West Kirby Lifeboat Station is located at Coronation Gardens, in the town of West Kirby, on the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside.
A lifeboat was first stationed at West Kirby in 1966 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
The station currently operates a Inshore lifeboat, the Leonard Pownell (D-883), on station since 2023.
History A rise in coastal leisure activity, bathers, dinghies, small boats, etc. prompted the RNLI to introduce their small fast Inshore lifeboats in 1963. Launching an All-weather lifeboat was a time consuming act, and often too slow in these circumstances.
A tragic accident in the River Dee brought about discussion between the RNLI and local authorities, and it was decided to place Inshore lifeboats at both Flint and West Kirby. A (D-100) Inshore lifeboat was placed on service at West Kirby in June 1966, the responsibility of which was assigned to the RNLI Honorary Secretary. The boat was temporarily located at West Kirby Sailing Club, until a boathouse could be constructed on the promenade.
Only 2 months later in August 1966, she was proven as a necessary resource, when the crew were able to resuscitate a man, unconscious in the water from a capsized small boat.
As was usual at the time, Inshore lifeboats were on station seasonally, so a different boat (D-14) was provided in 1967, but she was swiftly followed by D-155, which then became the station boat from 1967 to 1975.
A training session was held in March 1980 on the techniques of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. A call came in at the end of the session, for two canoeists in the water, being swept away in the fast tide. The lifeboat Miss Winfield (D-230) was launched within two minutes. Arriving on scene to find one man unconscious, and the other in poor condition, crewman Robert Lydiate immediately put his training to use. Both men recovered, with Helm Ronald Jones, and crew members Robert Lydiate and John Curry receiving 'Letters of Thanks' signed by the RNLI Chief of Operations.
Two horses got stuck in the mud in 1988. The D-class lifeboat was carried over the sand to the location, and thus ensued a 2-hour battle to release the horses in the rising tide, the crew ending up waist-deep in water. Both horses were finally released only 20 minutes before high-water. For this rescue, the 11 crew were collectively awarded a bronze medal by the RSPCA.
In February 1990, the boathouse was severely damaged due to flooding on the promenade after a storm, and was subsequently demolished. A new boathouse was constructed at Coronation Gardens, completed in 1991, able to house both launch vehicle and lifeboat, along with providing modern crew facilities, and an office and workshop.
Due to the often long distance to the water, with the continuing silting of the area, the station operates a Hellgeth-Hägglund BV206 crew and launch vehicle, the only one in service with the RNLI. This allows for swift transportation of both crew and Inshore lifeboat over the sand to ever changing launch points.
In the 2020 New Year Honours list, the British Empire Medal was awarded to Carole Ann Jackson, for her fundraising efforts over 50 years.
40 years service with the RNLI by Jonathan 'Jono' Dodd at both West Kirby and was recognised in 2026, when he was awarded the MBE in the 2026 Birthday Honours.
Station honours The following are awards made at West Kirby:
Letter of Thanks, signed by the Chairman of the Institution Ronald Jones, Helm – 1980 John Curry – 1980 Robert Lydiate – 1980
Bronze Medal, awarded by the RSPCA Richard Booth – 1989 Richard Farnworth – 1989 Andrew Fowler – 1989 G. Hanson – 1989 D. Henshaw – 1989 Harry Jones (DLA) – 1989 Malcolm Jones – 1989 Ron Jones (SHS) – 1989 P. Langley – 1989 Guy Watkins – 1989 Eric Welles – 1989
The Alison Saunders’ Lifeguarding Award 2015 Norman Proctor, lifeguard – 2016 Michael Proctor, lifeguard – 2016 Thomas Corlett, lifeguard – 2016
British Empire Medal Carole Ann Jackson – 2020NYH
Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) Jonathan Myles Maxwell Dodd, Lifeboat Volunteer – 2026KBH
West Kirby lifeboats Inshore lifeboats Op.No. Name Class Comments D-100 1966 D-14 1967 D-155 D-230 Miss Winfield 1975−1987 D-332 1987−1994 D-473 Thomas Jefferson 1994−2003 D-612 2003−2012 D-751 Seahorse 2012−2023 Leonard Pownall 2023−
Launch and recovery tractors Op.No. Reg. No. Type Comments BV01 2013–
See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
References
External links
West Kirby RNLI Lifeboat Station