Coastguard Rescue Officer with ties to East Sussex awarded BEM in King's Birthday Honours list

Presented with the award, which recognises his 50 years of service keeping people safe up and down the coast, Volunteer Rescue Officer Peter Brown’s first thoughts were of his team: “The volunteers all do a brilliant job,” he said “and I’m so proud to be part of the team.”

Originally from London, Peter moved to Essex in 1970 and started his career with the RNLI as volunteer crew for the Clacton-on-Sea lifeboat, joining the volunteer auxiliary lifeguard just five years after. Three years after that, he joined HM Coastguard as a full-time officer in East Sussex and lead teams of volunteers responding to emergencies along the coast.

His coastguard career also involved stints at Dover, Isle of Wight, Lee-on-Solent, and Aberystwyth, where he became a Section Manager. He then became a training instructor at HM Coastguard’s training centre in Dorset, teaching courses in cliff and boat rescue, search planning and management.

Peter’s career later took him as a civil servant to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency where he held various safety roles, including Head of Research & Planning, Accident Prevention Policy Manager, and UK Search and Rescue Aviation Manager.

When Peter retired in 2008, he rejoined as a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer with Lymington Coastguard Rescue Team, alongside his position as volunteer coxswain with the independent Hamble Lifeboat where he has been since 1986.

Peter said: “I am delighted and so very honoured to be recommended for the British Empire Medal. It’s amazing and completely unexpected.

“In the UK we are so lucky to have such capable and willing coastguards and lifeboat crews promoting maritime safety and rescuing those in need. It is my absolute pleasure to continue to volunteer with the very best of them.

“They are prepared to dash away from anything at a moment’s notice to bring their skills and knowledge to help others in difficulty or distress around the coast.”

He added: “I think any honour should really be going to my lovely wife, Alison, who often gets woken up in the middle of the night by emergency pager calls and then is normally awake to make certain I get back home safety.”