Exmouth RNLI commemorate crew member lost at sea through Launch A Memory

Exmouth RNLI will remember former crew member, Will Carder, who was lost at sea on Christmas Day in 1956, by adding his name to the Exmouth lifeboat through the popular Launch a Memory campaign.

Exmouth RNLI will remember former crew member, Will Carder, who was lost at sea on Christmas Day in 1956, by adding his name to the Exmouth lifeboat through the popular Launch a Memory campaign.

The latest Launch a Memory campaign has already seen close to 10,000 names submitted for inclusion on the Exmouth RNLI Shannon all-weather-lifeboat R & J Welburn. The names will appear in the ‘decals’, the lettering and numbering on the boat.

Exmouth RNLI volunteers have chosen to commemorate Will Carder, who is the only Exmouth lifeboat crew member to have been lost at sea in more than 200 years of lifeboat operations in the town.

He was one of the crew who put to sea in the former Exmouth lifeboat, Maria Noble, on Christmas Day, 1956, after red distress flares were spotted about four miles off Orcombe Point from a stricken vessel, the Minerva. A south-easterly gale was blowing causing high seas and continuous rain. Will is believed to have been swept overboard by a 6 metre (20 ft) high wave. Another crew member, Jack Phillips, was also swept overboard.

Conditions were so bad, Coxswain Harold Bradford decided it was too dangerous to run the lifeboat back to find them.  Search parties were organised to look for the missing men. Whilst Jack Phillips managed to get safely ashore, Will was found unresponsive in the water and all efforts to revive him were sadly unsuccessful.

Will was a popular member of the lifeboat crew, running a local pub, The Volunteer. When the pub was demolished the sign was moved to the lifeboat station where it hangs alongside today’s state-of-the-art Shannon lifeboat, R & J Welburn, with a portrait of Will added to further commemorate his service.

He has now been further honoured by the current crew, who have added his name to sit alongside thousands of others to be added to the lifeboat through the Launch a Memory campaign.

Ian Taylor, Exmouth RNLI lifeboat operations manager said: ‘We are so pleased that Will’s name will be added to the lifeboat. We are such a close crew and can only imagine the feelings of our counterparts in 1956 when they lost one of their own – and especially on Christmas Day. It will be very special for our volunteer crew to have him by their side every time we launch, joining the thousands of others whose loved ones want to remember them in this special way.’

Members of the public are still able to add the name of a loved one to sit alongside Will by making a suggested donation of £50 and submitting that person’s name online. In the coming months a third decal will be open for submissions, which will be added to the roof of the lifeboat’s wheelhouse.

Ian Taylor added: ‘Opening the wheelhouse decal for submissions means we will be able to welcome thousands more names to be added to the lifeboat. We know that supporters who have submitted names to previous Launch a Memory campaigns often take great comfort knowing that their name is alongside our crews when they receive a call for help, so it is wonderful to be able to offer that opportunity to many more people.’

Everyone who supports the campaign will receive email updates about the lifeboat, keeping them informed of all major developments. To find out more or to submit a name please visit rnli.org/launchamemory.