Loss of twin leads Josh to lifeboat service

10 hours ago

Amanda Whitein Hornsea, East Yorkshire

News image — Josh Shannon has qualified as a lifeboat crew member

BBC A 19-year-old man with ginger hair smiles as he stands in front of an inshore lifeboat - a red, inflatable-style boat with the words "Hornsea Rescue" printed across the side in black capital letters. He is wearing a black drysuit and red life vest. — Josh Shannon has qualified as a lifeboat crew member

A 19-year-old man whose identical twin died following a car crash is hoping to help others in need after qualifying as a lifeboat crew member.

Josh Shannon and his brother Joe were passengers in a car that crashed in Burshill, near Beverley, in August 2025. Josh performed CPR and kept his brother alive until help arrived, but Joe died later in hospital.

Now, Josh has followed in the footsteps of his father, leading coxswain Karl Shannon, by becoming a member of the Hornsea Inshore Rescue crew.

He said losing Joe had been "very, very difficult", but added: "It's given me this sort of motivation to use my training that I've learnt at lifeboat to help other people that need it."

Josh said one of the biggest challenges to overcome was the casualty care training, which brought back traumatic memories of the night Joe died.

"A couple of times it got really bad, and I just had to go home," he said.

The thought of helping others motivated him to "push through".

"The courage came from the thought of saving someone else and giving their family the opportunity to say goodbye," he added.

Karl Shannon A man with two boys, his sons. The man is wearing a navy blue lifeboatman uniform and white naval-style cap. The boys are wearing cadet uniforms, with blue jumpers, light blue shirts, dark blue ties and black berets. All three have poppies pinned to their chests. A war memorial be seen, with a red-brick house in the background. — Josh and Joe as boys with dad Karl, at a Remembrance Sunday service in Hornsea

Karl said he was "proud as punch" of Josh's achievement.

"A lot of us can't imagine the bond that they had and when we lost Joe I did think we was going to lose Josh as well.

"However, he's took the turn for the best and he's really put an effort in and learnt his ropes."

Sue Hickson-Marsay, who chairs Hornsea Inshore Rescue, praised Josh's dedication.

"To see him try and follow in his dad's footsteps, but also be his own person, it's just lovely," she said.

Karl Shannon A male teenager looks surprised as he holds up a dab - a brown flat fish - caught while angling. He is tall, has a mop of ginger hair and wears a beige, black and green hooded top. He is standing on a stony beach with the grey sea behind him. — Joe was a keen angler, a hobby he shared with his dad

Josh is understated about his achievement.

"My family was so, so proud of me for passing the course," he said, before adding: "To be honest, I'm just a regular Joe trying to do what's good."

Following the crash on 18 August 2025, Humberside Police said a 19-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of careless driving, causing death by driving while unlicensed and causing death by driving while uninsured. The force confirmed that investigations were continuing and the woman remained on bail.

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