Welcome To The Mudeford Lifeboat

The village of Mudeford has been closely linked to a marine rescue service and the RNLI, even before the inshore lifeboat service was developed, and the present station built.

In 1936, many years prior to our present station being opened, the late Mr Ken Derham operated a single handed rescue service from the Avon Beach at Friars Cliff, with an eleven foot clinker built rowing dinghy.

In 1959 Ken was awarded the RNLI's Silver Medal for gallantry when he rescued two people from the surf at the entrance to Christchurch Harbour. Ken's son Victor is now the Station Honorary Secretary and his grandson, Ian, is a Crew Member. Ken held several posts, including Honorary Secretary, culminating in Branch Chairman from 1976.

In 1950 Ken gathered four local fishermen to provide a lifesaving service which was the forerunner of today's station. Subsequently in the summer of 1963 a 'D' class lifeboat was stationed at Mudeford for an experimental period, it was withdrawn for the winter and returned Spring 1964. Since then the station has operated all year round. The boathouse was provided by funds raised by the local Round Table group.

A twin engine 'C' class lifeboat was allocated to the station in 1981 and a new boathouse was required to house it. Funds for the boathouse were raised locally and on the 28th of June the new boathouse was officially opened by the then Deputy Chairman of the RNLI, Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Compston.

Evaluation trials on an Alantic 21 lifeboat were held in 1987 and the station was upgraded in April 1988. For an interim period the station utilised a relief lifeboat, the Alexander Duckham. During the evening when the lifeboat was being handed over to Mudeford, the boat had to be launched urgently to a vessel on fire, off Milford-on-Sea, before the Coastguards were informed that the Alexander Duckham had become the official Mudeford Lifeboat.

On the 24th of November 1990 the present Atlantic 21 lifeboat, the Ken Derham was placed on service. The boat was generously and fully funded as a result of a local appeal spearheaded by John Batchelor, at the time a helmsman of the Mudeford lifeboat.

Ironically, not long after the funds had been raised, Mr George Wolverston, a local entrepreneur, unfortunately died and left £50,000 to the station for the purchase of a new Alantic 21 lifeboat. This boat was built by the RNLI and named Wolverson X-Ray after Mr. Wolverson and his achievements in the medical industry. The Wolverson X-Ray was stationed at Mudeford for a period while the Ken Derham was under survey at the RNLI's Inshore Lifeboat centre at Cowes, and it took part in several local services. The Wolverson X-Ray has now entered the relief fleet and will hopefully return to Mudeford when the present lifeboat is away for survey.

Following a very difficult service in heavy sea conditions on 30th October 1994, Helmsman Ian Parker and Crew Members Tobby Abbott and Stuart Ward were awarded the RNLI's Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum. With the utmost determination they managed to save a young body surfer from certain drowning as he clung to a groyne off Barton-on-Sea. Stuart Ward was badly bruised in his attempt to release the casualty, fortunately he made a full recovery.

The crew, shore helpers and administrative staff are all volunteers, from all walks of life and are all on call 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

Requests for assistance are mainly received from the Coastguard Service which are channelled through to the Honorary s Secretary, Vic Derham, or one of the two Deputy Launching Authorities, who call out the crew by pagers. The crew are taken from the first arrivals at the station which must include a helmsman.

We are very proud of out launch times, which usually average 6-7 minutes, by which time the boat is afloat and on its way to the casualty. In 1994 the station was credited as being the 8th busiest in the fleet. The Ken Derham is capable of 34 knots and the Atlantic 21/75 boats are the fastest vessels in the fleet. Since the Mudeford Station was opened, the lifeboats at Mudeford have launched over 1000 times and saved 358 lives (figures as at December 1996).

For the future, Mudeford Lifeboat Station will need upgrading to accommodate the lifeboats of the next millennium, which have increased in dimensions. Demands on training and new technologies require better training accommodation for the crew. Therefore, subject to planning consent, we have launched an appeal for funds to modify the boathouse and the target of £60,000 should be met by October 1998.