The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Duo back disgraced RNLI hero who rescued them
Pair say they owe their lives to expertise of volunteer
Two men who owe their lives to Arbroath lifeboat volunteers have spoken in support of the “hero” whose RNLI career is in tatters after he was dismissed in disgrace from the service.
In brutal North Sea conditions in November 2012, pals Ben Thomson and Gavin Smith feared they were going to die after hitting trouble off the Fife coast when their jet skis stalled and they were cast into the icy water.
They were eventually plucked to safety by the Angus town’s all-weather lifeboat – part of a major search response involving a helicopter and Broughty Ferry RNLI volunteers.
The Dundee duo paid tribute to their rescuers in the aftermath of the drama, but the incident had such a profound effect on them that both became volunteers with the Ferry lifeboat.
Mr Thomson continues to serve with the Broughty crew, which is now providing all-weather cover for the Arbroath station after its Mersey-class boat was grounded as part of a top-level inquiry which has already led to two dismissals, a resignation and exposed a deep and bitter divide in the Angus crew.
Long-serving Arbroath coxswain Tommy Yule has been permanently stood down as a result of the investigation into an incident involving a Dutch lifeboat crew in October in which a drunken prank called a three-man lift took place.
Mr Yule has admitted he was present, but had no part in the incident, and says he has been made a “scapegoat”.
But RNLI chiefs have said their volunteer code of conduct makes it clear the service “relies on strong leadership” and expects senior figures to set an example in their behaviour at all times.
Mr Thomson, 37, said he was “devastated” to learn of the Arbroath crisis and the action taken against the man to whom he and his friend owe their lives.
“I am devastated for the whole crew because I consider them all as friends, but I am honestly gutted for Tommy Yule because, if it wasn’t for him, we would have been washed up on the beach at Crail the next day,” he said.
“He knows these waters like the back of his hand, and he worked out where we could be. If it hadn’t been for that my children would be without a dad and my wife without a husband today.
“To me it’s disgusting that he has been cast aside like he has, and without him there are going to be lives lost.
“What took place was a prank, and for it to blow up this way is devastating.”
Gavin said: “Tommy made the call over where the Arbroath boat would head for, and without that knowledge and expertise we wouldn’t have been here.”
An RNLI spokesman said: “As an emergency service, the RNLI relies on strong leadership and expects its senior volunteers to set an example for others, not just in terms of their maritime expertise, but also in behaviour and respect for others.”