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Newquay Rescue Helicopter crew scoop prestigious Billy Deacon Trophy

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  A Winch Paramedic and Winch Operator from Newquay-based HM Coastguard Rescue Helicopter R924 have been awarded the 2024 Billy Deacon SAR Memorial Trophy Newquay Search and Rescue Helicopter Winch crew Jason Bibby and Carlton Real have been presented with the prestigious Billy Deacon SAR award for their outstanding rescue work. The awards were presented by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at the Air League’s Annual Reception Ceremony at the House of Commons London on the 19 November 2024. On the evening of 22 May 2023, R924 was tasked to reports of two casualties cut off by tide and swept into a cave at Bassetts Cove near Portreath in North Cornwall. Arriving on scene in just six minutes, the team were met by a challenging situation.  Coastguard Rescue Officers had thrown a lifejacket and line into the surf, but powerful swells made access to the cave impossible. Despite attempting to pull themselves free from the white-water with the line, the casualty lost his grip and was lef...
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Century of service for Weymouth Coastguards

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  Five longstanding coastguards from Weymouth have celebrated more than 100 years of voluntary service on the south coast. A group of Coastguard Rescue Officers have received long service medals from HM Coastguard, in recognition of their longstanding service and commitment over the past 30 years.  HM Coastguard Divisional Commander James Instance presented awards to the group during a special dedication ceremony held in Weymouth on Saturday 2 November.  During citations for the award, Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) Mark Fagg, Don Barnes and Richard Legg were recognised for their emergency service work over the years, including during Storm Babet, the 2012 Olympics and The Dart Race.  The volunteers have spent hours responding to incidents across the south coast, from high profile missing person searches to clifftop rescues and storm response, also resulting in coastguard awards for meritorious service.  Wyke Station Officer Mark Fagg, who joined th...
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22 September 1914: Remembering HM Coastguard’s greatest loss

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  As the nation remembers members of the armed forces lost during military service, HM Coastguard laments the tragic loss of more than 1,000 sailors on 22 September 1914. When we think of the Great War, we think of tremendous battles fought in far-flung foreign lands; Passchendaele, The Somme and Gallipoli being frequently brought to bear in the public consciousness more than a century later.  However, a devastating naval attack closer to home was to lay bare the significant threat posed by Germany's state-of-the-art underwater war machines. Over the course of a dark and fateful day in September 1914, more than 1,400 were to lose their lives aboard three vessels defending the North Sea. Among those lost were a substantial number of coastguards, drawn into military service at the start of war with Germany. The tragedy was to be the greatest loss of personnel in the coastguard service’s history.  Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany A threat to Naval supremacy At the turn of the 20...
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Flood exercise tests emergency crews’ rapids reaction

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  Coastguards battled raging rapids in a special flood rescue exercise to be ready for the worst of the wet weather. The operation was a joint rehearsal between HM Coastguard and fellow emergency services and other public agencies to enhance cooperation and skills to respond to rising waters.  Members of Coastguard Rescue Teams based along the coast from Somerset to Cornwall took part in the activities held at Cardiff International White Water, just over the Bristol Channel in Wales.  Exercises in October included rescuing casualties from a submerged car, safely navigating floods on foot or in a boat, and recovering people to dry land.  The event was hosted by the Avon and Somerset Local Resilience Forum (LRF), made up of emergency services and local public agencies.  As well as rehearsing vital skills in a flood scenario, such as first aid and inter-agency communications, the activities helped each team to understand better how the others work and abilities tha...
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‘Profound honour’ at Fields of Remembrance opening

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  Every year Fields of Remembrance are created in locations across the UK as the nation prepares to mark Remembrance Sunday. They give the opportunity to make individual, handwritten tributes, with poppies and crosses, to people who lost their lives serving in the Armed Forces. Representatives from HM Coastguard will attend to add their own contributions to the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in London on 7 November when it will be opened to the public in a special ceremony.  Some of those making the trip to London explain how it feels to represent HM Coastguard and why it was important to be there.    Peter Bailey, Senior Maritime Operations Officer, Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) It is a profound honour to represent HM Coastguard at the Field of Remembrance in Westminster Abbey this year. To stand alongside fellow servicemen and women, paying our respects to the veterans who sacrificed everything, will be a deep reminder of my own family’...
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Coastguard helicopter crew awarded for rescue of trapped climbers

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  James Stewart, Richard Taylor and Steven Thomas at the award ceremony. "Against all odds, two climbers in a tricky location during treacherous conditions were saved" A Coastguard helicopter crew has been celebrated for its courageous actions during the successful rescue of two trapped climbers.   The Honourable Company of Air Pilots’ eagerly anticipated Prince Philip Helicopter Rescue Award was presented to the crew of the Caernarfon- based aircraft in October, praising the dedicated and brave response during an extremely challenging rescue.  Just before 11pm on 7 May, 2023, the crew – made up of Captain David Kenyon, Co-pilot James Stewart, Winch Operator Richard Taylor and Winch Paramedic Steven Thomas – was sent by HM Coastguard to assist Mountain Rescue with two climbers stranded on Tryfan, a 3,000ft peak towering over Snowdonia.   The climbers were stuck on a heavily sloping grass ledge among vertical cliffs, at around 2,700ft.   Despite in...
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Two pulled from harbour in double water rescue

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Coastguard Rescue Officer Tom Nunnen -Wills F o r t u n e was on the side of two people who got into trouble in the water at Folkes tone harbour .   Folkestone Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) had been busy all day on 8 October : supporting the police, a false alarm for someone in the sea , and even a report of concern for seal.   So when their pagers bleeped at about 5pm for an urgent situation at Folkestone ha rbour , they were ready to go. Quickly a rriv ing on the scene with Langdon CRT , t he y faced a complicated situation .    A man and woman had got into difficulty while rowing a tender out to a moored vessel. H e was in the water caught by a r o p e with his head only just above surface ; she was struggling in the tender as w a t e r came in over the side .   Dover Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre had sent an HM C oastguard search and rescue helicopter as well as the RNLI's inshore lifeboat from Littlestone .   But with the ...
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