Story of the rescue

Aileen Jones, helmsman on the Porthcawl lifeboat in south Wales, is to be given the bronze medal for gallantry.

She and her crew braved gale force winds, rough seas and three-metre swells for the rescue in August 2004.

It is over 100 years since any woman was given an RNLI award, but no female crew member has been honoured before.

The last women to receive medals were two civilians - Miss Ellen Blyth and Mrs William Wallace - in 1888 for their part in the rescue of a schooner off the Isle of Man.

Aileen Jones used her helm skills in 'atrocious conditions'

Mrs Jones, 42, will receive the medal from His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent at the Barbican Centre in London.

The mother-of-two - who is married to Porthcawl senior helmsman Stephen Jones - said she was "amazed and honoured" at the medal.

"It is hard to take in - it is me getting the medal, but I could not have done it without the crew," she said.

"It is still quite fresh in my mind - it was a rough call-out.

"You don't get many call-outs like that - we were working to the limit of our capabilities," she said.

Mrs Jones' crew was sent out on 24 August 2004 when the fishing vessel Gower Pride suffered engine failure in rough seas, with the skipper and an injured fisherman on board near the Nash sandbanks off Porthcawl.

"It was a local fishing boat, he had put two anchors out, but they wouldn't hold," said Mrs Jones.

Despite "atrocious sea conditions", the crew managed to connect a tow line, but when it broke, Crewman Simon Emms went on board the fishing vessel to connect a second line.

"At that moment, the Gower Pride was hit by a large breaking wave on the starboard side and was thrown against the lifeboat," said an RNLI spokesman.

"Helmsman Jones quickly manoeuvred the vessels apart, and continued - with great skill - to use the inshore lifeboat to keep the rolling fishing vessel away from danger.

Helmsman Jones and her crew were able to save two lives - we owe her and all involved a debt of gratitude Michael Vlasto

"They began a slow tow against high seas, which at times lifted the bow of the lifeboat precariously out of the water."

Her colleagues have also been rewarded for their roles in the rescue, with Mr Emms being awarded the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum, and Steven Knipe and Mark Burtonwood being presented with Medal Service Badges and certificates.

Mrs Jones became a station volunteer shorehelper in 1994, and then a crew member in 1995. She became helmsman herself in 1999.

RNLI Operations Director Michael Vlasto said Mrs Jones had used "all her skills in leadership and boat handling in very dangerous conditions".

"Coupled with her own personal attributes of selflessness and bravery, Helmsman Jones and her crew were able to save two lives - we owe her and all involved a debt of gratitude," he said.