RNLI Selsey Lifeboat: Quiet Heroes of the Second World War
As we commemorate VE Day 80, we reflect not only on those who fought on distant battlefields but also on the heroes closer to home—like the remarkable men of the Selsey Lifeboat Station.
During the Second World War, Selsey's lifeboat crew answered the call of duty time and again, launching an incredible 50 times—often to search for downed aircraft in treacherous seas. Thirty-eight of those missions were responses to aircraft crashes, many ending in heartbreak, but some, like that of Squadron Leader J.R.A. Peel, ended in rescue and survival. Shot down over the Channel, Peel was pulled from the water by the Selsey crew and back in the skies just three hours later.
The war placed huge demands on the lifeboat station. With many younger men enlisted, including five from the crew, it was the older generation who stepped up. Veterans in their seventies—like Albert and T. Pennycord, G. Arnell, and James Lawrence—returned to service, embodying the true spirit of community and duty.
The lifeboatmen’s commitment knew no boundaries. They rescued not just Allied airmen but enemy pilots too—treating all with humanity. On one memorable occasion, they served hot tea to three German airmen they’d pulled from the sea, only realising after the fact that the prisoners hadn’t been searched or disarmed!
In 1945, six Selsey crew members were awarded the 1939–1945 Star for their courageous wartime service: Coxswain Leslie Pennicord, A. Fullick, B. Pennicord, D. Grant, L. Lawrence, and E.R. Gray. Their bravery remains a proud chapter in the town’s history.
Today, the RNLI and His Majesty’s Coastguard continue this legacy of lifesaving collaboration. The values of courage, service, and compassion shown by those wartime lifeboatmen still guide Selsey’s volunteers today.
We remember them not only for their heroism, but for their humanity—and for showing us the very best of what it means to serve.