I Richard Da vies, coxswain of Cromer lifeboat, first joined the crew in 1962 and then served as second coxswain from 1975 until his appointment as coxswain in 1976. Richard was also a crew member of the station's inshore lifeboat from 1967 to 1978.

In 1973 he was awarded the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum in recognition of his meritorious action in supporting Dr Barclay in his hazardous transfer to the trawler Boston Jaguar to treat an injured man, for which the doctor received a Bronze medal.

Another vellum was accorded to Richard in 1989 for towing to safety the yacht Phaedra and thus saving the lives of its crew of two on 29 September 1988.

In 1994 he was awarded a Bronze medal in recognition of his courage, leadership and outstanding seamanship when, on the afternoon of 13 October 1993, the Tyne class lifeboat Ruby and Arthur Reed II rescued the crew of five and saved the yacht Happy Bear which had suffered steering failure off Cromer in storm force winds and 35ft seas. The launch of the lifeboat for this service was the roughest that the station had experienced in the 30 years that the coxswain had been involved..