Lifeboat Heroes

Outstanding RNLI Rescues from Three Centuries

RRP: £19.99
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 978 1 84425 545 0

Lifeboat Heroes tells the inspiring stories of 16 of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's most dramatic rescues from its distinguished 185-year history. It examines triumphs and disasters from all corners of the British and Irish coastline, stretching from Cornwall to Shetland and the Humber to Cork.

For anyone sitting safe from a storm by their fireside who, when the lifeboat is called, tries to picture what it will be like for their local crew as they race to the station, this book will place them on the heaving deck. It emotively demonstrates just what it has taken over the years to challenge the elements at their most ferocious for the sake of a human life.

These gripping stories of triumph and disaster at sea are packed with the personal recollections of crewmen, other emergency services, survivors, and local families who waited at home for their loved ones to return. Newspaper articles from the time also report the devastating scenes:

"As the last man came I held my breath; he was alive when taken from the wreck, but had died in the boat. Four men bore him on their shoulders, and a flag flung over the face mercifully concealed what was most shocking of the dreadful sight; but they had removed his boots and socks to chafe his feet before he died, and had slipped a pair of mittens over the toes which left the ankles naked. This was the body of Howard Primrose Fraser, the second mate of the lost ship and her drowned captain's brother." Reported in the Daily Telegraph, Thursday 6 January 1881

The earliest story is that of Sir William Hillary, founder of the RNLI, who rescued all 17 crew and passengers from the Fortroendet that went aground in 1827. A more recent account concerns the valiant attempt at rescue in 1981, when Trevelyan Richards, coxswain of Penlee lifeboat was lost with his seven-man crew and all those he was attempting to save from the coaster Union Star.

Many of the incidents of outstanding bravery recounted here proved to be turning points in the history of the RNLI and the business of sea rescue in general. The wreck of the Mexico in the Ribble estuary in 1886, when 27 crewmen from two lifeboats lost their lives, hastened the quest for powered lifeboats and gave rise to flag days and street collections. The loss of the Penlee lifeboat and her crew accelerated the development of today's powerful lifeboats and reminded the public of the ultimate invincibility of the sea.

Rescues covered: Douglas, Isle of Man, Skerries, County Dublin, Appledore, Newcastle, County Down & Ilfracombe,Devon, Ramsgate, The Mexico Disaster (Ribble Estuary), Fraserburgh, Ballycotton, Cromer, Moelfre and Holyhead, Anglesey, Humber, Penlee, Hayling Island, Lerwick, Shetland, Torbay

Edward Wake-Walker worked for 28 years with the RNLI, the final 16 as PR Director. His other books on the RNLI and its history are Gold Medal Rescues (1992), Lost Photographs of the RNLI (2004) and The Lifeboats Story (2007), and he is an honorary adviser to the RNLI Heritage Trust. He lives in Dorset.

With every copy of this book sold, Haynes publishing will donate £1 to the RNLI

Please see below for more information about the RNLI and how you can donate

About the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Lifeboat Heroes is an official joint publication with Haynes Publishing and The Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. It provides, on call, a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service to 100 nautical miles out from the coast of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

The RNLI is largely a volunteer organisation - its volunteers include 4,500 crew members, 2,900 shore helpers and station mangers plus 35,000 fundraisers. The charity is independent from Government and continues to rely on voluntary contributions and legacies for its income.

The lifeboat crews and lifeguards of the RNLI have saved over 137,000 lives at sea since 1824.

Last year RNLI lifeboats rescued almost 8,000 people, an average of 21 people a day.

There are over 230 RNLI lifeboat stations and over 70 RNLI lifeguarded beaches throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland.

RNLI lifeguards patrolling beaches in the UK in peak season assisted almost 10,000 people last year.

The RNLI's running costs average around £339,000 a day. For every £1 raised, 85p is spent on operations and 15p is spent on generating income.

The RNLI has an active fleet of more than 300 lifeboats, ranging from 5m to 17m in length, and a relief fleet of about 100 boats.

The RNLI constructs up to 60% of the rigid inflatable lifeboats it needs at its own purpose-built manufacturing facility in Cowes. To find out more about making a donation or becoming a regular supporter, visit the RNLI website at www.rnli.org.uk or telephone 0800 543210.