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Connections with
Caister Lifeboat Jim Davidson the famous comedian has a long association with Norfolk, as a young boy his parents would bring him to Potter Heigham in the heart of the broads for a camping holiday. It was at the Bridge Hotel that Jim had his first break into show business. Jim was fishing on the river bank while his father was inside the hostelry sampling the alcoholic refreshment when he got into discussion with two other holiday makers and later asked young Jim to give them an impromptu audition of his impressions. As a result Jim landed a part in the Gang Show, ever since he has had affection for the sea. |
| In 1988 whilst appearing at the Britannia Pier Jim became involved with the lifeboat crew and became a regular visitor to the Never Turn Back public house, where on Sunday impromptu concerts were held, with Jim on the drums and Percy Griffin, the Lifeboat Bowman, singing. Since then Jim has been a major supporter of the station purchasing two inshore lifeboats plus raising money for the lifeboats operation, and has taken part in exercises, once being winched by the RAF SAR helicopter. | |
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Since Jim first became involved with the Caister Station
in 1988 he has become a great friend of the crew, giving
them the opportunity to appear in various shows,
including The Generation Game and in 1996 The Royal
Variety Performance. The later in the presence of HRH
Prince of Wales, when Jim sang, “Home From The
Sea” with the Caister and Cromer Lifeboat crews.
Jim has
never sought publicity for his work for the Caister
Lifeboat and was quietly embarrassed when the new ILB Jim
Davidson OBE was named after him.
The following shows both inshore lifeboats that Jim has purchased for use at the station.
The first ILB was placed on station in 1970 and was purchased with monies raised by the pupils of Caister Secondary School.
In 1991 Jim Davidson accompanied the crew to the Earls Court Boat Show and purchased a 4½ Metre semi-rigid inflatable for the station. This vessel has made many rescues in the period it has been on station. The vessel was named after Jim, and made its first appearance in the area on the set of ‘This is your life’ when Skipper Woodhouse was the subject and Jim had helped in organising the programme.
With the maze of sandbanks directly offshore and the close proximity of a large number of holiday centres to the lifeboat station, much of the work of the inshore lifeboat is generated by swimmers and people on inflatables who get into trouble through the strong current and the offshore winds. The work of the station is assisted by the provision of a lookout situated at the front of the lifeboat station where the crew have spotted many a person in difficulty and in cooperation with HM Yarmouth Coastguard have helped to save lives.
Aug 17 1998
“Shortly after 1.00 p.m. a dinghy was seen drifting out to sea, directly off the lifeboat station, with two young boys onboard. They had lost their paddles. A man attempted to swim to them, but then gave up. As the ILB Jim Davidson was being launched, the two boys were seen to jump out of the dinghy. The ILB picked up the two boys, one of whom was almost totally exhausted when rescued.”
The Jim Davidson ILB
has been launched 81 times and saved 37 lives since being placed on service 10 years ago. Some of those saved were very lucky as is demonstrated by the following extract from the service log:
21 Aug 1995
“At about 11.40 the coastguard paged the crew and requested the ILB to launch. A dinghy was in trouble off Brandford Road. The ILB was launched with Tom Frost and Nigel Trett as crew. In a moderate NE wind and grand swell the ILB proceeded north; on arrival at the scene the crew found the dinghy capsized, with the sea breaking heavily on the outer sandbank. One woman was in the dinghy and two men were in the water.
The ILB went into the surf and first rescued the men, one of whom Nigel Trett pulled from under the water by his chin. Then the woman was rescued. The casualties were wrapped in blankets and the lifeboat radioed the coastguard for an ambulance.
The ILB was beached at Braddock Road because of the heavy swell, with the survivors. One collapsed on the beach and was resuscitated by the crew, all were suffering from hyperthermia and shock and were taken to hospital by the ambulance.
A few days later the survivors visited the lifeboat station to thank the crew, without giving any notice. By coincidence Jim Davidson was making a visit at the same time and the survivors were able to meet him.”
