Hoylake RNLI crew, (left to right) Geoff Ormrod, Dave Dodd, Dave Whiteley, Steve Armitage.
As reported by John Curry, Lifeboat Operations Manager in the RNLI press centre.
Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Station is delighted to announce that four of the crew have been awarded a bar to their twenty year long-service badges.
The RNLI has for some time been thinking of recognising service beyond the original twenty year service badge, and in the last week has announced the names of the serving crew, who in some cases have doubled this service time in the interest of saving lives at sea.
At Hoylake, four serving crew members qualify for the bars. Two long serving members: David Dodd MBE and Geoff Ormrod qualify for the forty year bar. Both men have served with distinction as Coxswain of the Hoylake Lifeboat.
At present, David holds the position of Head Launcher and Geoff is Shore Crew. Both men have served well in excess of forty years.
Two other serving members of the crew: Deputy Second Coxswain Steve Armitage, and last but certainly not least, is the present Coxswain of the Hoylake Lifeboat David Whiteley.
Both these men have been awarded the thirty year bar, and again both have served well in excess of this time.
The Hoylake RNLI Lifeboat Station is very proud of its history of saving lives at sea, and all four men are no exception. Despite the hardships experienced on occasions, and the ever present danger of being at sea in heavy weather conditions in a small, but extremely seaworthy craft, none would have had their life any other way.
They are all dedicated lifeboat men and, despite the hardships, have found their roles of lifeboat crewmen to be both rewarding and not without times of great pleasure and fun within the camaraderie of the Lifeboat Service at Hoylake, which to a man they have been proud to serve.
