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Albert Spurgeon & Friend
of Lowestoft Lifeboat
1915

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Albert Spurgeon was a decorated Lowestoft lifeboat coxwain. You can read more about the Lowestoft Lifeboat Station's history here on the Royal Naval Lifeboat Institution website.

The website says "...Albert Spurgeon, who succeeded Swan as coxswain in 1924 and retired in 1947. He won the Institution’s Silver Medal and twice won the Bronze Medal."

In 1927, "Silver Medal to Coxswain A Spurgeon for the rescue of the crew of three of the sailing smack Lily of Devon, on 21 November 1927. This rescue was carried out with great promptness and courage in the face of the greatest danger."

In 1943, "Bronze Second-Service clasp awarded to Coxswain Albert Spurgeon for the rescue of the crew of 10 from HM Minesweeper 106 on 30 September 1943. As the lifeboat moved out of the harbour lit by a searchlight, the light was switched off and for the first moment of darkness Coxswain Spurgeon was blind. In that moment the boat struck the pier and he was flung against the binnacle and his jaw cut open. Not until nine hours later was he able to go to hospital where he had eight stitches put in his jaw. He was at that time a man of 63 (he won a Bronze Medal as a crewman at the Hopelyn service in 1922)."