Remembering Rodney Burge MBE
Rodney Burge MBE sadly died on 6 March. His funeral was held on Friday 28 March in Amble’s Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. Lifeboat men provided a guard of honour for the coffin. The church was full of mourners and some had to stand outside. Lifeboat crew and coastguards then formed a procession behind the coffin to Amble’s West Cemetery.
Rodney was not a religious man but he married Carol in Sacred Heart Church in 1967, and they were together for 58 years. They had two daughters and a son, followed by six grandchildren.
Rodney was born in Amble and brought up in Ivy Street.
He left school at 15 without any qualifications; then lied about his age to join the Navy.
On leaving the Navy he fulfilled a boyhood ambition and joined the lifeboat as a crew member. Over the following years he rose through the ranks, retiring as coxswain in 1999. He then held a number of shore-based roles, both locally and nationally. In 2023 he was awarded a 50 years’ service medal.
This is a very brief account of his lifeboat career, The Ambler has covered a number of Rodney’s RNLI achievements; you can search for them on our website.
After the Navy, he worked for a while in insurance, then he bought a trawler and went fishing.
He was a man of action; at the age of 40 he took up running to keep fit, running a marathon to raise money for a heart charity.
He made up for his lack of qualifications in later life too. At the age of 60 he started studying for his GCSEs, having passed those he took his A levels, then took a degree with the Open University in English language and literature. He had always had an interest in literature, he wrote stories and poetry, and had a book published – ‘Amble and Hauxley Lifeboat Station.’
He was even credited with saving the local lifeboat station from closure when the RNLI were making cutbacks; he told a visiting admiral, “we were here afore ye,” referencing the station’s existence before the formation of the RNLI.
In later life Rodney developed a number of health problems including a heart condition. He also had a number of joint replacements due to arthritis and injuries at work. In spite of all this, he kept a positive outlook on life. He enjoyed foreign holidays.
On retirement, he would walk around to the lifeboat house every day, until three years ago a stroke put an end to that. He took badly to having to use a wheelchair. Going shopping with the family, would get him out of the house.
As coxswain of the lifeboat he supported his crew. He said, ‘it’s not just one man that takes a boat out, it’s all about teamwork,’ so when he was losing his independence, the crew reciprocated.
Carol recalls John Simm’s retirement party at the Radcliffe Club. Rodney went along to show face, they didn’t expect him to stop, but it was after midnight when he returned. He got such a warm welcome and they looked after him so very well.
When housebound, Rodney could watch events on Ladbroke Street, where he had lived for 45 years. What a change he would have perceived. At weekends the street becomes gridlocked, and the family feared if access was required in an emergency, especially as it was the home of their aging parents.
One memorable occasion was in 1998 when when Rodney received his MBE. On presenting him with his medal, Queen Elizabeth chatted with him for over four minutes, she took a genuine interest in his work with the lifeboat and in fishing. He said, ‘She was charming.’
Carol says ‘He was very humble. Never one for bragging. He did not use his MBE to put himself forward, but we are very proud of his achievements and MBE was added to the plaque on his coffin and his memorial headstone. “
RNLI members posted on Facebook – Rodney will be a huge miss to all who knew him, especially for his wit, humour and charismatic charm.
If anyone is looking for a role model from Amble, here is a prime candidate. Rest in peace.
Vivienne Dalgliesh
