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Auction: 15003 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria
Lot: 241

Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal, bronze, type 5 1937-, obverse: head of Sir William Hillary, Bt., the founder, facing left (Thomas E. Rimmer, Voted 18th January 1940.), with uniface dolphin suspension, minor edge nicks, otherwise extremely fine, in embossed case of issue

R.N.L.I. Medal voted 18.1.1940: 'At midday on the 24th November, 1939, the 434-ton pilot boat Charles Livingstone left Liverpool to cruise at a pilotage station with 32 men on board. At midnight 25-26th she was about one mile from the Liverpool Bar light vessel in bad weather with a strong breeze and rough sea. In a confused weather pattern she drove ashore at 3:24am; it was at first thought that this was on the north coast of Wales. She was, however, finally located at 8:20am on Ainsdale Beach, between Southport and Formby on the Lancashire coast. Five of the men on board were lost when the ship's boats were capsized in the surf, leaving the rest of the men stranded on board. Several men were washed out of the rigging, only four reaching the shore alive. Arriving at Ainsdale Point in the Lytham Watson class motor lifeboat Dunleary, Coxswain Parkinson could see the casualty's mast and funnel, the vessel lying broadside onto the beach, embedded in the sand, her decks awash. He ran his boat in and made her fast under the wreck's lee but the nine survivors on board refused to leave, hoping to walk ashore at low tide. Dunleary returned to her station, her crew having been on duty for 24 hours. Shortly after she left the Blackpool Liverpool class motor lifeboat Sarah Ann Austin arrived at 2:00pm, and going alongside in an ebbing tide, Coxswain Parr took off the six men now remaining on board and ran his boat onto the beach and landed them with the help of crowds of spectators. In this incident, 11 top Liverpool Pilots and 15 apprentice Pilots lost their lives.'

Mr. Thomas Edward Rimmer, served as a mechanic with the Blackpool Lifeboat Sarah Ann Austin, and was alongside his elder brother Jack on this rescue. He died in Blackpool in December 1966.

A total of 2 silver and 2 bronze Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medals were awarded for this action.

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