Stromness RNLI loses long serving volunteer

William ‘Willick’ Sinclair

1934 to 2024

Earlier this year, Willick spoke on Radio Orkney about a rescue he had been involved in1965. Hull Trawler, Kingston Turquoise, had sunk in a few minutes after she struck the North Shoal on her way back from Iceland in 1965. Nineteen out a crew of twenty had been rescued by Stromness Lifeboat, with Willie Sinclair as coxswain. Sadly, one man had been unable to reach the life raft. Willick said this had been one of the most important shouts he had been involved in. Had this been the only one, his service to those in peril on the sea would have been immense.

Kathy Kirk’s father, John Neilson, had been one of those saved from the sinking of Kingston Turquoise and Kathy (aged 13 in 1965) never forgot Willick or the Stromness Lifeboat crew. ‘We got 30 more years with our dad because of the rescue’, she said. When lives are saved at sea the effects last, way beyond the day, for as long as people live.

Willie first joined the lifeboat service, unofficially, at the age of 14 in 1948, when his father, also William, was coxswain. The maroons went up and young Willie was invited to go along. He jumped at the chance and went all the way round to a casualty near Stronsay. The Stronsay boat had been out of service at the time due to the after effects of World War II.

Willick joined the RNLI officially in 1950 and was appointed assistant motor mechanic in 1962, a role he fulfilled diligently until 1984. He served as coxswain from 1983 until his retirement in 1990.

In 1969, when the Longhope Lifeboat, TGB, was lost with all hands, whilst on service, in appalling conditions, Willick was on the crew of the Stromness Lifeboat out searching for them. When TGB was found by the Thurso Lifeboat next day, he was on the Stromness crew again to escort the tragic boat as she was towed into Scrabster. Willie spoke about this very recently and told us he was the last, surviving member of that crew of eleven men.

Willie worked as a lobster fisherman, most recently with his own boat Merlin II, sailing out of Stromness Harbour, with his nephew, Colin Mowat, the present coxswain of Stromness Lifeboat, along as crew. He had explored the fishing in Australia for time, way back in the 1950s, but he returned home to be with his sweetheart, Wilma, whom he later married.

Willick was an immensely popular and highly respected figure around the town of Stromness – a huge loss – he will be sadly missed. Mr Sinclair is survived by son Philip and daughter Donna.

Notes to editors

· Stromness lifeboat station has been operating since 1867. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/stromness-lifeboat-station

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RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789

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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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