It is a comfort to know . . .

On Sunday October 22, I was a guest aboard Yarmouth lifeboat when she was required to answer the tragic call in Christchurch Bay. Although the sea was quiet at the time, I must say that I was deeply impressed by the sheer skill and professionalism displayed by the crew.

It is a comfort to know that, in these materialistic times, such men, all volunteers, do still exist and give of themselves freely to help those in trouble at sea.—PHILIP FINE, 5 Cannons Drive, Edgware, Middlesex.

While on exercise in the vicinity of the Needles Light on Sunday morning, October 22, 1978, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, lifeboat, the 52ft Arun Joy and John Wade was asked to go to a position a quarter of a mile west south west of Christchurch Ledge Buoy where a fisherman had been trapped underwater by the anchor warp of his boat. The lifeboat's inflatable dinghy was launched, the body recovered and brought ashore.-EDnoR.

Boathouse concert Of all the events held in aid of Sennen Cove station each year, the concert given by St Buryan Male Voice Choir is one of the most popular. About ten years ago the choir volunteered to give a concert in the boathouse and to the delight of both local residents and visitors alike has returned annually since then. Last year was no exception. The boathouse was filled to capacity with men, women and children anxious to sample the sound of Cornish voices singing in the unequalled atmosphere of a lifeboat house.

Our boathouse is very large and houses a lifeboat on a turntable. From the boathouse two slipways stretch out to sea: the long slip for launching and the shorter one for recovery. The size of the house gives excellent acoustics and also plenty of room for an appreciative audience and that is what we get each year.

Even though the concert is looked forward to each year, the coxswain and most of the crew are always there to ensure a quick and safe launch of the lifeboat should the occasion arise. Fortunately the choir has not yet been launched into the Atlantic singing 'For those in peril on the sea' but there have been a couple of near misses. Once the choir arrived for rehearsal for a concert to find no boat on which to rehearse as she had been called out on service, and on another occasion the boat was called out about 15 minutes after the concert had ended.

The amount raised by the choir has increased each year; last year £75 was added to our funds and everyone associated with Sennen Cove branch is most grateful to the choir for its help.—VERONICA HUTCHINGS, 10 Sea View Terrace, Sennen, Land's End, Cornwall.

Helicopter rescues I am currently engaged in research into the subject of helicopter rescue operations in, and around the coasts of, the United Kingdom between 1950 and the present day. I would be most grateful if any of your readers who had been rescued by a helicopter could write to me. As an amateur yachtsman myself I can assure them that I would not want to dwell too much upon any embarrassing circumstances leading up to such an event! I am, however, anxious to obtain as many first-hand accounts as possible and it would be especially valuable to talk to the rescued as well as to the rescuers.

It would also be particularly interesting for me to make contact with the lifeboat crews who had been involved in rescues in conjunction with Royal Air Force, Royal Navy or civilian helicopters.—JOHN CHARTRES, 5« Rivington Road, Hale, Altrincliam, C hex hi re.

RNLI of yesteryear As an ardent supporter of the RNLI and also a keen deltiologist (collector of old postcards) what better than to combine both activities. My collection of postcards of yesteryear is devoted to maritime themes, those featuring the old lifeboats and their crews being my favourites. I have quite a comprehensive collection of such cards which now and again I put on display at local fund-raising events for the RNLI. I also give talks about them and write about the service in various collectors' magazines. Here are just two of my lifeboat postcards.

My first introduction to the service was as a lad, when I lived for some 17 years at Cullercoats, a small fishing village between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay, Northumberland. Just across the Tyne is South Shields, the home of William Wouldhave, who first put forward the idea that lifeboats should be self righting, and Henry Greathead, who built the 'Original'. The South Shields coat of arms of 1850 is both interesting and appropriate, inset with 'always ready' and the motto 'courage —humanity—commerce', and featuring a picture of six men rowing a boat.

Now down to Margate, and the launch of the .lifeboat in 1903. This is one of my earliest cards. The scene is rather nostalgic. The lifeboat was housed on the pier itself and launched down a steep ramp, and it was only in January of last year that Margate pier was so badly damaged by storm that the lifeboat crew had to be winched down to the boathouse by helicopter to recover the lifeboat: another mission safely accomplished with the cooperation of two services.—GORDON CAMPBELL, 4 Bollinbarn, Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Forrest Hall Reading with interest the article published in the spring 1978 issue of THE LIFEBOAT about the painting of the picture of Lynmouth lifeboat on service to Forrest Hall after the famous 'overland launch' I was reminded of further help given to Forrest Hull in 1906. Coming from South America, this three-masted schooner met with severe weather and spent months at sea, with the result that her sails were ruined, her steering gear fouled with barnacles and she drifted for the Irish coast.

Forrest Hall ran into severe weather off south west Kerry and it happened that some fishermen saw her. They made for the schooner and the captain explained his plight. The fishermen gave them water and provisions and piloted the vessel into the then Coast Guard station at Ballinskelligs Bay, just where I live. She was kept for weeks in the harbour at Ballinskelligs for repair and her crew were cared for by local people.

I was 50 years in the Coast Life Saving Service at Waterville and also helped the RNLI; during the war we also helped crews of wrecked vessels that came ashore.—T. O'MALLEY, Spunkane, Waterville, Co. Kerry.

RNLI National lottery Thank you so much for the cheque for £25. It is only the second raffle I have ever got anything back from in my life! We are always thinking of the lifeboatmen whenever we are afloat; and if, by some extraordinary mishap, they do not manage to salvage us when needed, we have left them a little something in our wills.—MARGARET D.

HARDWICK, Eastfield, Cheselbourne, Dorchester, Dorset.

Mrs Hardwick was one of the winners of the fourth lottery.—EDITOR..