THE RNLI HAS SEVERAL small museums and display centres around the coast where those in search of lifeboat history can find model lifeboats, collections of paintings and photographs, perhaps some examples of equipment no longer used, or perhaps the graphic description of an epic rescue. And as well as being focal points of great general interest, between them these museums and display centres raise many thousands of pounds every year for the lifeboat service.

The first museum to be opened which was devoted exclusively to the saving of life at sea was. appropriately enough, at Bamburgh in Northumberland.

It was at Bamburgh that the first boat known to have been given extra buoyancy for lifesaving. Lionel Lukin's 'Unimmergible'. had been stationed as early as 1786. and it was at Bamburgh that Grace Darling, daughter of the keeper of the Longstone lighthouse on the Fame Islands, was bom in 1815. The Grace Darling Museum, as it is called, commemorates one of the most famous rescues of all time: the heroic action of Grace and her father. William, who put to sea in a small pulling coble to take off nine people from the steamer Forfarshire which had foundered on the rocks of the islands on a wild September night in 1838. Their original coble is on display at the museum as well as many pictures, books and relics relating to Grace Darling's life. The present honorary curator is Mr J. F. Bird.

The museum at Bamburgh has acted as an inspiration to many people, and in particular to Eric Thomson, for many years honorary secretary of Whitby lifeboat station. In 1953 Mr Thomson laid the foundations for a lifeboat museum in Whitby's old lifeboat house, a museum that has gone from strength to strength and which today houses one of the most interesting records of lifeboat history. Among its exhibits is the 34ft Robert and Ellen Robson. the RNLI's last operational pulling lifeboat which was built in 1918 and which had been stationed at Whitby from 1947 to 1957. Now in honourable retirement, she is one of the few examples of pulling lifeboats still in existence. There are also displays depicting the rescuing of 85 survivors from the hospital ship Rohilla.

wrecked in Whitby Bay in 1914. and among other models there is one of Whitby's present 44ft Waveney lifeboat The White Rose of Yorkshire.

Mr Thomson has been ably assisted, particularly with model making, by his son Peter, the present coxswain of Whitby lifeboat, and also by William Dryden. a former motor mechanic at the station.

Four other old lifeboat houses have also become the homes of lifeboat museums. More often than not it is local interest which provides the incentive for opening a museum in a boathouse which is no longer needed for operational use. Mrs Milligan looks after the museum in Portpatrick on the west coast of Scotland, where the lifeboat now lies afloat. The museum is a great attraction to holidaymakers and is kept in superb condition. Several models are on display, including a very fine example of 'The Original' (see page 57). the first lifeboat designed as a lifeboat and used for that purpose; she was built by Henry Greathead in South Shields in 1789.

Cromer and Eastbourne both have museums in former lifeboat houses.

Both have recently been renovated and they. too. attract large numbers of visitors each year during the summer. It is usual for the theme of a museum to be centred around the history of that particular lifeboat station, and at Cromer Henry Blogg. perhaps the most famous coxswain of all time, holds a prominent position. Henry Blogg joined Cromer lifeboat crew in 1894. was second coxswain from 1902 and coxswain from 1909 to 1947. through two world wars; he was awarded three gold medals for gallantry and four silver. Cromer museum is looked after with great devotion by Don Harvey. It has strong connections with Shoreline and is also active in furthering relations with foreign lifeboat societies.

Eastbourne, which is one of the RNLI's earliest museums, is situated in a superb position by the promenade and contains an excellent model display, including: a 43ft Watson pulling and sailing boat from the end of the last century; a steam lifeboat: then, coming up to the present day. a 48ft 6in Solent, a 70ft Clyde cruising lifeboat and an 18ft 6in McLachlan. A particularly interesting exhibit at Eastbourne is the only known original cork lifejacket still to survive.

The old lifeboat house at Clovelly.

which used to house a slipway boat, held a small RNLI display for some years, but the Institution has recently converted this boathouse into a museum. Mrs Morris and Mrs Sedenare very active selling souvenirs during the summer months to the many thousands of visitors to this charming North Devon village. Clovelly now has a 70ft cruising lifeboat which lies afloat and which can be seen from the museum when she is at her mooring— and among several models on show in the museum is one of the original 70ft Clyde class lifeboat Charles H. Barrett (Civil Service No. 35).

Perhaps one of the most interesting of RNLI museums is at Southwold.

Suffolk. It occupies two floors of an old water tower and it is hoped to extend to a third floor in the near future. Mr J. R.

Goldsmith and Mr D. B. Kennard. the honorary curators, are both ardent lifeboat supporters and were the driving force in setting up this museum. It has only been open for four years but has already proved to be a tremendous success. Among the many exhibits is a very fine oil painting depicting lifeboatmen preparing to go to sea.

Head office at Poole has a small museum which houses several of the RNLI's finest oil paintings and a changing display of models. One display case is devoted to Sir William Hillary, founder of the Institution, and includes a copy of his 'Appeal to the British Nation on the Humanity and Policy of Forming a National Institution for the Preservation of Lives and Property from Shipwreck' published in London in 1823; it lies open at the page listing the objects of such an institution. Sir William Hillary's letter of March 24.

1824. accepting the Central Committee's invitation to become a vicepresident of the Institution, can also be seen as well as a manuscript written later the same year presenting his ideas for a steam lifeboat—his ideas were always in advance of his time.

All the museums mentioned so far are self-contained, but some lifeboat houses still in operational use also house displays of considerable interest.

Examples of such display centres can be found at Dunbar. Bridlington. Margate.

Redcar. Exmouth. Coverack.

Shoreham and Hastings. They provide the visitor with an opportunity not only of viewing the present lifeboat but also of getting some idea of the types of lifeboat which were housed there in the past. Hastings has just introduced a tape recording of the history of the station together with descriptions of the present 37ft 6in Rother, The Duke of Kent, and D class inflatable lifeboat, explaining how they are launched. At first the commentary was only in English but within a few weeks it was made available in several foreign languages.

As well as the museums and displays which are RNLI property, it is quite common to find a large museum with an area or a room allocated for an RNLI display. Perhaps the best examples are at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the Science Museum in Kensington, both of whichhave very interesting displays outlining the advances made in lifeboat design since 'The Original'. Other similar examples are the Castle Cornet Museum in Guernsey, where the Institution was recently invited to introduce a display concentrating on the history of St Peter Port lifeboat station, and the small but very attractive museum at Barmouth. On display at the Redcar Zetland Museum is Zetland (.see pa%c 59,1, the oldest surviving lifeboat in the world built in 1800 to the same design as 'The Original' but slightly larger; she went to Redcar in1802 and has been there ever since.

Although it is sometimes regrettably necessary to close a museum, as at Aldeburgh recently following the death of Don Cox. others open. Through the efforts of the local branch, the Institution is at present engaged in opening a small museum in an old lighthouse at Harwich.

The most ambitious of museum projects, however, is undoubtedly the proposed National Lifeboat Museum in Bristol. The local committee in Bristol, formed by Peter Elliott, has made considerable progress already on the lifeboat museum which is to be developed in a modern building in the city's docks, and which it is anticipated will eventually hold a wide collection of different classes of full-size lifeboats from both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. One exhibit has already been acquired. She is Lizzie Porter, a 35ft self-righting pulling and sailing lifeboat which, stationed first at Holy Island.

Northumberland, and then at North Sunderland, launched 56 times and rescued 77 people. She was sold out of the Institution's service in 1936 but years later was found abandoned, half submerged in a canal in Nottingham.

Although at present in a sad condition.

Lizzie Porter will be restored at Bristol.

Without the help of our voluntarycurators it would of course be quite impossible to maintain all our museums and the Institution is deeply grateful to them. They not only contribute a great driving force of enthusiasm, but back that up with many, many hours of hard work. It will be appreciated, however, that as the museums and displays are manned by voluntary supporters in this way. it is not always possible to be specific about hours of opening. In general, they are open during the summer months between 10 am and 4 pm; confirmation of opening hours can usually be obtained through the station honorary secretary..