A GOLD medal awarded to one of the heroes of the Penlee lifeboat tragedy has gone missing from a secure unit at a charity head office in Poole.

The historic artefact, presented posthumously to volunteer coxswain William Trevelyan Richards in recognition of his gallantry, is the highest award issued by the RNLI.

Mr Richards was aboard the Penlee lifeboat Soloman Browne, which sank on the night of December 19 1981 after going to the aid of coaster Union Star.

All eight volunteer crew members were lost in the disaster, and each were posthumously awarded medals in recognition of their bravery and sacrifice.

The medal awarded to Mr Richards had been kept in a dedicated secure facility as part of the RNLI’s heritage collection.

However, it was discovered to be missing this month.

Despite an extensive search, the medal has not been found, and police are investigating.

George Rawlinson, operations director of the RNLI, said: "We are devastated by the loss of this important part of our heritage.

"Not only is the medal of historical significance to the RNLI, it also has huge emotional importance, particularly to the families of the crew members who perished and the local community in Newlyn.

"The medal represents the great courage, commitment and ultimate sacrifice made by the Penlee lifeboat crew.

"To us, it is irreplaceable – our primary concern is to secure the return of the medal."

The medal was stored in a facility with "multiple layers of security", Mr Rawlinson said.

A thorough search of the heritage collection and an internal investigation has been carried out.

David Welton, RNLI heritage manager, said: "Everybody in the RNLI family is deeply concerned by this incident and we would like to reassure people that we are doing everything possible to retrieve this precious object.

"Anybody with any information about the medal’s location is urged to contact Dorset Police quoting incident number 02:136, or to contact the RNLI direct."