The first woman medallist

The first woman to be awarded a Medal was Grace Darling, who was awarded a Silver Medal in 1838.

Lighthouse keeper William Darling and his daughter Grace, who was just 22 years old, risked their lives in raging seas to rescue nine survivors from the wrecked steamship Forfarshire on 7 September.

They rowed a coble through a howling gale and the seas tossed them about like a cork. Reaching the rocks, where the seas were surging over the survivors, William jumped out, leaving Grace to manage the boat on her own.

Five survivors were taken back to the lighthouse where Grace and her mother tended them, while her father and two of the rescued men returned to bring off the other four.

Both William and Grace received the RNLI’s Silver Medal.