THREE LIFEBOAT STATIONS have recently been re-opened. One of these is Fraserburgh, the station which suffered two major disasters in less than 20 years and from which the lifeboat was withdrawn after the 1970 disaster.

The boat which will be permanently allocated to Fraserburgh, R. Hope Roberts, is of the 48ft 6in Solent class and was formerly stationed at Rosslare Harbour.

Brighton now has an Atlantic 21 lifeboat on service. The station was closed temporarily until suitable berthing facilities were available in the new Brighton marina. A D class inflatable ILB is now in service at Hunstanton.

All three stations have long histories.

Fraserburgh was established in 1831, and it is known that there were lifeboats at both Brighton and Huntstanton before 1825.

New RNLI Chairman After four highly successful years as Chairman of the RNLI Major-General Ralph Farrant has retired. His successor, the Duke of Atholl, has a wide knowledge of the work of the Institution, having served as a member of the Committee of Management for 20 years. He is particularly knowledgeable about fund raising in Scotland and public relations generally. He was Convener of the Scottish Lifeboat Council from 1965 to 1975 and has been chairman of the Public Relations Committee of the RNLI ever since it was founded.

Lt-Cdr P. E. C. Pickles, for many years chairman of Scarborough branch, remains one of the Deputy Chairmen.

The other Deputy Chairman is Vice- Admiral Sir Peter Compston, the chairman of the Fund Raising Committee, whose many visits to branches and conduct of numerous district conferences has made him widely known to and warmly liked by large numbers of voluntary workers.

National Lifeboat Museum The RNLI has agreed to the establishment of a national lifeboat museum in Bristol provided the necessary funds can be raised. The proposal is to house the museum in a building on the site of the old Patterson's shipyard where Brunei's Great Western was built. It is only a short distance from the dry dock where Brunei's ss Great Britain is already on display.

The chairman of the museum's trustees is Peter Elliot. Bristol City Council has given its support to the project.

The sum required to put the museum into full operation is £140,000 and it is intended to raise this without detriment to general fund raising for the RNLI.

The RNLI's organising secretary for the South West, Cdr Peter Sturdee, has been associated with the project from the outset and when the museum is self supporting its profits will be donated to the RNLI.

Lifeboatmen row in New York Through the generosity of Pan American World Airways a crew from the Mumbles lifeboat station was able to take part in the New York Harbor Festival rowing races on July 1. The continued on page 184.