the quay, at the northern breakwater of Fishguard Harbour, in the community of Fishguard and Goodwick, overlooking the southern end of Cardigan Bay, in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales.
A private lifeboat was first placed at Fishguard in 1822. A station was re-established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station in 1855.
The station currently operates a All-weather lifeboat, 14-03 Blue Peter VII (ON 1198), on station since 1994, and an Inshore lifeboat Edward Arthur Richardson (D-789), on station since 2015. It is one of the seven stations that has had a lifeboat funded by the BBC children's television series Blue Peter.
History A private lifeboat began service at Fishguard in 1822, built and operated by Lt. Thomas Evans RN, (later Captain), the agent in Fishguard for Lloyd's of London. Evans had constructed the boat himself, mostly at his own cost, and with a £50 grant from Lloyds. On 29–30 November 1833, Evans and his crew rescued the Master and crew from the sloop Ranger, and was subsequently awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal.
The Fishguard lifeboat, with Evans aboard, rescued the Master and six crew of the schooner Trieve (or Trevor) on 17 February 1836. Eight years later, having discovered that an award of £10 had been made to the lifeboat men for this service, he pointed out that he has been responsible for the construction and maintenance of the lifeboat, at a personal cost of £500, during which time, 25 lives had been saved. "For long continuing exertions in the cause of humanity", Evans was awarded a special RNIPLS Silver Medal, double gilt, with a gold swivel ring.
A further six silver medals were awarded for rescues around Fishguard before 1855, including two medals to sisters Martha and Margaret Llewellyn, who waded into the surf, to rescue three men from the smack Margaret of Barmouth on 22 October 1846.
At a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on 7 Dec 1854, it was resolved to place a 30-foot lifeboat, of Mr Peake's design, at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, and instructions were given for the provision of a boathouse.
A local committee had been formed, and Rev. C. H. Barham, of Trecwn was elected Chairman, "a gentleman possessed of large fortune, and of the still more valuable gifts — a liberal mind and philanthropic disposition". The committee, having raised the amount of £193, was formally accepted into the Institution as a branch, which then agreed to supply a lifeboat and carriage.
In August 1855, a 30-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboat, one with (10) oars and sails, was transported first to Haverfordwest, by the Great Western and South Wales railway companies, and then onto Fishguard.
A lifeboat house was constructed at the north-west end of Goodwick Sands, at a cost of £105.
A No.2 station was established at Fishguard in 1869. It was found that a larger 12-oared lifeboat was necessary for more distant services than the existing 6-oared No.1 lifeboat, which was retained for close shore work. A boathouse was constructed at Wig Wen cove, close to the site of the current station building. The cost of the lifeboat was defrayed by funds raised in the City of Worcester by Capt. F. Saumarez Fraser, RN, and on 30 August 1869, the lifeboat was paraded through the streets of Worcester, arriving at Pitchcroft, where it was named Fraser, before being launched on demonstration in the River Severn.
In May 1874 the RNLI awarded the Fishguard lifeboat No.1 crew £27 for their lifesaving services over the previous month; they included saving a total of 17 crew from the schooners J.T.S., Squirrel and Gem and the smack Lerry.
On 16 November 1882 the lifeboat attended 15 different vessels and saved 46 lives.
A slipway was built alongside the shore by the Great Western Railway in 1911 for a new boathouse; both were replaced in 1930. The lifeboat Charterhouse (ON563) was on station between 1909 and 1931, during which time her crews saved 47 lives. Her centenary was celebrated in 2009, still afloat and renamed Marian.
In February 1946, Fishguard lifeboat White Star (ON 710) was at sea for more than 24 hours in severe weather, standing by the broken-down submarine and helping to rescue her crew.
When the BBC TV children's programme Blue Peter launched their annual appeal in November 1993, the target was to raise enough money to replace the six Inshore lifeboats, at , , , , and . Such was the success of the "Pieces of Eight" appeal, which raised over £1.4 million, that for the first time, there was also enough money to fund an All-weather lifeboat.
The new All-weather lifeboat arrived at Fishguard in 1994. On 17 June 1995, in front of a large crowd of onlookers, Blue Peter presenters Diane-Louise Jordan, Tim Vincent and Stuart Miles carried out the naming ceremony, with the boat being named 14-03 Blue Peter VII (ON 1198).
Station honours The following are awards made at Fishguard: Twenty-eight medals have been awarded, 1 Gold, 18 Silver and 9 Bronze.
