HM Coastguard – Burry Port
It was an honour to be invited to photo-document a training programme of the Burry Port Coastguard on a cold, wet, dank, dark night in October 2025. Everyone took-to their role and training objectives with awe-inspiring import. The darkness was intense, their view of the unforgiving terrain was limited to head torches and constant, penetrating vocal communications and directions; at all times adhering to the team leader’s guidance and instructions. Teamwork was the essence of all the procedures and actions, coordinating their pre-learned skills to ‘rescue’ the ‘missing person’. To witness everyone scouring the undulating and unstable sand dunes in search of the ‘injured’ casualty provided me with an insight into the amazing rescue service that we have on our doorstep. In all weathers they train to be ready and available to assist us when we need help, in whatever circumstances, location, day, time and weather conditions; they are there.
It was an absolute privilege to have an opportunity to engage with, what I consider, to be a fundamentally undervalued emergency service. The Coastguard, or historically, the Preventive Water Guard, which has its foundations and history dating back to the early 19th century and is now considered a modern emergency service which is dedicated to maritime safety and rescue.
To observe and record the Coastguard volunteers performing their rescue protocols in total darkness, with just head-torches for illumination was immensely humbling. The teamwork and coordination they displayed in locating a ‘missing person’ was exemplary; continuously communicating and advising each other of their location and moving forward in unison to ensure that no area of ground remained unsearched. The scenario I witnessed strongly confirmed the professionalism of the team confidently operating in hazardous and difficult situations.
A very brief history of the Coastguard:
The Coastguard as we know it today was originally established in 1809 as the Preventive Water Guard (PWG) based in Watch Houses, at this time, it was estimated that 50 ~ 60% of the spirits consumed in Britain had been smuggled ashore. The PWG officers were recruited from outside the area in which they served to prevent collusion or cooperation with local entrepreneurs or chancers who maybe considering circumventing the revenue tax on spirits. The PWGs were accommodated in Watch Houses. I have attempted to discover the location of the original Burry Port Watch House, but with little success. It has been suggested that it may have in the area currently occupied by the Yacht club.
This sign is from the original Pembrey Watch House and is now located in the Burry Port Coastguard building.
I submitted an enquiry to Claud Ai for any information on the location of the original Burry Port Coast Guard Watch House, this is the response:
‘I (Claud Ai) looked into this and couldn’t find a dedicated heritage record (Cadw listing, Coflein entry, or local history article) for a specifically named “Coastguard Watch House” in Pembrey — so I don’t want to hand you invented details about a building or site that isn’t well documented.
It’s likely the Pembrey coastguard Watch House was a small, functional building attached to or near the harbour/dock offices at Pembrey Harbour (as was typical of the period — most coastguard watch houses combined a lookout with a boathouse and small living quarters), but it doesn’t appear to survive as a listed structure or have a dedicated entry in the national heritage databases (Cadw, Coflein) the way similar buildings in Tenby or Barry do.’
This response supports my research. It may be only locally held information or photographs that could shed light on this subject.
The original purpose of the Preventive Water Guard (PWG) was to observe the coastline for signs of smuggling; life-saving was not considered a priority at that time.
By the close of the 19th century Wales was also included in this coastal watching for smuggling activities. In 1856 when the Admiralty took control of the Preventive Water Guard / Coastguard, it was seen as a law enforcement agency and Naval Reserve.
In 1829 the original ‘Coastguard Instructions’ were issued which included directives for the use of the Manby lifesaving equipment, which was currently in service with the Navy. The Manby was initially deployed in February 1808 to rescue the crew of the Plymouth Brig ~ Elizabeth, in Great Yarmouth.
In an unattributable newspaper press cutting of around 1864, a photograph of ‘Water Guards’ shows the lifeboat crew of the City of Bath at Pembrey, consisting of six Coastguards and local fishermen.
South Wales Echo
27th April 1885 (Second edition)
It wasn’t until 1866 that the Coastguard was ‘Instructed’ to ‘take an active part in the workings of lifeboat’.
The 1911 Admiralty Coastguard Instructions – Article 654 stated that ‘… the Admiralty does not accept responsibility for … life-saving arrangements, but Coastguardsmen are to render service to local life-saving services.’
In 1923 the Board of Trade took control of the Coastguard which was then dedicated to life-saving, and no-longer responsible for preventing smuggling.
The Burry Port Coastguard is classified as Area 13: south-east Wales to mid-Wales.
On the HM Coastguard website, they describe their raison d’être as:
Search and Rescue
HM Coastguard coordinates all maritime search and rescue (SAR) operations in the UK through a network of coastguard stations, operating 24-hours-a-day. Staff in operations rooms coordinate the response to a variety of incidents from lost or missing people to climbers stuck on cliffs or vessels missing at sea.
HM Coastguard receives requests for assistance in many forms, including 999 calls, mayday and Pan-Pan broadcasts, calls on VHF DSC and Channel 16 and satellite distress calls.
Also:
Coastguard Rescue Officers
There are over 3,500 coastguard rescue officers (CROs) who volunteer around the UK coast and are trained in search and rescue skills.
Our volunteers rescue people trapped on cliffs, stuck in mud or struggling in the water. They also undertake a number of other duties such as staffing helicopter landing sites, assisting police in searching for missing people or attending reports of possible unexploded ordnance on beaches.
The Watch House at Burry Port / Pembrey
Location
- The exact site of the former Coastguard Watch House in Burry Port/Pembrey historically sat near the harbour area (linked to the coastguard station near the docks), though modern development means the original building no longer stands clearly marked.
Life in the Watch House
Although specific diaries for Pembrey haven’t been digitised online, the structure and lifestyle at watch houses around the UK give a good model:
- Two-storey building with a boathouse below, watch room above.
- Boats and rockets or mortar gear stored on site.
- Officer and crew often lived on site, families sometimes present.
- Nights were spent keeping visual or patrol watch, rowing out after wrecks, and preventing smuggling.
Reference:
Resources:
Thanks to Jeff Thomas for the Water Guards press cutting.
