Angle Lifeboat Station
News 2010
Second Royal visitor for Angle lifeboat station
9th July 2010
Angle lifeboat station welcomed its second Royal visitor in 13 months on Friday, when His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, president of the RNLI, flew in by helicopter for a private visit.
In June 2009, the station had welcomed his younger brother, Prince Michael of Kent, who officially named its new £2.7m RNLI Tamar class all-weather lifeboatMark Mason.
The Duke of Kent, who was accompanied by RNLI Chief Executive Paul Boissier and RNLI Training Divisional Inspector Andy Hurley, was welcomed by Angle's Lifeboat Operations Manager John Allen-Mirehouse, who introduced him to his wife Rosie, Deputy Launching Authority and President of Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild, and Jeff Stringer, Deputy Launching Authority.
After meeting RNLI Staff Coxswain Lee Firman, Second Coxswain Danny Richards, and Head Launcher Brian Brown, the Duke boarded the Tamar class lifeboat to chat to volunteer crew members Bernard Jonker (shore crew), Richard Bowles, Derek Richards, Nathan Mounter, Jo Lynas, Sarah Lunn, Mervyn Lunn (assistant mechanic), Gareth Jones and Nigel Berry.
In the station's crewroom, with its spectacular views over the Milford Haven Waterway, he made presentations to former Coxswain and RNLI Bronze Medallist Jerry Rees and Norma Surtees, treasurer and vice president of Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild.
Jerry, who was accompanied by his wife Ann, received an RNLI long service certificate, after dedicating 38 years - 17 of them as coxswain - to saving lives at sea. Jerry, who retired in March, had followed his father and grandfathers into the service of the RNLI.
Norma was presented with an RNLI silver badge in appreciation of her 25 years of dedicated service, having also served as assistant secretary, chairman, assistant treasurer and box secretary of the Guild.
Others present to greet the Duke were members of the Angle station committee, George Hancock (treasurer), Dr R. Hannaford (lifeboat medical advisor), Elvina Lawrence, Rosie O'Callaghan, Michael Eynon (retired lifeboat mechanic), Phil Thompson, Max Jones (Sea Safety officer), and Ted Goddard (press officer); Kath Lunn and Kath Jones (wives of crew members), and crew member Nathan Mounter's girlfriend Lucy, and Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild members Daphne Bush (chairman), Tamzin Lewis (secretary), Jennie McIntosh (assistant press secretary), Sandra Thompson (minute secretary) and Margaret Beyers (box secretary).
The Duke of Kent and Paul Boissier were presented with framed photographs of the station's Tamar class lifeboat Mark Mason and Tyne class RFA Sir Galahadby Norma Surtees and Daphne Bush.
After signing the station's visitor's book, the Duke inspected a display of lifeboat memorabilia, which included the original service record for the triple RNLI Silver Medal rescue of crew members and passengers from the whisky ship Loch Shiel, wrecked on Thorn Island in January 1894.
Earlier, retired Coxswain Jerry Rees had received an inscribed pewter tankard from the station committee, to mark his retirement.
Before arriving at Angle, the Duke had visited Little and Broad Haven lifeboat station and later went on to Tenby lifeboat station, where he named the relief Tamar class lifeboat Victor Freeman. 
During his visit to Angle lifeboat station on Friday, the Duke of Kent, president of the RNLI, presents an RNLI long service certificate to former Coxswain Jerry Rees. Jerry, an RNLI Bronze Medallist, retired in March after dedicating 38 years to saving lives at sea, 17 of them as coxswain. Also in the picture is Angle’s Lifeboat Operations Manager John Allen-Mirehouse. 
Mrs Norma Surtees, treasurer of Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild, receives her RNLI silver badge for 25 years service, from the Duke of Kent. The presentation was made when the Duke, president of the RNLI, visited Angle lifeboat station on Friday.
The Duke of Kent, president of the RNLI, meets Staff Coxswain Lee Firman and Second Coxswain Danny Richards, on the aft deck of Angle’s £2.7m Tamar class lifeboat on Friday. With them (left to right) are volunteer crew members Brian Brown (head launcher), Richard Bowles, Derek Richards, Bernard Jonker (shore crew), Nathan Mounter, Jo Lynas, Sarah Lunn, Mervyn Lunn (assistant mechanic), Gareth |Jones and Nigel Berry. 
Members of Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild meet the Duke of Kent, president of the RNLI, at Angle lifeboat station on Friday. With him here are (left to right) Jennie McIntosh (assistant press officer), Sandra Thompson (minute secretary), Tamzin Lewis (secretary), Daphne Bush (chairman) and Norma Surtees (treasurer). Also in the group, but not in the picture, is Margaret Beyers (box secretary).
by Ted Goddard , RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer
Photos by Martin Cavaney Photography.
Angle lifeboat station's Open Day is a record-breaker
RNLI Angle's new £2.7m Tamar class all-weather lifeboat was the star attraction at its record-breaking open day on Bank Holiday Sunday (30 May). Visitors from as far away as the Midlands flocked to the station to tour the state-of-the-art lifeboat, which was officially named Mark Mason by Prince Michael of Kent last June.
