Exmouth lifeboat man honoured by Duke of Kent

EXMOUTH lifeboat station's flag will be flown at half mast today as HRH The Duke of Kent visits the RNLI HQ at Poole to unveil a national memorial dedicated to those who died while saving lives at sea.

EXMOUTH lifeboat station's flag will be flown at half mast today as HRH The Duke of Kent visits the RNLI HQ at Poole to unveil a national memorial dedicated to those who died while saving lives at sea.

Exmouth lifeboat man Will Carder, who died more than 50 years ago on Christmas Day when he was swept overboard the Maria Noble on one of the worst storms to hit the town, is one of the 778 brave souls from across the UK and Ireland to be remembered during the sombre ceremony.

Relatives, friends and RNLI staff will attend the ceremony of dedication, and at 12.20pm a one-minute silence will be held, which will be observed by RNLI lifeboat crews and supporters. Flags will also fly at half-mast until the ceremony ends.

Andrew Freemantle, chief executive of the RNLI, said: "The RNLI memorial is a tribute to the many hundreds of people who have given their lives selflessly to save others over the last two hundred years and it will ensure that the sacrifices made by our volunteers, and others, while saving lives at sea are never forgotten.

"Its location, in front of The Lifeboat College, in Poole, is truly fitting and will inspire generations of lifesavers from all over the British Isles who will train here in the years to come."

Members of the public can pay their respects by joining in the one-minute silence or by adding a tribute to the RNLI online book of commemoration at www.rnli.org/commemorate