page_title: Exmouth Lifeboat Station
section_title: Will Carder
hierarchical_section_title: Exmouth Lifeboat Station / History / Will Carder
caption_attribution_description: English: The memorial to lifeboatman Will Carder at Exmouth Lifeboat Station who died on 25 December 1956. It reads Will Carder lost his life after being swept overboard The Maria Noble by a 20ft wave near Orcombe Ledge, whilst en route to rescue a Dutch vessel M V Minerva of Amsterdam. Will Carder who joined the RNLI in June 1953 is remembered for selflessly giving his life to save others.
context_page_description: Exmouth Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution search and rescue operations at Exmouth, Devon, England. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1803 and the present station was opened in 2009. In 2014 a new Shannon-class 25-knot all-weather boat went on station. Also operated is a D-class inshore lifeboat.
context_section_description: William J Carder was born in 1903 and volunteered for the Exmouth lifeboat crew in June 1953. He earned a living running The Volunteer public house. On Christmas Day 1956 he was on board when the Maria Noble was called out to the MV Minerva which was burning distress flares 4 miles (6.4 km) south east of Orcombe Point.
  The lifeboat launched at 5:20 pm  into a Force 6 to 8 wind and 20-foot (6.1 m) waves.  About 10 minutes out a large wave pushed the boat far over onto her side and the radio aerial was also damaged. Will Carder was near the front of the boat with two colleagues at the time and told them that he was going aft to get some shelter. Another large wave then broke over the boat. Although no one saw it happen, this is believed to be when Will Carder was swept overboard. Brian Rowsell was trying to repair the aerial and was knocked into the mast and sustained a head injury. A few minutes later Second Coxswain Jack Phillips was also washed overboard.
  Coxswain Harold 'Dido' Bradford took the decision to continue to the ship that was in distress. To turn the lifeboat around to search for the missing men would have been extremely difficult and dangerous in that storm. While the main radio was inoperable, a message was broadcast on the wavelength used by trawlers and this was picked up in Exmouth and relayed to the lifeboat station. A search was got underway along the beaches. Jack Phillips was found staggering in the surf. He was helped up the cliff and taken to hospital. The body of Will Carder was later found nearby.
  The lifeboat reached the Minerva at 6:45. They found that the engines had failed and the anchor was barely holding. They stood by until 8 o'clock when the Torbay Lifeboat Geore Shee arrived to take over. Sea conditions made it difficult to return to their station so they sailed instead to Torquay where Brian Rowsell was taken to hospital to have his injuries seen to. The crew stayed here to rest and then returned home at 2 pm on Boxing Day, the RNLI flag flying at half mast.
caption: A memorial plaque for Will Carder on the 2009 station
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