New Quay history

1864 The lifeboat station was established and a lifeboat house was built at a cost of £130.

1903 A new lifeboat house and slipway was built on a new site at a cost of £1,235. The old lifeboat house was handed over to Harbour Commissioners. It is still in use today – as public toilets.

1948 The station was adapted for a new lifeboat at a cost of £2,200. A tractor house was built, costing £660.

 The lifeboat William Cantrell Ashley was replaced after 41 years of service. She was the last sailing lifeboat in the RNLI’s fleet.

1964 A Centenary Vellum was awarded.

1966 Bronze Medals were awarded to Coxswain David Winston Evans, Motor Mechanic Evan Fowler and Crew Member David Rees, for a service to three boys cut off by the tide at Gilfach-yr-Halen on 7 August. Coxswain Evans took the lifeboat as close to the cliffs as possible and his searchlight picked out a boy stranded on a ledge. Sydney Fowler and David Rees swam ashore in a rough sea to rescue the boy by breeches buoy, a rescue method involving a pulley system and ‘breeches’ attached to a suspended buoy. They then recovered one of the boys who had died and another boy, who did not survive.

1967 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established with a D class lifeboat.

 Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellums were awarded to Idris Evans, Trevor Evans and Peter Evans when the ILB rescued a bather and landed the body of another in a north-westerly gale and rough sea on 12 August.

1974 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Helmsman Mervyn Lloyd Thomas and Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellums were awarded to Crew Members Richard Llewellyn Davies and David Richard Phillips for rescuing one person from the rocks near Cwmtydu.

1976 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman Mervyn Lloyd Thomas when the ILB rescued the two crew from the yacht Up Spirits.

1989 The D class slipway was extended.

1992 A new boathouse was completed in April for the new Mersey class lifeboat and D class lifeboat, providing a mechanic’s workshop, improved crew facilities and a souvenir shop. This was built on the site of the old boathouse.

The Oakley class lifeboat Bird’s Eye was withdrawn and replaced by the Mersey class lifeboat, ON-1172 Frank and Lena Clifford of Stourbridge, on 8 April. The Oakley class lifeboat is on display at the Seawatch Centre in Moelfre, Anglesey.

1995 A new D class lifeboat was placed on service on 3 May.

2004  The new station IB1-type D class lifeboat, D-616 Amy Lea, was placed on service on 7 February.

Station honours

At New Quay lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 6
Bronze Medal 4