Tribute Paid to Lifeboatman Who Perished on Christmas Day

The crew of a Devon lifeboat station is paying tribute to one of its members who lost his life at sea on Christmas Day in 1956. Will Carder, a volunteer from the Exmouth lifeboat station, was swept into the sea by a 20ft (6m) wave during a gale as he participated in the rescue of a stranded Dutch vessel’s crew. His memory will be honored through the charity’s Launch a Memory campaign, which involves his name being inscribed on the hull of Exmouth’s latest Shannon class lifeboat. Ian Taylor, representing Exmouth RNLI lifeboat, stated: “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.” Mr. Carder, aged 53 at the time of his death, holds the distinction of being the sole individual in Exmouth’s 200-year operational history to die in the line of duty. Mr. Taylor commented that it would be “very special” for the present 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”. The Lifeboat Magazine Archive indicates that the coastguard contacted the Exmouth lifeboat just before 17:00 GMT on Christmas Day in 1956, reporting that the Dutch ship MV Minerva had discharged burning, red flares approximately four miles (6.4km) south-east of Orcombe Point. The crew aboard the Maria Noble, Exmouth’s Liverpool type lifeboat, departed from the River Exe’s sheltered yet swollen waters. Treacherous conditions, characterized by a south-easterly gale, driving rain, and a swollen river, led to Mr. Carder being swept overboard, alongside fellow crew member Jack Phillips. Coxswain Harold Bradford proceeded towards the Minerva and communicated with the shore regarding the men overboard, having concluded that attempting to retrieve them would be too hazardous. The Minerva’s crew was successfully rescued with assistance from the Torbay lifeboat, the George Shee, while the other crew member managed to reach shore safely. Nevertheless, Mr. Carder was discovered unresponsive in the water, and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. The RNLI reported that Mr. Carder was a well-liked member of the lifeboat crew who operated a local pub named The Volunteer. Following the pub’s demolition, its sign was relocated to the lifeboat station, and a portrait of Mr. Carder was subsequently installed there as a tribute. The RNLI stated that this inscription will join almost 10,000 other names on the decal of the current lifeboat, the R&J Welburn, as part of the Launch a Memory initiative. For more updates, follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. This content is copyrighted by BBC, 2024. All rights are reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites and provides information regarding its policy on external linking.