Welcome home Your autumn issue of the journal will, I am sure, give full coverage of the AGM in May and subsequent medal and award presentations, and 1 should like to follow that up by telling you of the wonderful night we all had on the homecoming from London of Coxswain Brian Bevan and the crew of Humber lifeboat.

Humber, at the tip of Spurn Point, must be one of the most isolated of lifeboat stations and we. the local people of Easington (some seven miles away) and the surrounding district, do not get the chance to meet the lifeboatmen and their wives in a friendly or social way as often as we should like. When, therefore, the whole crew was 'off station', a situation which again practically never happens, we set to, determined to grasp the opportunity to show our local appreciation, in the best possible manner, for the proud honours brought to the area.

So a committee was formed and a dance organised for May 23, the day after the AGM, all the proceeds of which would go to Humber lifeboat crew amenities fund. Dr J. D. Busfield, the honorary medical adviser, was invited and transport was arranged to bring everyone from Spurn.

A champagne reception greeted them; the medals—gold, silver and bronze—were put on display; and from then on the night was theirs to enjoy and unwind from all the formalities.

'Santana County', a group from Withernsea.

supplied the music, together with a disco, and for the raffle numerous fine prizes had been given by local pubs, clubs and shops, by BP Petroleum Development, Amoco, Humber and Grimsby Pilots, Humber Coastguard and many individual people.

A cheque for £412.64 was presented to Brian and his crew, which we hope will make their life down at the point a little easier. Also during the evening Humber Pilots presented the crew with a plaque for their recreation room in recognition of the gold medal service to Revi, and, to go to RNLI funds, Mrs Mary Hart of Hull presented a cheque for £65, the result of a sponsored walk.

To sum it all up, from the fantastic response and turn out to the dance 1 hope all the crew feel that they are a part of the community and know how proud we all are of them. In the words of the banner above the stage that night: 'Well done lads!'—MICHAEL A.

WELTON, Sun House, Main Street.

Easington, Nr Hull, East Yorkshire, Humberside.

A memorable day 1 would very much like to thank all those people who made my day at the Royal Festival Hall on May 22 such a memorable one; one that I shall never forget. I felt very proud and honoured to meet HRH The Duke of Kent and also Coxswain Brian Bevan. What brave men he and his crew are; indeed 1 felt quite small standing near him waiting to receive my gold badge, which I will treasure all my life.

My one regret was that my dear husband was not there with me, although I felt his presence. He died not knowing that I had been awarded such an honour.

1 miss our former lifeboat, Mable E.

Holland, very much but I am sure Alice Upjohn will do her duty. Once again, many thanks.—JOAN BATES, Mrs, Spion Hop, Dnngeness, Romney Marsh, Kent.

The lute George L. 'Mick' Bates was station honorary secretary at Dungeness from 1965 to 1978.—EDITOR.

Understatement of great magnitude As a Shoreline member 1 read your journal with great interest and appreci- ation of the various mission reports. To my mind these latter are examples of understatement of great magnitude.

The simple, unvarnished descriptions of the most hair raising feats of seamanship cannot be beaten by any professional drama writer.

Having read each issue I pass it on to a friend in Texas, USA, whom I met during the 1939-45 war in South East Asia when we were both prisoners of war under the Japanese. His younger son, despite a polio lameness, has become an offshore small craft skipper operating in the Gulf area. I have just received a letter from my friend. Lt-Col I. B. Hard (Rtd.), and believe you will be interested in an extract: '. . . The RNLI journal is thoroughly enjoyed here. 1 read it from cover to cover before forwarding it on to Jim! It is truly exhilarating to read of a group so dedicated to their task.' L. J. ROBERTSON,23 Glen Court, Riverside Road. Staines, TWI8 2LG.

Lleyn Peninsula Your feature article on the Lleyn Peninsula in the spring 1979 issue of the LIFEBOAT prompts me to write, particularly in connection with Abersoch, as I feel that my grandfather virtually discovered the place as a holiday resort, having first taken his family there, including my father, for summer holiday from Birmingham in 1885.

