Seafarers all Kindly accept this 'widow's mite' in aid of your good service. I lost two brothers at sea and three uncles and my great grandfather served under Lord Nelson as a commander.

1 admire the bravery of the sailors.

God bless them all.—DOROTHY DUMBELL, Mrs, Old Mill Lane, Freshfield, Formby, Liverpool.

This letter accompanied a donation to Angle branch.—EDITOR.

Incredible feat I was delighted to read of Superintendent Coxswain Sevan's richly deserved award of a silver medal for the service to Diana V.

However, may I suggest that even that magnificent performance paled into insignificance when compared with his incredible feat some six weeks later when he and his crew rescued the entire complement of MvRevi moments only before she sank? As an auxiliary coastguard at Spurn Point and administrative officer of Withernsea 1LB station, I can obviously add nothing to the full operational reports of the service which you will already have received but, as a cruising yachtsman of more years than I care to remember, 1 can say without hesitation that the conditions both as to weather and sea state on that night were the worst that 1 have ever seen in the 25 years that I have lived on this part of the coast.

To go through those seas at the speed necessary to reach the casualty in time without sustaining severe damage, must, in itself, have required skill and seamanship of the very highest order.

But then, in the dark and appalling conditions prevailing, to lay alongside a vessel sinking by the head some 30 times before the last of the crew was evacuated must surely rank as a truly incredible example of courage, determination and seamanship.—BRIAN NORDON, The Old Owthorne Vicarage, Hull Road, Withernsea, North Humberside.

Humber lifeboat's services to Diana V and Revi are reported in 'Lifeboat Services' starting on page ISO.—EDITOR.

Model service I am sending a photograph of a model of Shoreham lifeboat which my father made. She is 'stationed' at Southsea canoe lake and has been out 'on service' several times. These 'services' have included assisting power boats with engine trouble to shore, rescuing yachts in difficulties and recovering footballs, one frisbee (rather tricky) and five plastic ducks of an oriental variety.

We have taken the model to Shoreham and sailed her in the harbour near the boathouse which amused those of the crew who were present. 1 must express our thanks to Jack at Shoreham for showing us over the 42ft Watson Dorothy and Philip Constant and also to Evan at Moelfre for going out of his way to show us over both the old lifeboat and their new Rother. In fact wherever we have visited boathouses either with the model or not we have met with nothing but kindness and interest. Swanage and Selsey are two stations whose slipways we used for launching our model.

Milton/Southsea branch kindly furnished us with a collection box which we always have with us whenever we sail the boat and with which we were very pleased to realise a total of £10 over last summer season.—JULIAN HOLM AN, 39 Mayles Road, Milton, Southsea, Hampshire.

Pierced coins The response to the RNLI's appeal for foreign coins has been excellent; literally hundredweights of material have poured in from branches and guilds all over the country. There are, however, depressing aspects as well, for the sums realised could have been even greater but for a habit, all too prevalent, of boring holes in things.

Sorting through a bin of pennies, centimes, bent pesetas and so on 1 came across a lovely little coin: a lOc of Wilhelmina of Holland as a young girl, with flowing hair; one of the most pleasingly designed of modern coins. In mint state, as this coin was, its value should have been about £30; but someone had pierced it through Wilhelmina's neck—something beautiful had been destroyed and the coin unfortunately will now bring the RNLI only about 5p, its value as scrap.—JOHN PHILLIMORE, The Old Hall, Wem, Shropshire.

John Phillimore is one of the two numismatists who are helping the RNLI by sorting the coins collected..