'It was very emotional' - RNLI volunteer from Brixham honoured during 200th anniversary celebrations

An RNLI volunteer who holds the charity's highest award has spoken about being honoured at Westminster Abbey for his part in a dramatic rescue.

Keith Bower is one of only three living members of the lifesaving organisation to have been awarded a Gold Medal - following a rescue he led with a crew from Torbay.

Keith, from Brixham, carried a marble and silver replica of the RNLI's 'Memorial' sculpture down the aisle at Westminster Abbey during a ceremony to mark the charity's 200th anniversary.

The RNLI Memorial carries the names of more than 600 RNLI volunteers who have died saving the lives of others at sea.

Speaking about the service, Keith said it was "very emotional and appropriate".

He added that the address by the Archbishop of Canterbury was "really superb - he hit the nail on the head".

Standing initially just inside the entrance of the Abbey greeting visitors as they arrived, it was subsequently carried in procession during the service by Keith to a ceremonial table in front of the alter before the final blessing, where it could be seen and read by The Duke of Kent.

Keith's key role in the service was due to the leadership he showed 48 years ago while crewing Torbay's Arun class lifeboat on a daring rescue. His 'Edward Bridges' 54-02 boat is now on permanent display at Chatham Lifeboat Museum.

The dramatic rescue that earned Keith a Gold Medal:

It all began just before 1am on 6th December 1976, when Keith, then-Torbay RNLI's acting coxswain was woken by an urgent call for help from the crew of the Lyrma.

The crew set out and upon rounding Berry Head, their lifeboat faced force 10 winds and 12m waves - the worst conditions any of the crew had experienced.

When they reached the Lyrma, they found it was listing dangerously due to loose filled oil drums and chipboards that had broken free and were in danger of causing the ship to capsize.

It was also running in circles uncontrollably due to a jammed rudder, with 40-foot waves accentuating the ship's list.

The Lyrma's skipper suggested over the radio to Keith that all crew should be taken off as he feared the ship could capsize, with waves already washing across its well deck on rolls.

But Keith feared for the safety of the crew if they were transferred to his lifeboat, so requested a Sea King helicopter.

The Coastguard warned they could not provide a helicopter but a merchant navy ship, the RFA Engadine, was nearby with a Wessex helicopter aboard.

This arrived around 3:15am but when a winchman was bravely lowered, he became tangled, endangering the helicopter itself and leading to him coming within seconds of being cut loose before he managed to free himself and return to the aircraft.

That ended any further air rescue attempts. The pilot later stated that he believedthe RNLI vessel would also shortly need rescuing.

Attempts to get close to the stricken vessel appeared too dangerous as she lurched in all directions and a flare sent up by its crew flew back in the wind onto the wheelhouse, causing it to briefly catch fire.

A 27,000-tonne, 200-foot Eurofreighter was requested to help by acting as a windbreak but had to pull away as waves dangerously washed over its decks.

Keith decided the only option was to attempt a boat-to-boat transfer, using 20-second breaks between sequential waves to approach, in manoeuvres that broke with the rule books.

The skipper of the Lyrma then managed to get his crew ready to transfer and two RNLI crew members made 12 runs to collect all of them.

Some trips managed to succeed in bringing terrified crew over voluntarily, while others had to be physically pulled across by RNLI volunteers.

Some runs failed to bring anybody back while on the sixth go, the Lyrma smashed down on the lifeboat's forward topside and forcing her into the water.

Keith: 'We feared major structural damage

Keith said: “We heard loud pops like rifle shots, which we later worked out were stanchion bolts erupting. Guardrails were stoven inward, with one up to 45 degrees, as a result.

"We could reach up from the conning bridge and touch the side of the Lyrma above us as she pushed down. We feared major structural damage. But our luck did hold, and we pulled away to return back again a further half dozen more times.”

After apparently rescuing all the crew including the skipper, members of the Lyrma then alerted the RNLI that two of them were still stuck in an inflatable life raft hanging off the other side of the ship.

It took the RNLI quite a while to communicate to the pair to cut the line holding the life raft so it fell into the water, and when it did so, they immediately shot off in the gale-force winds, before they were eventually rescued too.

During the entire evacuation, Engadine’s Wessex stood-by and the pilot later said that he would not have believed it possible to get anyone safely aboard a lifeboat in those conditions.

The other six volunteers aboard the RNLI lifeboat, including Keith’s brother Stephen JBower, were all awarded Bronze Medals.

Reflecting on the rescue, Keith added: “We couldn’t have done it without every single one of us being there. I just happened to be driving."

He said the rescue mission had been "life-changing".

Keith said: "It's led to a garden party at Buckingham Palace, I was the guest of honour with my wife at the Dorchester Hotel at a thing called the Lifeboat and Mermaid Ball, and I've been all over the country talking about it and fundraising. So, yes, a real life-changing event.

His family has now followed his footsteps into the RNLI, with two of his nephews volunteering for the charity.

"I think they've got super, super boats and they always have had. When I was doing it in the Arun, I considered it at the time that it was the best boat in the world, and I think that reputation for the RNLI is still there," he said.

"Of course, that's not possible without everybody chipping in and fundraising, which is the most important really."