THE famous explorer, Captain Cook, was born near Stockton-on-Tees, in Yorkshire, on 27th October, 1728, and his bicentenary was celebrated this year.

His mother was a member of an old Redcar family, while his sister married a Redcar tradesman. Redcar claims that some two hundred of its citizens to-day are collateral descendants of him. The present Coxswain of the Teesmouth Life-boat, Mr. J. Thompson, also claims distant kinship. The bicentenary was celebrated at Redcar in September and the Teesmouth Motor Life-boat took part. An old vessel was set on fire and the Life-boat gave a display of lifesaving from this burning ship..