The crew of a Cornish lifeboat who were killed in a disaster 30 years ago have been remembered by their present-day colleagues.

On 19 December 1981 hurricane force winds blew the cargo ship Union Star off course after it suffered engine failure.

The Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne launched into difficult waters, but never returned.

There were no survivors from the Union Star and the lifeboat was completely wrecked with the loss of its crew of eight. In total there were 16 casualties.

Missing dog rescued from Devon cliff by RNLI


An RNLI lifeboat crew found Sprig on a ledge while on a training exercise on Sunday

A dog which was missing for more than a week has been rescued from a cliff ledge and reunited with his owners.

Sprig the springer spaniel disappeared while out for a walk with his owners on 22 August near Foreland Point, Devon.

An RNLI lifeboat crew from Minehead, Somerset, found the nine-year-old dog on a ledge while on a training exercise on Sunday.

Sprig's owners said it was "the best news ever".

The crew approached the cliffs after believing a sheep was trapped on the ledge, when they noticed the dog further down the cliff.

Helmsman Andrew Escott said: "We went in as close as we could and then we could see it was a dog. It was about 30ft (9.2m) above the water and we couldn't work out how it had got in that position."


The RNLI crew jumped on to the cliff ledge to rescue the dog

Mr Escott managed to jump ashore and climbed up to rescue Sprig. "He had clearly been there for some time because he was licking water off my dry suit and he did seem rather pleased to see us," he said.

Owners, Mark and Susie Sanders, from Wheddon Cross, near Minehead, said: "We were coming to the conclusion that he must have wandered off and then been stolen. I just could not believe it when we had a call to say the lifeboat crew had spotted him and rescued him. It's amazing, the best news ever."

Remembering the heroes of the Penlee Lifeboat the Solomon Browne who died during 'the greatest act of courage'

They set to sea in waves so huge that the spray hit an RNAS Culdrose helicopter hovering 400 feet above

Today, December 19, marks the anniversary of one worst tragedies in the history of the RNLI - and an event which saw eight brave lifeboat men lose their lives in a remarkable act of courage.

Just days before Christmas, the Penlee lifeboat the Solomon Browne was launched from its station near Mousehole in Cornwall, to go to the aid of a the Union Star, a stricken coaster which was being swept towards the cliffs after its engines failed.

The cargo ship's crew of five - and the captain's wife and teenager stepdaughters, who were also aboard - were all in mortal danger, and would also lose their lives in the tragedy that unfolded.

The weather that night was so fierce that lifeboat Coxswain William Trevelyan Richards famously refused to take two members of the same family as crew.

And so Assistant Mechanic Nigel Brockman went to sea, while his son Neil, who would later become coxswain of the Penlee Lifeboat, stayed behind as the 47-foot Solomon Browne battled hurricane force winds - and seas so huge spray from the waves hit the cockpit windows of an RNAS Culdrose helicopter hovering 400 feet above.

The helicopter's pilot, a Lieutenant Commander from the US navy called Russell Smith, watched as a huge wave picked up the lifeboat and hurled it onto the deck of the stricken cargo ship, at the foot of cliffs near Tater Du Lighthouse, a mile west of Lamorna Cove in West Cornwall.

Lt Cmdr Smith would later recall how the lifeboat stayed there, stranded, for a few seconds – then the Union Star listed in the waves, and the lifeboat slid off, back into the sea.

Incredibly, in an awe-inspiring display of seamanship, the Lifeboat's coxswain, William Trevelyan Richards, used that momentum to tuck the lifeboat alongside the Union Star.

The helicopter pilot said he saw Solomon Browne 's crew run out on deck and, with their arms outstretched and the ocean exploding around them, they urged the children, women and men aboard the Union Star to leap for their lives.

In a radio message to the Falmouth Coastguard at 9.21pm, the lifeboat's mechanic, James Madron, said: "This is the Penlee Lifeboat. Penlee Lifeboat calling Falmouth Coastguard. We got four men off – look, er, hang on – we got four off at the moment, er, ma… male and female. There’s two left on board…’

The message was interrupted by a loud thud and screech, as the lifeboat was either dashed against rocks, or smashed against the hull of the Union Star. And then the radio fell silent. Radio contact with the lifeboat had been lost.

