The Lifeboat Service

[Colin McClelland]

My grand father served on the Tynemouth lifeboat for many years, in the photo he is 4th from the right.
He was a fisherman sailing his coble from North Shields, his boat was moored just yards from the lifeboat station.

[j.sabourn]

#11 He would probably have known the Sabourns of Cullercoats , Colin, they were also Coble fishermen. There were up to a few years ago Sabourns living in Notts flats also fishermen. When my father was alive I asked about them , his reply was they had nothing to do with his family, which I found hard to believe, so maybe a falling out somewhere along the line . There are even Sabourns out here in Oz , started off by another John Sabourn jumping ship in Fremantle in 1926. Fast breeders as well as bleeders the clan apparently. However unlike some I have never found it necessary to hide behind another name, as they all payed their debts. The 3/9 with Cappy in dispute will be solved someday no doubt . Cheers JS.

[happy daze john in oz]

I do recall Cullercoats in my younger days when staying in Sunderland.
If I recall correctly there was something to do with a race course there??

[j.sabourn]

#13 That’s a new one on me John . Cullercoats was only a small fishing village with most of the cobbles pulled up on the small beach. A couple of Rows of fisherman’s. Cottages now long gone. Was a buffer between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. Any race course would have been the kids on Skate boards . Cheers JS
There was a race course at Gosforth . JS....

[Bill Morrison]

Fraserburgh Lifeboat DUCHESS OF KENT.
I have just remembered a crew member on one of SEAFORTHS vessels can't remember which, his name was Andy Birnie from Fraserburgh, gave me this model, price two tins Tennents Lager.
Bill.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Bill.
Nice little model Bill, I used to put ships in bottles, in fact I have a bottle ready for one but can't get around to doing it, probably wreck it with shaking hands LoL.
Des

[j.sabourn]

As said in one post , thought it was this one ? Supply vessels in the offshore industry rarely had lifeboats. Apart from the FRC which most carried , their lifeboat was a rubber inflatable aptly called the DOTI boat for obvious reasons . Immersion suits often mentioned today were rarely seen on British vessels due to their high costs well over a thousand pounds apiece at the time and took about half an hour to get into and zipped up and came in two sizes big and small. , took some one else to assist you in putting on and then all. Movement was restricted. A lot of seamen carried their own wet or even dry suits to work on decki In in case a wave took them over the side . May have survived longer than 3 minutes , if. Only someone would volunteer to test out ? JS

[Richard Keith Roberts]

A very interesting read about the RNLI is a book written by an Ian Skidmore , published 1979. It is called Lifeboat VC and is titled " The Story of Coxswain Dick Evans and His Many Rescues " It is a poignant reminder of the perils these people have to face when saving lives at sea.

[happy daze john in oz]

#13 That’s a new one on me John . Cullercoats was only a small fishing village with most of the cobbles pulled up on the small beach. A couple of Rows of fisherman’s. Cottages now long gone. Was a buffer between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. Any race course would have been the kids on Skate boards . Cheers JS
There was a race course at Gosforth . JS....

Just recall my great aunt speaking about it, but only a young sprog then so may have got it wrong.

[j.sabourn]

Of course you had the ponies and the donkeys on the beach next door at Whitley Bay . Used to as a kid ride them down from the field for Jess Lawson the owner . Hi O Silver. Bet my donkey was faster than Cappys old dray milkman’s horse . Cheers JS