Awards Of The Royal National Lifeboat Institution
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A number of Royal National Lifeboat Institution awards have been established by the
Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
(RNLI) since its creation in 1824. None are approved by the Crown, and are therefore unofficial awards. As such, they do not appear in the official British order of wear, although the principal lifesaving award, the ''Medal of the RNLI'', can be worn on the right breast in uniform by members of the British armed forces.


RNLI awards

The RNLI awards include:


Medal of the RNLI

The medal was established in 1824, the same year the RNLI was founded, to reward "humane and intrepid exertions in saving life from shipwrecks on our coasts, deemed sufficiently conspicuous to merit honourable distinction". The medal can be awarded for saving life at sea in gold, silver and, since 1917, in bronze. While awards are now only made to lifeboat crew who risk their lives in rescue attempts, a number of nineteenth century medals were bestowed on others who saved life from the sea. These included coastguard officers and those who affected a rescue by wading or swimming into the sea from the shore. Apart from the metal of manufacture, the design of the three classes is the same. When established in 1824, the obverse bore the effigy of King
George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...
, the first patron of the Institution. In 1862 this was changed to a profile of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
, with changes to
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
in 1902 and
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...
in 1911. In 1937 Royal permission to portray
George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
was refused, as the award is not granted by the Crown, and since then the profile of the RNLI founder Sir
William Hillary Sir William Hillary, 1st Baronet (4 January 1771 – 5 January 1847) was a British militia officer, author and philanthropist, best known as the founder, in 1824, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.. Life Hillary's background was ...
has been used.
The reverse, designed by
William Wyon William Wyon (Birmingham 1795 – 29 October 1851), was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death. Biography Wyon was born in Birmingham and, in 1809, was apprenticed to his father, Peter Wyon who was an engraver a ...
, shows three sailors in a lifeboat rescuing a fourth from the sea, below the inscription "Let not the deep swallow me up" taken from
Psalm 69 Psalm 69 is the 69th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul". It is subtitled: "To the chief musician, upon Shoshannim, a Psalm of David". The Book ...
. The reverse of the Edward VII version shows a figure of Hope adjusting the lifejacket of a lifeboatman. The original reverse was restored for issues from 1911.
The medal is engraved on the edge with the name of the recipient and the date the award was approved.
The very first medals were presented without any means of suspension, and then with a suspension loop for the plain dark blue ribbon. Since about 1852 the current suspension, in the form of two dolphins, has been used, and additional awards in the same class have been recognised by clasps attached to the ribbon. Up to 2004, a total of 150 gold, 1,563 silver and 791 bronze medals had been awarded. Recipients of the Silver Medal have included
Grace Darling Grace Horsley Darling (24 November 1815 – 20 October 1842) was an English lighthouse keeper's daughter. Her participation in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked ''Forfarshire'' in 1838 brought her national fame. The paddlesteamer ...
, who achieved national fame in 1838 when she took part in her lighthouse keeper father's rescue of nine people whose ship had run aground off the coast of Northumberland coast. Her father, William Darling, also received the Silver Medal.


RNLI Decoration

The Decoration of the Institution was awarded for conspicuous and special services to the RNLI, other than actual personal life-saving. Established in 1901, many awards were made for long and devoted service by Branch Honorary Secretaries and Ladies Auxiliaries. A new design was approved in 1912, to be awarded in both gold and silver. Awards were discontinued in May 1914 after objections were raised by King
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...
that the decoration, a private award without Royal sanction, conflicted with the principle of the Crown as the
fount of honour The fount of honour ( la, fons honorum) is a person, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons. Origin During the High Middle Ages, ...
. The decoration of 1901 was a circular gilt medal 27mm in diameter and surmounted by a crown. It depicts a lifeboat going to the assistance of a sailing ship in distress, surrounded by a white enamel lifebelt bearing the words ''Royal National Lifeboat Institution''. The reverse in plain. It is suspended from a plain dark blue ribbon, shaped in a bow when worn by women.
The 1912 design, manufactured by
Garrard & Co Garrard & Co. Limited, formerly Asprey & Garrard Limited, designs and manufactures luxury jewellery and silver. George Wickes founded Garrard in London in 1735 and the brand is headquartered at Albemarle Street in Mayfair, London. Garrard also h ...
of London, was a stylised cross in dark blue enamel, with the letters ''R N L I'' in the angles of the cross, interlaced with a rope.


RNLI Long Service Medal

Established in 2020, it is awarded for twenty years service with the RNLI, either as crew or as a support volunteer, and replaces the award of enamel lapel badges. Clasps, attached to the ribbon, are presented to mark each further period of ten years service. Clasps are inscribed ''30'', ''40'' ''50'' or ''60 Years'', as appropriate. By September 2020, a total of 733 medals had been issued, including several with the ''60 Year'' clasp. The medal is circular and is struck in silver-plated base metal. The obverse shows the left-facing bust of the RNLI founder Sir
William Hillary Sir William Hillary, 1st Baronet (4 January 1771 – 5 January 1847) was a British militia officer, author and philanthropist, best known as the founder, in 1824, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.. Life Hillary's background was ...
, surrounded by the words ''Royal National Lifeboat Institution''. The reverse shows a representation of two outstretched hands clasped above a raging sea with, on a surrounding band, the inscription "With courage nothing is impossible". Each medal is named to the recipient on the rim. The ribbon, suspended from a fixed straight suspender, is navy blue with narrow red and yellow edges, the colours of the RNLI.


Other awards

Notable service that does not justify the award of a medal can be rewarded with either the "Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum" or a "Framed Letter of Appreciation". The RNLI have also established a number of awards that can be awarded to groups, including boat crews. Examples include the Ralph Glister Award, inaugurated in 1968, awarded annually to a rescue boat crew who have given outstanding service; and the Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award, established in 1986, given annually for the most meritorious rescue carried out by an inshore lifeboat crew.


Official awards to the RNLI

Members of the RNLI have also received a number of official awards, both for gallantry and distinguished service. These include
Henry Blogg Henry George Blogg"Henry Blogg, the Greatest of the Lifeboatmen", Jolly, C., Pub: Poppyland Publishing, new edition 2002, GC BEM (6 February 1876 – 13 June 1954) was a lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England, and the ...
and William Fleming who both received, in addition to a number of RNLI awards, the
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...
; and Edward Parker and Howard Primrose Knight, both awarded the
Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...
for their "gallantry and determination when ferrying troops from the beaches" during the 1940
Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...
. Members of the RNLI are regularly appointed to the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
, including awards of the
British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...
, for both maritime safety and charitable services. In addition, serving RNLI lifeboat crew with five years operational service were eligible for the Queen's Jubilee Medals of
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,
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and
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on the same basis as members of government run
emergency service Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal wit ...
s.:


Notes and references


Sources and further information

* * * * * * * * * *{{cite journal , year=2010 , title=Groombridge Award, journal=The Life-Boat , volume=61 , issue=593 , date=Autumn 2010, url=https://lifeboatmagazinearchive.rnli.org/volume/61/593/groombridge-award?, ref={{sfnref, The Life-Boat, 2010 Lifesaving Royal National Lifeboat Institution Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Courage awards 1824 establishments in the United Kingdom Awards established in 1824