The Mumbles Lifeboat in War-time 1939-45
by Tom Ace
During the war, we were called out 23 times and saved 137 lives. I remember two occasions especially. On 7 February 1940, I was roused out of bed at two o’ clock in the morning and ten minutes later, we ran down the slipway into a very heavy sea. The Eldon Park, a cargo vessel, was on the rocks at Port Eynon and as we went into a very strong south-east wind, Coxswain William Davies said, ‘Well boys, we’ve got to get there as soon as possible, so we’ll take a chance and set course inside Mixon (Mixen) Sands.
The channel here was heavily mined, but fortunately we got through and at about 3.30, we sighted The Eldon. Only her bulwarks were showing and the crew of thirty-seven was huddled in the wheelhouse. The heavy sea made it impossible for us to use the breeches buoy and we could not get near her, because all her lifeboats had capsized and spars were floating in the water. So, we gave them a line and hung fast till daylight. All the crew were singing in the wheelhouse and when dawn broke, we let go the line and old William Davies shouted ‘Now lads, we’ve got to get into her.’ The tide was dropping and three feet of the bulwarks were showing. There was a terrible wind and one sea came in under the quarter of The Eldon Park and lifted us right up on top of the bulwarks. One by one the men jumped over the raging sea into the lifeboat and eventually the 37th man was safely taken off.
But, the danger was by no means over, for we were right in on the rocks. But at nine o’ clock, we got all 37 of them back to Mumbles safe and sound. The Skipper of The Eldon Park gave Coxswain William Davies his binoculars as a keepsake.
Coxswain William Gammon
The other occasion was about 7.30 in the evening of 14 October 1944, when Coxswain William Gammon came to me and said,’ Tom, we’ve had no official intimation, but the W.R.N.S in the signal station have phoned to say there’s a vessel in distress off Port Talbot’. It was blowing a 90 m.p.h. gale and the official order had not come through, because all the telephone lines were down. We decided to carry on and went round to the various clubs to pick up the old stagers. There was Jolly Joe, 72 years old; Charlie ‘Rum’ Davies, 70; Mike, 80 and Tommy ‘Russy’ Davies, 63.
The Mumbles lifeboat crew for the 1944 rescue of The Chebogue
Back, left to right: William Eynon, Mechanic Willliam Gilbert Davies, Charlie Davies (survivor of the 1903 Mumbles Lifeboat disaster) and Tom Davies. Front, left to right: William Michael, Coxswain William John Gammon, Bowman Tom Ace and Alfred Michael.
A Canadian ship, The Chebogue, had been torpedoed in the Atlantic and was being towed. She had come a thousand miles, but by the time they were off the Mumbles Roads, the tug had to leave her to save her own skin. The ship dropped anchor, but the wind dragged her on to the rocks. This part of the coast is known as the ‘Lifeboatman’s Dread’ and when we reached The Chebogue, there was no leashore at all and we couldn’t find a lea anywhere, so we decided to go inside her, between the frigate and the sands.
Coxswain Gammon shouted, ‘Do you want to leave her?’
Their Skipper answered, ‘Can you save the lot of us?’
‘Yes!’ shouted Gammon, ‘If you keep your heads.’
So, we went round her twelve or fourteen times and, in a heavy sea and wind, with every sharp parting, the forty-two of them jumped aboard. We got them all home safely, with the exception of one sailor who had broken his leg jumping.
Presentation
For this effort, every man in the crew received the thanks of the National Lifeboat Institution on vellum. Coxswain Gammon received the Lifeboatman’s VC and I received the Bronze Medal.
Mumbles Pier & Lifeboat Station