RNLI Gold Medal John Howells, Coxswain – 1921 RNIPLS Silver Medal Lt. Thomas Evans RN, Lloyd's agent, Fishguard – 1834 Capt. Thomas Evans RN, Lloyd's agent, Fishguard – 1844 (Second-service award) John Acraman, Merchant – 1845 John Evans, Master of the schooner Royal George – 1847 William Jenkins – 1847 Miss Martha Llewellyn – 1847 Miss Margaret Llewellyn – 1847 William Rees, Acting Master – 1849 RNLI Silver Medal David Beddoe – 1861 Albert Furlong – 1861 James White, Coxswain – 1873 James White, Coxswain – 1875 (Second-service clasp) James White, Coxswain – 1877 (Third-service clasp) James Thomas, Coxswain – 1899 James Thomas, Coxswain Superintendent – 1906 (Second-service clasp) Thomas Oakley Davies, Second Coxswain – 1921 Robert Edwin Simpson, Motor Mechanic – 1921 Thomas Holmes, crewman – 1921 RNLI Bronze Medal W. Devereux – 1921 T. Duffin – 1921 J. Gardiner – 1921 H. M. Mason – 1921 Thomas Perkins – 1921 John Rourke – 1921 William John Thomas – 1921 R. Veal – 1921 P. Whelan – 1921 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum' Capt. W. Harries – 1874 W. Jenkins – 1874 J.G. Annal – 1874 Stephen Done, Helm – 2007 'A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution' Francis George, Coxswain – 1984 Dr Joanne Boughton, crew member – 2007 Robert Lanham, crew member – 2007 Gold Watch, presented by The Queen of the Netherlands John Howells, Coxswain – 1921 Silver Watch, presented by The Queen of the Netherlands each of the 12 members of the crew – 1921 Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) Morris Lyndon Nicholls, Honorary Secretary – 1950NYH Francis George, Coxswain – 2003NYH
Roll of honour In memory of those lost whilst serving at Fishguard:
Died from the effects of exposure after service, 1866 Charles Grinder, crew member Taken ill on service and died shortly afterwards, 10 December 1944 Thomas Henry Neale (43)
Fishguard lifeboats Private lifeboat Name Built Class Comments 1822 25-foot x 8-foot (10-oared) lifeboat, constructed by Lt. Thomas Evans RN, (later Captain), the Lloyd's agent for Fishguard.
No.1 Station ON Name Built Class Comments 1855 1855–1862 30-foot Peake self-righting (P&S) 30-foot x 7-foot 6in (10-oared) Peake self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £156.Transferred to . Pre-340 Sir Edward Perrott 1859 1863–1885 30-foot Peake self-righting (P&S) 30-foot x 6-foot 3in (6-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £153.Previously unnamed at . Broken up in 1887. Pre-411 1864 1885–1889 30-foot Peake self-righting (P&S) 30-foot x 7-foot 3in (8-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £215 when new.Previously North Briton at . Sold in 1889. 252 Elizabeth Mary 1889 1889–1907 31-foot x 7-foot 3in (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mrs E. M. Tudor of Cheltenham, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £310.Sold in 1910. No.1 Station closed in 1907
No.2 Station Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Comments Fraser1852 1869–187836-foot self-righting (P&S) Twice modified x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, previously 30-foot and 35-foot, funded by the City of Worcester LB fund via Capt. Saumarz Fraser, RN, built by James Beeching of Great Yarmouth, costing £130 when new.Previously Prudhoe at , and Thomas Chapman at and . Renamed Helen of Foxley in 1878. Helen of Foxley 1878–1885 Legacy of Miss H. H. Harrison of BathBroken up in 1885. 60 Appin 1885 1885–1906 x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Miss Downie of Appin, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £390.Broken up in 1906. 295 1890 1906–1909 37-foot self-righting (P&S) x (10/12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Watkins of Blackwall, London, costing £545 when new.Previously T. P. Hearne at and Joseph Denman at . Broken up in 1910.
Motor lifeboats ON Op. No. Name Built Class Comments 563 – Charterhouse 1908 1909–1931 40-foot self-righting (motor) x self-righting (motor) lifeboat, with a single 24-hp Tylor engine, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £2,949.Sold in 1931. Renamed Marian. Under restoration and display as Charterhouse at the West Wales Maritime and Heritage Society, Pembroke, December 2025 710 – White Star 1930 1931–1956 45-foot 6in Watson 932 – 1957 1956–1981 1076 Marie Winstone 1981 1981–1994 1198 14-03 Blue Peter VII 1994 1994– More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.
Inshore lifeboats Op. No. Name Class Comments D-415 Pride of West Kingsdown 1995 D-505 Arthur Bygraves 1995–2006 D-652 Team Effort 2006–2015 2016–
See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
Notes
References
External links Fishguard RNLI Lifeboat Station 1967 historic film showing the launch of Howard Marryat from 6:21