2024 Winner
HEWITT CLARK
Britain’s most decorated living lifeboatman has saved hundreds of lives during some of the most dangerous rescues in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s 200-year history.
Since the RNLI was founded exactly 200 years ago, its brave volunteers have saved more than 146,000 lives off the coast of Britain. Hewitt Clark has been instrumental in saving 319 of those lives across 423 rescues in 35 years. He became a volunteer crewman at Lerwick RNLI in 1965, aged 20, before becoming a full-time motor mechanic the following year, then coxswain in 1979. During that time, he was awarded three bronze medals, one silver and a gold, the only one awarded in the last 45 years, for his courage.
Hewitt says modestly: “I was just doing my job. Every time we went out we managed to do what we set out to do. The big worry was always not being able to help, thankfully that never happened.” Hewitt received the gold medal in 1997 for his part in one of the most dangerous rescues in RNLI history.
On November 19 that year, as Shetland spent its third day being battered by a Force 11 gale, he and his crew battled treacherous seas to help rescue 15 crewmen from cargo vessel Green Lily which had suffered engine failure and was being driven on to rocks by 50ft waves.
With the stricken ship rolling violently, Hewitt saw only one option – expertly piloting the lifeboat between the 300-ton cargo vessel and the rocks. Each time he pulled alongside, the ship slammed into the lifeboat, and it was only Hewitt’s skill and experience that allowed them to rescue five crew members before being forced to pull back. A coastguard winchman was killed as the rescue continued, but all 15 men aboard the Green Lily were saved.
Hewitt, 79, says: “It was a catalogue of things that went wrong with the ship. Tug boats tried to connect lines but they all broke. It was drifting on to rocks but the helicopter couldn’t work because the boat was rolling. “We eventually took five crew off before the helicopter could reach the rest but sadly they lost their winchman.”
Hewitt has now retired, but continues to help the Lerwick crew on training exercises, passing on the benefit of his vast experience. He says: “It’s nice to win, but this Pride of Britain award is not just for me, it’s for everyone who has worked for and volunteered for the RNLI over the years.”