Community Submissions

Looe Darts Team, Royal Navy Reserve. From L-R back - Leanard Pearn, Fernley Soady, Charley Pengelly, Charley Butters, Jack Clements. L-R front - Loris Southern, Bill Butters, Richard Pearce.

Bill [William] Butters - Lifeboatman noted in Service Records for Steamer, 1924; Enrolled with RNR 21 May 1925

Charley Butters - Lifeboatman noted in Service Records for Mary Peers, 1923; Enrolled with RNR 22 May 1925

Both are photographed infront of Lifeboat Ryder in 1928 with other crew.

Portrait of Lifeboat Crew outside Lifeboat Station, East Looe, infront of the Ryder Lifeboat. L-R standing: William [Bill] Butters; William [Bill] Cox; Thomas [Tiddy] Cox; Sam Symons; Charlie Hoskin; Alfred Hoskin; Richard Wynhall (Bowman); Charlie Toms (Signalman); Thomas Toms (Coxswain); C. Hocking; H. [Sammy] Symons (2nd Coxswain); George [Shootbob] Soady; Charlie [Shrimpy] Prynn; George [Winker] Soady. L-R sitting: Mr William Frederick Phillips, Commissioner and Mr John Frederick Childs, Honorary Secretary.

"My father, Charles Toms, was signalman to the station for over thirty years. He had to fire the warning gun and recall signal and was responsible for the safe lauching of the boat and for issuing the haulers tickets. He had little brass tokens inscribed RNLI which he handed out, selecting twelve men to assist the relief crew as haulers. There could be as many as a hundred men around the lifeboat house looking and hoping for a token especially during the first quarter of the year. At this time the fishing boats might not have been to sea for weeks and, even if they had, not much fish was caught. So it was a thankless job for my father. No matter who he gave them to, he would be wrong in somebody eyes. In the early twenties, the pay for the haulers was 2s 6d whilst that for crew members was 7s 6d."

'A Brief Story of the Lifeboats in Looe' by Austin Toms - Old Guildhall Museum & Gaol, East Looe.