Brian Williams receiving his award from The Duke of Kent

Mr Brian Williams - the inspiration behind the RNLI Music Division It is announced by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution that the Council of the RNLI elected Brian H. Williams, of Kingsand in Cornwall as an Honorary Life Governor of the Institution. This is the highest award that can be made to any RNLI volunteer. This is in recognition of some 60 years devotion to the lifeboat service, and his work in the formation and development of the RNLI Music Division which is now contributing major funding from the sales of its well known music recordings.The Award was formally presented by H. R. H. The Duke of Kent at the RNLI AGM and Presentation of Awards at the Barbican, London on May 19th 2005.

Brian has been an RNLI supporter and member now for over 60 years, all starting when, as a young Royal Marine in 1944, he was part of the launching crew for the Walmer lifeboat.   Over the years he always supported the lifeboat service in many ways, being a member of a number of branches, wherever he lived or was stationed. He was a founder member of RNLI Shoreline and an RNLI Governor and, with a worldwide reputation as a miniature model specialist, has included the completion of a number of lifeboat replicas for collectors and others, including those for members of lifeboat crews, many for retirements. There is nearly always a lifeboat model under construction in his tiny ‘shipyard’. He, thus, has many friends in lifeboat stations all round the UK and Ireland.  He completed a whole collection of miniature models of lifeboats for RNLI headquarters for use in the Museum and fund-raising, being specially commissioned by a generous supporter and his wife.

In 1988 Brian formed the Rame Peninsula Branch RNLI and as its Chairman, in 1992, was responsible for commissioning the first official RNLI march in its long history - “The Lifeboatmen” -  from the Royal Marines Band Service.  It naturally had to be recorded, and this was completed by the Band of H. M. Royal Marines Commandos and being such a success, a sequel was requested by the recording company, Clovelly Recordings Ltd, entitled “For Those in Peril on the Sea”. Notable in the work was that the very highest standards of the recordings were recognised by so many. The marketing needed to be undertaken and, as HQ RNLI had no experience in this field, he was asked, in 1993, to organise the development and marketing of the recordings, which then grew in number. To conform to the Charities Act, he handed over the branch to others, but remaining on the branch committee as PR Officer, and formed the RNLI West Country Group (which is now the RNLI Music Division) with two others, and set up a mail order business to sell the recordings.  Other recordings were developed and added to the list, the Group being appointed Distributor for Royal Marines band recordings and was honoured to be appointed the RNLI Music Division in 1996, being directly responsible to the Managing Director of RNLI (Sales) Ltd at Poole.  A fully computerised operation was set up and implemented to minimise the physical handling, and finance, of so many orders handled. The whole mail order was then undertaken by RNLI (Sales) Ltd, with widespread publicity, a newly printed Musical Showcase catalogue and the recordings being added to the RNLI www.rnlishop.org.uk  website. Since 1993, the recordings’ sales have put well over £150,000 into lifeboat funds from the profits and other income, with over 30,000 copies sold.  It has enabled the RNLI’s name to now be synonymous with fine music recordings and playing an ever- increasing part in the Institution’s work. He has also organised a number of large fundraising Royal Marines band concerts following his successful RNLI SW Lifeboat Tattoo in 1992. There are now over twenty recordings for which it is responsible, not only those of the Royal Marines but others, which have, and are continuing to be, developed by the Division. The uncompromising standards of the Royal Marines, and the recording company, Clovelly Recordings Ltd, with whom the warmest relationship has resulted, have ensured the recordings meet the exacting standards of the lifeboat service, and an enormous success has resulted.  One, Ashokan Farewell, has been the most requested piece of music on Classic FM now for many weeks, its sales by the RNLI providing a large amount of funds. The whole commercial operation has completed as a highly profitable and on-going business – quite inconceivable when it all started years ago with the RNLI march “The Lifeboatmen”!! He has just seen the launch of the special new RNLI recording – “Trafalgar 200” – to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar which he planned with the Band of H. M. Royal Marines Plymouth and Clovelly Recordings Ltd.  It is both an historic and dramatic work with superb quality of both the musicians’ playing and the recording technique. In addition, in May 2004 he was again, in addition, re-elected as Chairman of the Rame Peninsula Branch, one of the most successful in the South West, in the absence of other volunteers forthcoming and to avoid its closure, and has reorganised its structure to minimise the workload of the committee. During this time he has not only carried on the necessity of his work as a miniature model ship professional but continued, over the years, to play an active part on the Rame Peninsula Branch RNLI committee, handling all aspects of the publicity and public relations. Thus, in 2005 he has completed 60 years RNLI service and, when expected to be able to retire, became chairman once again whilst continuing his work as chairman of the RNLI Music Division.

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