Port Talbot Coastguard

History

Centenary 1908 - 2008
See also Awards Link

Notable Dates

1996 120 Rescued from pier
1996 Team win Chief Coastguard Commendation for pier rescue
2007 April emergency cover with drawn
2007 July Assist with Floods Gloucester.
2007 Dec Whale on beach
2007 Xmas day shout
2008 Centenary
2008 Made Mud Team for swansea bay area
2008 Team win Chief Coastguard Commendation for floods

History
of
Port Talbot
Coastguard
Before we start on the teams history I think it best to explain a bit on the back ground to shipping at Port Talbot. Shipping had used the Afan for Centuries and the first large wharves where built in the late 18th century. In 1836 the Port Talbot Harbour Company began work on diverting the river and converting its original course into a floating dock. This was enlarged in 1874 and copper and coal where the main exports When the massive Steel works was built the dock was to small to accommodate the bulk iron ore carriers. Work began in 1964 on the construction of the new tidal harbour.This is one of the biggest of its kind and covers 500 acres.

History of Port Talbot Coastguard The Biggest problem is that over the years the CoastGuard has been run by a number of Government Departments,and records have been lost or they are destroyed. But we have been working hard in our spare time to try and see that what we have are preserved for the next generation. The first team were called L.S.A. men (life saving apparatus) in Port Talbot this was established in 1908,then as now it was a Volunteer Stan and Eric Locke

Company,then as now it was a Volunteer Company I wonder what my Grandfather who joined in 1910 would of made of the pagers we now use for calling the team out.Back then they would be called by the Boxer Maroon which I had the Honour of seeing fired in the 70s it would wake the Town up. The CoastGuard was called by the firing of one Maroon but due to the Slag explosions in the Towns Steel works often making the same load Bang it was changed to two. The LSA cart was horse drawn by horse`s of Richards Brs Haulage Contractors of James street Port Talbot. this must of been hard work going across the soft sand of the beach and sometimes the gear would have to be carried by hand to the site of the wreck. Hard men back then just think of the crews who would row the lifeboats of the day in Storms.We have a lot to live up to and its nice to see our young team looking up to the men who served back then. The first Station at Port Talbot was a sheet of old tarpaulin with a old burner the men would um! Borrow coal from the docks wagons to keep warm in the bad weather. If you visit Port Talbot and goto the East end of the sea front you will see the first official lookout it looks like a castled roundhouse.This was the home from the 1920s to the late 60s when the docks was in its heyday.

This is where many hours was spent watching over the sea front.The water supply was rain water and coms was by phone,my late Father was on duty there the night of the sad loss of the Mumbles Lifeboat when she went to aid the SS Samtampa with all hands lost. Pictured Right are my Uncle Stan Locke and Eric Locke Stan is in his Coastguard Uniform while my Father Eric is in his Home Guard Uniform Back then The Station officer as they are called now at that time was the late Mr W.H.Matthews who was awarded the B.E.M for his services to HMCG About the time the Docks closed the Leisure industry took off giving the CG a different type of casualty.And it is the same to this day the Boat owner,the missing child.The next lookout was at Aberavon sea front by where the new lifeboat stn stands today this opened in 1974. But time stands still for no one and in the year 2001 we moved into our new Station which is also the Gower Sector Base.The future looks good for the Towns SAR Services with us the RNLI and the Local Life guards all in the same area with the latest in new Equipment to keep the beach as safe as we can. And with the Docks now reopen it can only be good for the town.

Update
In 2007 the team also became the Mud Rescue Team for Swansea Bay Area.

NEWS FROM APRIL 2007

VOLUNTEERS ARE EYES AND EARS ALONG COAST
A Total of 21 auxiliary coastguard teams in the UK withdrew emergency cover in a dispute over insurance.Six were from this area: Burry Port, Loughor, Rhossili, Oxwich, Mumbles, and Port Talbot. Four members of Rhossili's 15-strong unit carried on as normal. They are among the 378 auxiliary coastguard teams in the UK. But what exactly do they do? The teams are comprised of volunteers, men and women, from all walks of life. They perform cliff rescues and mud rescues if near a river estuary. They also arrange searches, emergency helicopter landings, meet boats towed into port and investigate unusual objects washed up on beaches. They can rescue swimmers near the shore but leave the vast majority of sea rescues to the RNLI. Auxiliary coastguards are the 'eyes and ears' along many miles of coastline. They do earn money while they carry out a rescue. Each station is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As well as the 378 auxiliary stations, there are 19 coastguard command centres dotted around the UK, like Swansea Coastguard, overlooking Limeslade Bay. These are staffed by full-time, salaried personnel. Coastguards can call on help from experts such as the RNLI, Cliff Rescue, the RAF and the Navy.
COASTGUARDS CALL OFF ACTION AFTER NEW DEAL AGREED
Coastguards appeared to win a victory late yesterday afternoon as maritime agency bosses took on board their grievances over insurance cover.Arrangements were being put in place to guarantee insurance cover for volunteer coastguards in the event of death or disability while performing rescues. That had been the crux of their dispute with the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA). The breakthrough came nearly a full day after five hours of exhaustive talks on Thursday evening.

Mumbles coastguard station officer Steve Marvelley said: "It's a relief." It meant several auxiliary coastguard stations in Gower and the rest of Wales were poised to resume emergency rescue cover after a reluctant withdrawal on Thursday. Some members had carried on as normal throughout the dispute. It flared up earlier in the week after a volunteer coastguard from Fishguard, partially disabled following a cliff rescue, claimed he had been left seriously out of pocket after losing his day job and making a claim. His colleagues had demanded a meeting with MCA bosses, but took action after alleging they were too slow in responding. The action spread to 21 stations in Wales, Scotland and South West England. Mr Marvelley said he was pleased a solution had been found. He said: "As volunteers, we had no disabled or death benefit in place, only for injury. We are now back on service."

Earlier in the day Gower AM Edwina Hart backed the coastguards in their demands. She said she felt they had genuine grievances which had to be addressed. Mark James, a member of Mumbles coastguard, said: "We got what we wanted - insurance cover should we become long-term disabled by an incident at work. "The Fishguard team which sparked this off are satisfied with the arrangements, and will turn their pagers back on now. It's down to each and every team whether they follow suit." Mike Tonge, joint director of Gower Coast Adventures, said coastguards performed a vital function. "To us, they're essential," he said. "They are back-up if ever we did need it. "They are the co-ordinators of rescue services. Without them, people would be put in very difficult situations." A spokesman for the MCA said: "An agreement has been put in place."