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Dr Donald Mackenzie, of Hartland, honorary medical adviser to the Clovelly-based lifeboat, the 71ft Charles H Barrett (Civil Service no. 35) has been accorded the thanks of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution inscribed on vellumfor the courage he showed while on service on Sunday, November 7th 1971.

 

18.2.1972 Hartland doctor

Announcing the award the RNLI say at 18.30 the Charles H Barrett slipped her moorings with Dr Mackenzie aboard to rendezvous with the Embdena, a German vessel. lying off Hartland Point. A report from the Hartland coastguard had been received a few minutes earlier stating that there was a badly injured man aboard the vessel urgently in need of medical assistance. Conditions were bad with a force 8 west-south-westerly wind and a rough sea with a heavy westerly ground swell. The
weather was overcast with heavy rain showers and poor visibility. After a passage of three and a half hours through rough seas the Embdena was sighted at 22.00 about 25 miles west of Hartland Point. The German ship was hove to, rolling and pitching heavily. The coxswain managed to bring the lifeboat along the starboard side of the Embdena, with the assistance of a headrope and engines, to allow the doctor to transfer boats. The coxswain exercised considerable skill in achieving this difficult manoeuvre as both ships were pitching and rolling heavily. To boart the vessle Dr Mackenzie had to jump from the lifeboat, to land on all fours on her deck, while the lifeboat ranged some 15ft alongside. Once aboard, however, the doctor found that the injured man was dead. Due to the heavy sea conditions Dr Mackenzie did not re-embark in the lifeboat until 01.30 when both vessels were in the lee of Lundy island. The lifeboat returned to Clovelly, landing the doctor at 08.00.
The award was made to Dr Mackenzie in recognition of the great courage he showed in making an extremely hazardous jump and his unselfish devotion to duty. 
Dr Mackenzie was also instrumental in saving the life of an old lady in Clovelly last month, when in the absence of any oxygen equipment he called for the oxyvator aboard Charles H Barrett to be brought ashore. With the help of the oxyvator, which one of the crew members managed to bring to the doctor in time, he was able to sustain the patient until the arrival of the ambulance.
Gazette article dated 18 February 1972

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