However, Lt Cmdr Smith still had visual contact, and said Solomon Browne appeared to be heading back out to sea. Convinced the lifeboat was returning to port, Lt Cmdr Smith did the same - and so no one witnessed what happened next.

It's believed the crew of the Penlee Lifeboat, after a collision took out their radio, went back for the two people left on board the Union Star – and to search for two others thought to be in the water.

The Solomon Browne was never seen again and 16 lives - all of the lifeboat crew eight and the eight people aboard the Union Star - were lost at sea.

Some, but not all, of the bodies were eventually recovered.

A lifeboat station is marking its 10-year anniversary – and hundreds of successful operations.

Volunteers at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution station in Portishead, North Somerset, have been called out 396 times since it opened in 2015. They have so far assisted 347 people, saving 14 lives and rescuing 17 dogs.

The station serves the Bristol Channel, which has the second highest tidal range in the world, making conditions hazardous for volunteers. Tom Mansell, regional operations lead, said: "I am extremely grateful for the dedication and professionalism they show on a daily basis."

The RNLI station was preceded by the Portishead Lifeboat Trust, which operated from Sugar Loaf Beach as an independent rescue service for nearly 20 years.

The trust's station was an old shipping container, with basic facilities, which belonged to the Portishead Yacht and Sailing Club.



In 2012, it was agreed that a new location would be secured and the RNLI would then take over operations. The new station was declared operational on 24 April 2015.



Ian Lazenby, a volunteer helm, said witnessing the transition was "really exciting". He said the former facility was "damp and mouldy" but the new station was much improved, with toilets, kettles, seats and central heating.

The RNLI takeover also resulted in additional funding for the station, better equipment and more efficient operations.

A celebration to mark the 10-year anniversary will be held on 18 May to coincide with an open day at the station. The day will include demonstrations and a boat launch, with other local emergency services joining in.

"You get a lot from the teamwork, you get a lot from the training, but genuinely for me – in the 20 years I've been doing it – it's the satisfaction of knowing if somebody's in trouble, we'll go and help them," Mr Lazenby said.  "Anything you do when you're helping others is hugely satisfying; to be able to do that is a real privilege."

RNLI volunteer at Southend records 100th life saved in 40 years


Tony Bonham, 59, says he feels young and has "years" left in him

An RNLI volunteer commander has saved more than 100 people since he signed up 40 years ago.

Tony Bonham has logged 101 lives saved and 953 people aided since Southend-on-Sea station's record-keeping began in 1996, 10 years after he started. He said the real number was probably much higher.

The 59-year-old began volunteering as a lifeguard at nearby Shoebury West beach aged 15, joining the lifeboat team four years later. "We don't look at ourselves as heroes. I've been, I've done a job, I'm getting on with work now... we never look for recognition," he said.

If the person would have drowned without their assistance, it is recorded as a life saved, otherwise it is "assisted".

"There's 100 families plus that have still got their loved ones with them," he said.


Three generations of Bonhams - Tony Bonham with his son Tyler, and his son who "always wants to go down to the lifeboat station"

Bonham said they lose a lot of volunteers due to the commitment that is asked of them. "You can be out days, nights, anniversaries, Christmas Day. If you're on duty and you get a call, you've got to go," he said.

"We could be out at two in the morning... we do the job, we put everything back, make sure it's all ready. We go home to our families and carry on the next day. You might read about it in the paper; you might not."

Bonham says he is "very proud" of his son Tyler, who will soon be starting as a commander at the Gravesend lifeboat in Kent - and the family's involvement looks like it could extend to another generation. "Now his son, who's six, always wants to go down to the lifeboat station. He enjoys the cookies," said Tony.

Talking to Sonia Watson on BBC Essex, he described being called out together with his son for the first time recently. "He was my helm, I was his crew and it was really, really funny him being in charge," he said. "But I still got dressed quicker and was out before him."

He said he never turns his pager off, and returned to duty straight after the interview. "I still feel young. I am young - I'm 59 - got many years in me to go yet," he said.