Also attracting a lot of attention was the station's D-class inshore lifeboat, Richard John Talbot Hillier.
In the crew room, with its breathtaking views over the Milford Haven Waterway, there were RNLI souvenirs on sale, as well as refreshments and a raffle competition, which was drawn by new station committee member Phil Thompson, formerly public affairs manager at the Chevron refinery.
A big hit with children at the open day was RNLI mascot Stormy Stan (Nathan Mounter, the station's newest volunteer crew member). An impressive display of radio-controlled models was presented by Trevor Davies, of Pembroke, and Chris Parr, a former volunteer crew member at RNLI Fishguard. The models included Tenby and Fishguard all-weather lifeboats and Angle's Mark Mason, still under construction, as well as a landing craft, rescue ship, fishery protection vessel, air boat, speedboat and skier, and tank transporters and tanks.
As visitors toured the station, they saw many reminders of its long and proud history dating back to 1868, when the first lifeboat Katherine, a 10-oared self-righter, went into service.
Pictured at the RNLI Angle open day with mascot Stormy Stan is young Joe Watkins.
Retirement day for RNLI Angle's Coxswain Jerry Rees.
24th March 2010
Pembrokeshire Bronze medal RNLI Coxswain to retire after 38 years
Angle RNLI Coxswain Jerry Rees, who followed his father and grandfathers footsteps into the RNLI, retires today (24 March). Hanging up his lifejacket for the last time will be a poignant occasion for Jerry, who has dedicated nearly four decades to saving lives off the county's coastline.
The search is now on to find his successor - someone, like Jerry, whose strength of character and personality is just as strong as an ability to handle a lifeboat in adverse sea conditions. The RNLI has launched a recruitment campaign to find a suitable replacement to take the helm of Angle's Tamar class all-weather RNLI lifeboat Mark Mason.
RNLI Bronze Medallist Jerry, who has been Coxswain for 17 years, joined the RNLI in 1972 as a volunteer crew member in Angle's Watson class all-weather lifeboat, Richard Vernon and Mary Garforth of Leeds, under the command of Coxswain/Mechanic Rees Holmes.
In 1981 he was appointed Second Coxswain and full-time Mechanic and took over the helm as full-time Coxswain in 1993, following the death of Coxswain Gerald 'Farmer' Edwards.
As Coxswain, Jerry has commanded two classes of all-weather lifeboat - the Tyne class The Lady Rank and, from March 2009, the £2.7M Tamar class Mark Mason.
He was awarded the RNLI's Bronze Medal in 1997 for an outstanding six-hour service in gale force winds when Angle's lifeboat, The Lady Rank, snatched a disabled passenger boat, Dale Princess, from the foot of 80ft cliffs on Skomer Island, and saved the lives of the four crew on board. The service involved maneuvering the lifeboat in a tiny cove battered by an onshore gale and then towing the casualty to safety.
Medal Service Badges were awarded to Second Coxswain Danny Richards, Assistant Mechanic Adam Stringer and Crew Members David Lawrence, Bernard Jonker, Roger O'Callaghan and Derek Richards.
Jerry, the son of the late Charles (Benny) and Barbara Rees, followed his father and grandfathers, Edgar Rees and Harry Thomas, into the service of the RNLI at Angle. Benny served as Second Coxswain, Edgar was Mechanic on the station's steam lifeboat and first motor lifeboat and Harry was Head Houseman.
In retirement, Jerry hopes to retain his links with the station by becoming a member of the shore crew. He is also planning to embark on a commercial fishing venture.
Jerry and his wife, Ann, have five children aged from 11 to 28. For ten years Ann was licensee of the lifeboat station's nearest neighbour, the historic Old Point House Inn, with Jerry assisting when off duty. The inn had previously been run by Ann's parents, Paddy and Eileen Cooper.
With Jerry taking leave until his retirement date, an RNLI Staff Coxswain will take over the helm, until Jerry's successor is appointed.
The RNLI is advertising internally and externally for a new Coxswain, whose time will mostly be divided between ensuring the Tamar class lifeboat and her equipment work to the highest order and training the volunteer crew members, as well as meeting the public and talking about the station's work.
By Ted Goddard, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer
RNLI SOS Day 29th Jan 2010
An SOS from Angle lifeboat station appealing for support for the RNLI's recent national fundraising day launched a generous £1,336 response from the community.
A day of SOS-themed events began with a bucket collection at Tesco's Pembroke Dock store, where £515.28 was raised for the lifesaving charity.
A visit to Angle School to Share Our Soup raised a further £64.30, with pupils having fun dressing up in lifeboat kit and shaping coins into the letters 'RNLI'.
Later, there was a quiz night at the village's Hibernia Inn, where all Sampled Our Savouries and £550 was raised. The quiz master was Pam Stringer and the winners were the Salty Old Seamen.
On Friday 12th February, Angle's lifeboat operations manager John Allen-Mirehouse and his wife Rosie, deputy launching authority, opened the grounds of Angle Hall to See Our Snowdrops. The event raised a further £206.79, with visitors delighted at the carpets of snowdrops on display and enjoying a cup of tea there afterwards.