"I happened to be staying in my parents' house in Moelfre that day. My wife and I were moving from Liverpool to Holyhead a week later and I'd come up to make arrangements. As usual, if the call went out for the Moelfre lifeboat and I was there, I went out with the crew.
We'd just reached the boathouse and changed into dry clothes after a long day's duty on the lifeboat when the call came from the coastguard to go to the assistance of the Holyhead boat. We had to get back into our wet sailing clothes, get back into the boat and sail back round Anglesey towards the Skerries, where a Greek ship, the Nafsiporos, was in difficulties.
There was a hurricane blowing and the lifeboat was like a cork in the water. My father, as coxswain, always said that it was his duty to go to anyone's rescue, but also to keep his crew safe in the process. He was easing the boat over the huge waves when an air vent broke off and fell clean through the deck, leaving a big hole in it. The sea was seeping through and something had to be done before the boat got into serious trouble. So Murley Francis and me, the two youngest members of the crew, crawled out onto the deck and stuffed a pair of oilskin trousers in the hole to plug it. It did the trick, thank goodness.
We reached the Nafsiporos at about 4:30pm. The waves were enormous, but father managed to get alongside the ship ten times so we could pull the crew onto our boat. The final time, our boat landed on the deck of the Nafsiporos, but another huge wave came and swept us off it.
My father received his second gold medal from the RNLI for this rescue, and a year later he was on This Is Your Life. It was one of the proudest moments of my life, and I've been told that it was one of the most popular editions of the programme. People like to see normal people doing extraordinary things."
Hall of Fame - Dick Evans.
your comments
Alan Williams, Conwy
I was mate with Capt Jeavons on C.P. Voyager a bit before he retired to Moelfre (I think). He told me he was proud to have been in Mr Evans' crew and that Dick was proud to say he had the captain of an Empress boat in his crew.
Tue Jan 22 15:53:05 2008
Hywel Jones, Port Dinorwic/Cardiff
To Peter Jeavons:- I sailed with your father on two Canadian Pacific ships. He was a special man for whom I had the greatest respect. I have been Captain myself for 30 years - and still at it.
Thu Dec 27 10:57:33 2007
Peter Jeavons
My father, Capt J David Jeavons, was in the crew for the Nafsiporos rescue. He never said too much about the events of the day but I know he felt enormous pride at having served with Coxwain Dick Evans. Ordinary men in extrordinary curcumstances or just extrordinary men?
Wed Oct 3 15:49:36 2007
Graeme
My grandfather had a copy of Lifeboat VC which I now have somewhere in my study. It was one of my favourites, no the favourite book of my childhood. I admired Dick Evans' story so much and he was one of the most inspiring people of my childhood in the '80s. I had a mental picture of Moelfre and I was stunned to see how beautiful it was when I first visited in the late 90's. Even more stunned when I broke my leg fishing on the rocks by Moelfre island dreaming about the bit in Lifeboat VC where the boat rides the crest of a wave the length of the island into the lee of the wind.
Tue Feb 6 09:24:22 2007
Jonathan Williams
I am in some way distantly related to "Uncle Dick". We always used to call him Uncle, but in fact I think he was something like my 3rd ( at least ) cousin. We always used to visit Uncle Dick and Aunty Nansi when we went on holidays to Moelfre in the 90's as my Dad used to go out on the lifeboat with him in the 60s. Sadly, I don't remember all that much as last time I saw him was about 1990 I think.
There is a very good book about him called Lifeboat VC that is probably long out of print, but might be on Google somewhere???
Fri Sep 8 09:36:23 2006
John Thacker, Stoke on Trent
My wife, Children and I met Dick Evans on many occasions when we visitied Moelfre on holiday. What a man! When my elder son was 10, Dick invited us to his home and showed us his medals. My son is now 38, but still remembers that day when the great man treated a 10-year-old boy with such respect. To anyone who met Dick it came as no surprise that he risked his life to save others. To him everybody was equally important. The whole family will be at the unveiling of his memorial next year. He was a credit to his family, to the RNLI, to Moelfre and to humanity. I am very proud that I can say "I met a hero."
Tue Dec 30 20:09:11 2003