My grandfather died in 1912 but my father visited every summer for a month, as well as some Easters, Whitsun holidays and at Christmas until 1939 when he died, a total of 54 years.

At his fiftieth visit the local people gave him an illuminated address.

However, the purpose of this letter is to send you some photographs taken at the time of the 'opening' of the breakwater which was built through a committee, of which I believe my father was chairman, to protect small craft in the harbour, as opposed to the St Tudwal's Roads. The ceremony was performed by the then Lord Howe, who was a member, and later chairman, of the RNLI Committee of Management and who arrived in Abersoch lifeboat to perform his task. He was also a racing driver of considerable repute and reckoned a fair time for the seven miles from Pwllheli to Abersoch was 9.5 minutes.

I believe the year was 1927, when of course the place was totally different.

The lifeboat house was on the western arm of Abersoch Bay, a fair distance from the village and no made road to serve it. After the lifeboat station was closed the slipway became a very popular spot from which to fish, but I have not seen it since 1938 and it may not even exist now.

As a matter of interest, there was, for very many years, an annual regatta at Abersoch, long before South Caernarfonshire Yacht Club was formed or its clubhouse built. My father was commodore of that regatta, which was run from a boat moored in the bay. The boat formed one end of the starting line and the course was round marker boats anchored in the bay. The creation of the SCYC of course made a tremendous difference to the yachting facilities at Abersoch.—DONALD M. LEA, Meres Farm, Heronfield, Nr Knowle, West Midlands.

First meeting We, the joint owners of a small 15ft GRP motor vessel named Content, were enjoying a day's fishing last June when the propeller shaft sheared and we were left in a somewhat helpless situation.

A radio call from another vessel was answered by one of your lifeboats out of Brixham being delivered to Falmouth; we were on her bearing and just four miles ahead.

I must admit, on seeing a lifeboat bearing down on us and anticipating the leg-pulling we would surely have to endure from other boatmen I was wishing it was anyone else but me in the boat at the time, and true to form a ball was had at our expense! The reason for this letter, other than to say a big thank you, is also to say how impressed I was by the character of the crew of your lifeboat. While I have always held this breed of men in the highest regard, this was my first time of actually meeting them; and it made a lasting impression seeing men enjoying so much their work and also enjoying each other's company while at the same time showing efficiency and professionalism.

No doubt to these men it was just a job, taking in tow two fellows in a spot of bother, but their lighthearted matter of fact attitude and genuine concern we will always remember and respect.— L. R. MAY and N. SPRY, 27 Cromer Walk, Southway, Plymouth.

Coxswain Arthur Curnow and Crew Members B. Counter and J. Ashford were taking the relief 52ft Barnett lifeboat Euphrosyne Kendal/rom Brixham to Falmouth when, off Plymouth, Content got into difficulties. The lifeboat towed her into Cawsand (Plymouth).

This letter, addressed to Captain B. J.

Anderson, Torbay honorary secretary, accompanied a donation to station funds.—EDITOR.

Thank you, Sheringham As a member of Shoreline and a member of the crew of the steam lighter VIC 32, a converted Admiralty supply vessel, I should like to thank the crew of Sheringham lifeboat for standing by us when, bound for Grimsby in July 1978, we ran into very heavy weather.

It was fine when we started off from Great Yarmouth. The sea was calm and remained so until we reached Cromer.

As we changed course to cross over the Lincolnshire coast the sky darkened and the wind increased its force, eventually rising to force 7 gusting 8. We were on a lee shore; we were making no headway against the sea; and we were advised that we could not take shelter at either Wells or Cromer.

After trying to 'stick it out' we decided to put back and Sheringham lifeboat came out to escort us into calmer waters. The crew went to great trouble on our behalf and, after we got in to Great Yarmouth, we entertained them on board VIC 32, our skipper's wife making hot stew and tea.—R.

ADAMS, 2 Milton Court, Coles Road, Milton, Cambridge..