RNLI honour volunteer coxwain
‘Mark’s combination of leadership, seamanship and bravery make him an exceptional leader ... He is truly an example to us all’ NICK O’BRIEN, RNLI
AS one of the RNLI’s most decorated and longest serving Coxswains – he received an OBE in 2018 – Mark Criddle has been involved with saving 123 lives since joining the charity as volunteer crew in 1994.
Now the RNLI is marking his latest milestone, which was achieved during lockdown when Mark went out on his 500th shout on 7 May 2020 at 2.38am when, with his volunteer crew, he launched RNLI Torbay’s allweather lifeboat to evacuate a crew member of a vehicle carrier 3.5 miles North East of Berry Head, who had chest pains.
RNLI Torbay has carried out a total of 2,017 rescues since Mark became Coxswain in 2002. During his 26 years with RNLI Torbay, Mark has led many dramatic rescues, including saving the lives of eight people from a sinking cargo ship in a severe storm on the evening of 13 January 2008. For that rescue he was awarded the RNLI’s Silver Medal but says that his real reward is much more about the look in people’s eyes when they know they are safe. Mark said: “When you pull someone out of the water, when they know they are going to be OK, the expression in their eyes is something that you can’t put into words. I couldn’t have achieved any of the rescues I have been involved in without the support and bravery of RNLI Torbay’s volunteer crew. We are a team.”
Nick O’Brien, RNLI Torbay’s lifeboat operations manager, said: “Everyone at the lifeboat station is incredibly proud of Mark’s extraordinary achievement and although the pandemic has stopped us from marking it sooner, we couldn’t let the year pass without celebrating. Mark’s combination of leadership, seamanship and bravery make him an exceptional leader and all our RNLI Torbay volunteers benefit from his experience and professionalism. He is truly an example to us all.”