Body found in the River Thames confirmed as Damon Rawnsley

Image: Damon Rawnsley

Damon is likely to have slipped and fallen from his houseboat on a stormy night

The body of a man retrieved by Chiswick RNLI crew from the River Thames near Bishop’s Park in Fulham last Thursday (27 February) has now been confirmed as that of Damon Rawnsley. It is thought this was a tragic accident and likely Damon slipped and fell from the top of the boat deck during a stormy night.

Damon lived with his girlfriend on Reliance, a houseboat moored at Chiswick Pier. He went missing from his boat the previous Sunday evening during high winds at about 10pm.

“We think he was collecting coal,” co-chair of Chiswick Pier Trust Jan Wright told The Chiswick Calendar. “He went outside to collect the coal and didn’t come back.”

The boat is moored on the outside pontoon. The hatch was open on the river side of the boat, so they think he may have fallen, or been knocked by the hatch door.

“The wind was so strong on Sunday night, and gusting. The river looked like the sea,” said Jan.

Damon’s girlfriend raised the alarm when he did not return and the RNLI, who are also moored at Chiswick Pier, immediately started a search for him.

“It’s extremely distressing,” said Jan. “He is one of the nicest people you could wish to meet. He has lived there for ten or fifteen years.”

There are eight houseboats moored at Chiswick Pier, with a population of about 12 people, a tightly knit community who all know eachother and the RNLI crews.

Between 11pm and two am on the night he went missing there were up to five fire engines and an ambulance as well as the RNLI and the river police using search lights. The search continued over the following week.

Damon’s family and partner wish to thank the wider community in Chiswick and along the river for their messages of support and the amazing response from emergency services and riverside communities in the search for Damon.

The family have personally thanked The Chiswick Pier Trust and The RNLI crew members who were directly involved in the search and retrieval of Damon. He leaves a partner, 18 year old son and three brothers. Chiswick Pier Trust plans to create a fitting memorial to Damon at Chiswick Pier.

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar