Relief Waveney LIFEBOATS OF THE RELIEF FLEET are vitally important and can be busier than station lifeboats, but as they have no permanent station their naming ceremonies can take place inland. In 1966 the RNLI's first 70ft lifeboat, which subsequently joined the relief fleet, was named by Princess Marina at St Katharine's Dock just by the Tower of London. This year the dock was the venue for the naming of another relief lifeboat, a 44ft Waveney, and representatives of Wavy Line Grocers from all over the country were present.

Wavy Line started to support the RNLI ten years ago, organising a fund-raising raft race from Sheringham to Cromer, and has since added annual raft races at Southsea and Southend.

The races raise thousands of pounds, and a special promotion of Wavy Line goods with a donation being made to the RNLI for labels returned to the stores added to the money to provide the lifeboat.

A competition was run among Wavy Line's own members to find a namer, and so on the afternoon of Wednesday September 3, 1980, Mrs Barbara Laird, wife of a Wavy Line grocer from Hartley Wintney, pressed the button which sent a champagne bottle crashing over the bows of the lifeboat Wavy Line.

Derek Abbott, chairman of Wavy Line Grocers, officially handed the lifeboat to Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Compston, a deputy chairman of the Institution, who paid tribute to the support which Mr Abbott and his association had given the RNLI. Sir Alec and Lady Rose were present at the ceremony and Sir Alec, who had visited many of the grocery shops during the promotion, endorsed the deputy chairman's thanks and mentioned the efforts of the individual shopkeepers.Although there was not enough space in the dock for the lifeboat to be put through her paces, the platform party did look over her and were sufficiently impressed for Wavy Line to pledge its continued support to the RNLI through its raft races.

Relief Arun The first 52ft Arun to enter the relief fleet was named Edith Emilie at the RNLI depot quay in Poole on Monday September 22, 1980. She was the gift of Mrs E. E. Currie, whose family had founded a firm of timber merchants in Poole. Among other guests for the ceremony were the Mayor and Admiral of the Port of Poole, Councillor Fred Harris, the Mayoress, Mrs Harris, the Sheriff, Councillor Mrs Edna Adams, Mr Adams and representatives of nearby RNLI branches and guilds.

Also present were visitors to Poole from Icelandic and Australian lifeboat societies, and young Simon Hall, there to receive his bronze medal for gallantry (see page 111). The director of the Institution, Rear Admiral W. J.

Graham, welcomed them all, together with members of HQ and depot staff and their families.

While being escorted to the platform, Mrs Currie was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Nicola Baker, the six-year-old daughter of Tony Baker, a fitter in the depot. But it was an exchange of gifts, because Mrs Currie had brought a big woolly dog for little Nicola.

The lifeboat was accepted from Mrs Currie by Michael Vernon, a deputy chairman of the Committee of Management,Management, on behalf of the Institution and there then followed a service of dedication. It was conducted by the Lord Bishop of Sherborne, the Right Reverend John Kirkham, assisted by the Reverend Anthony Carter, Assistant Rural Dean of Poole, the Reverend R. David Laidler, Methodist Minister and Chairman of Poole and District Council of Churches, and Father Eamonn McGivern, Parish Priest of St Mary's Roman Catholic Church.

Coming to the naming itself, Mrs Currie, who as a girl had often sailed with her parents from the River Hamble to Poole Harbour, said, 'It has given me so much happiness to give this lifeboat.' Then, as she pressed the button to break the bottle of champagne, 'It gives me great pleasure to name this lifeboat after myself, Edith Emilie.' Poole lifeboat, the 44ft Waveney Augustine Courtauld, was in attendance, dressed over all, and as Edith Emilie set off for a demonstration trip with Mrs Currie and other guests on board, a helicopter from HMS Daedalus flew past streaming an RNLI flag. Thus ended a very happy morning.Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Men of the Royal Navy lost when HMS Barham was torpedoed in 1941 were commemorated in the naming of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston's new 44ft Waveney lifeboat on Wednesday September 17, 1980. More than half the cost of the lifeboat was provided by a bequest from Colin A. S. Stringer of Walton-on-Thames, whose brother was one of the 859 men who died when the battleship was sunk; representatives of the 405 who, miraculously, were rescued from the sinking ship were at Breakwater Promenade, Gorleston, for the naming of the new lifeboat RNLB Barham last September.

A large legacy from Mrs A. Geraldine Miles of Southbourne helped to make up the total cost of the boat and among those who gave donations to provide equipment were the BarhamSurvivors Association and Weybridge branch.

The new lifeboat was handed over to the RNLI by Mr J. Guillaume, solicitor for the Stringer Trust and also president of Weybridge branch. She was accepted on behalf of the Institution by Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Hezlet, a member of the Committee of Management who had himself once served in HMS Barham. He in turn delivered the lifeboat into the care of John Leech, honorary secretary of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston station, who, receiving her on behalf of the branch, told the assembled company that she had already been out on service eight times.

Then, with the traditional breaking of a bottle of champagne on the bows, Mrs Angela Guillaume named the new Waveney lifeboat Barham.

A service of dedication was conducted by the Reverend Coh'n Cooper, Vicar of St Andrew's Church, Gorleston, assisted by the Reverend Patrick McCluskey of Magdelene Way Methodist Church, Gorleston, and Father John Hyland, St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Great Yarmouth.

Music was provided by a naval band from HMS Collingwood..