Continuing our occasional series explaining lifeboat terms and operations Awards for Gallantry The RNLI has been making awards for gallantry since it was founded 175 years ago. In that time the system has evolved, both keeping pace with the changing pattern of services and advances in technology. Forms of recognition have also been added for services or actions which clearly warrant some form of acknowledgement and thanks but which do not qualify for gallantry medals.

There are no hard-and-fast criteria for gallantry awards, no fixed wind speed, sea height or length of service since conditions seen from a 16ft D class inflatable are rather different when aboard a 56ft Severn.

There are guidelines - under no less than ten different headings including weather conditions, seamanship and personal risk - but any lifeboat service which results in an award must also be examined by experienced seamen and RNLI staff and pass through a thorough investigation procedure before being agreed, All Returns of Service - one for every single lifeboat launch - are scrutinised by the RNLI's Rescue Records section, themselves veterans of many an award investigation.

The station's Honorary Secretary may have suggested the service was out of the ordinary, or it might come under the guidelines for investigating, but either way the return goes to an Operational Staff Officer for his opinion.

From there the station's Divisional Inspector is asked to carry out a thorough investigation. He will interview as many of the crew as possible and anyone else who may have something to add - Coastguards, helicopter crews, members of the public, skippers of other vessels, in fact anyone who can help build up a picture of what happened.

His thorough, written report goes back to headquarters where it is again scrutinised by the Staff Officers, who compare the information and recommendations with previous service awards.

The Chief of Operations makes the recommendation to the RNLI's Director and it is finally approved by the RNLI's Executive Committee.

It becomes apparent that any RNLI award is richly deserved! The highest award made by the RNLI is its Gold Medal for Gallantry, sometimes called 'the lifeboatman's VC'. A total of 120 have been awarded since 1824 but they are hardly common - the most recent was to Lerwick's coxswain Hewitt Clark in 1998, and the previous posthumously to Coxswain Trevelyan Richards following th Penlee disaster 17 years before. Gold medal services are at the very edge of survivable conditions and involve great bravery and risk.

The Silver Medal for Gallantry is awarded for services of slightly less severity than those for Golds, but are still infrequent events - perhaps once every five years on average. Conditions on a Silver Medal service would horrify most people and there is usually great risk to the crews' lives.

~*~ne Bronze medal is a little more frequent - and although one would expect three or so a year this is still a tiny percentage of the 6,000-odd annual 'shouts'. A Bronze Medal service would be a very arduous one, possibly involve risk and great hardship or could be in recognition of superb boat handling skills.

The Thanks of The Institution Inscribed on Vellum (usually referred to as a Thanks on Vellum' or just a 'Vellum') is awarded for services which fall short of the criteria for Medal awards - but these will still be extremely arduous or dangerous rescues.

The Framed Chairman's Letter of Thanks (from the RNLI's Chairman) is another award for services or actions which are highly meritorious, but which fall short of Vellum or Medal awards. A Chairman's letter service will certainly have had elements which make it stand out from others in various ways and will have been difficult or dangerous at the very least.

There are two other ways of acknowledging particular services which are not officially 'Awards' and these are letters of appreciation from the Director or from the Chief of Operations. These will acknowledge a service which was particularly difficult, skilful or arduous but which does not qualify for an Award.

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