AT NOON on Sunday March 1, 1981, a new Arun class lifeboat was placed on service at Portrush lifeboat station, and yet another page was turned in a story of lifesaving on the north coast of Ireland which began in 1860. That was the year in which Portrush, a station which together with Donaghadee, Campbeltown and Port Patrick guards the estuary of the Clyde and the northern approach to the Irish Sea, was first established by the RNLI. The new Arun, 52ft overall with a beam of 17ft 6in, has powerful twin diesel engines to help her in her work of lifesaving. The first Portrush lifeboat, Laura, Countess of Antrim, was 30ft long with a 7ft beam, pulling ten oars; her setting was described thus in the November 1875 edition of THE LIFEBOAT: 'Portrush is a small town and harbour at the north-east extremity of the bay, of which Inishowen Head is the north-west extremity, and into which the waters of Lough Foyle flow . . .

'The town is built on a small promontory inclining to the northward. To the west side of it is the small harbour, partly natural, but rendered safe by a breakwater, and thus made available for a refuge harbour for coasters and a point of departure for steamers for Scotch and other ports.

'To the eastward of the town is a wide sandy bay with a fair anchorage, which is to a slight extent sheltered from the north by islands to seaward of it. To a slight extent on/v, however, and vessels anchoring there with the wind in other directions, which they may do in safety, and caught in that position with a northerly gale, often find themselves in great peril either of foundering at their anchors, or dragging or parting their anchors . . .' 'The lifeboat has a/so her work on the western or harbour side. Vessels which, making for the harbour in stormy weather or by night, fall to leeward of it and among the rocks, or vessels which fail to weather the point of the promontory called Ramore Head, and other like instances, may at any time necessitate the Porlrush boatmen doing their utmost to save life with this boat . . .' 'The nearest large town from Portrush is Coleraine and some few miles to the eastward is the famous Giant's Causeway.

The coast scenery generally is wild and grand, while in the before-mentioned bay, to the east of For/rush, are some beautiful little bits of quieter scenery—sand, rock, and island . . .' The beauty and the grandeur are still there for all to see—and the dangers of this lovely coast are still there, too, with off lying rocks and shoals, overfalls and tidal eddies waiting for the unwise or the unfortunate. Motor fishing vessel or yacht may have replaced brigantine and schooner, but Portrush lifeboatmen of today will tell you, just as their forebears would have done, that on that part of the coast the wind is at its worst when it blows from the west north west: then it is blowing straight off the Atlantic with a long ocean fetch to pile seas up in the bay. Big seas can curl right into the harbour mouth and in an onshore gale it must have been no mean feat to launch a pulling lifeboat even within the harbour.

When entering or leaving Portrush strong winds from the west could be disastrous, even for steam ships. On December 15, 1883, ss Skelligs of Glasgow, bound for Liverpool was leaving harbour when she failed to answer herhelm and was driven on to the sand 50 yards south west of the south pier; the lifeboat John Whitaker (1876 to 1889) took hawsers from the vessel to the pier preventing her from going broadside on to the sand and enabling her to get off when the tide rose. On April 13, 1909, ss Hamilton of Stranraer, bound from Maryport to Portrush with a cargo of coal, was about to enter harbour in a strong westerly gale when she was caught by tide and sea and driven on to rocks; the lifeboat Hopwood (1902 to 1924) rescued four of her crew, the remaining three being saved by coastguards with lines from the shore.

The Skerries Roads Many early lifeboat services were to vessels which had sought shelter anchoring to the south of the Skerries only to find themselves in a perilous position when gales went round to the north west. Then the lifeboat would have been hauled on her carriage to be launched off the sandy beach 'as nearly as may be under the lee of the wreck', and, with the sand being soft and deep, it is recorded that both horses and men were often 'severely taxed'.

There were hazards in plenty for vessels of the last century, trading under sail. But if the dangers are reflected in the reports of lifeboat services, so is the warm humanity of the people of Portrush: On October 3, 1873, the wind was from the north west and the brigantine Amanda of Coleraine was dragging her anchors towards a dangerous lee shore in a heavy gale: 'This was a truly noble service, and tested to the utmost the endurance of the lifeboat's crew . . . at one time it seemed that the effort would fail, as the boat had to drop down under the lee of an island.

The crew, however, again returned to the attack: and, after two hours' hard rowing with difficulty got on board the distressed vessel, and eventually safely landed all hands, to the great joy of a large crowd of the inhabitants of Portrush . . . .

March 2, 1891: a gale from west to north west and the schooner Ellen Myvanwy of Beaumaris, bound fromRuncorn for Ramelton, Co. Donegal, with a cargo of salt anchored in Skerries Roads and showing signs of distress.

All through that day and the next the lifeboat Robert and Agnes Blair (34ft self-righter, 1889 to 1902) tried to go to her aid but was time and again driven back ashore by the severity of the gale, until . . .

'. . . 4pm when the boat went off splendidly, her crew toiling manfully at the oars. As soon as practicable sail was set and in half-an-hour the vessel was reached and her crew of three men taken off. After tacking in the bay under sail the boat ran in beautifully to the shore, being greeted with great cheering by the people on the land.' For this service silver medals were awarded to Captain Frederick Watt and Coxswain John Hopkins.

Those are just two random examples.

From 1864 for more than a quarter of a century the honorary secretary was the Reverend J. Simpson and perhaps it was he who has been able to convey so vividly to us, over the years, the immediate, lively concern of the community.

But the same warm spirit is still abroad today. Whatever time of day or night the maroons are fired, the inhabitants of Portrush come down to the harbour, just as they have always done, to share in the anxiety and the joy of the lifeboat people.

Grandfather, father, son Lifeboat and town have always been closely knit. Indeed, Samuel Cunningham, who was coxswain from 1946 to 1963, was the Town Clerk, succeeding his father in that office in 1953. From father to son. In just the same way the lifeboat families themselves have passed on their commitment from one generation to another.

James 'Jimmy' Stewart, who became coxswain in 1974, is the grandson of John Stewart, coxswain from 1912 to 1916. Jimmy first joined the crew in 1949; he served as bowman from 1959 to 1963 and second coxswain from 1964- 1974 before taking over as coxswain. In his grandfather's day, as in the years before, practically all the lifeboatmen were fishermen. Nowadays a variety of occupation is represented and Jimmy is the only fisherman in the crew.

Crew Member Louis Craig is the grandson of Thomas Patton, coxswain from 1901 to 1912 and then from 1916 to 1932. It was Thomas Patton who saw through one of the most fundamental changes at Portrush, because he was coxswain of both the station's last pulling and sailing boat Hopwood and of its first motor lifeboat, T.B.B.H., a 45ft Watson cabin lifeboat, which came on station in 1924; although a motor lifeboat, she still carried auxiliary sails and oars.

Robert 'Bobbie' McMullan was second coxswain from 1940 to 1963 and then coxswain from 1964 to 1974; his son, another Robert McMullan, is a crew member in the present lifeboat, and Bobbie's grandson, yet another Robert, is waiting to join the crew.

Grandfather, father and son. That has also been the pattern for the motor mechanics of Portrush for the past 57 years. Karl Chambers became the station's first motor mechanic when T.B.B.H. came on station in 1924 and, except for one or two years during the war, he remained the motor mechanic until 1947; Gilbert Chambers served as assistant mechanic with his father, Karl, for two years before the war and then took over from him as motor mechanic in 1947, serving as second coxswain/ mechanic from 1975 until his death in 1978; the mantle then fell on Gilbert's son, Derek Karl . . . Karl was the motor mechanic in Thomas Patton's crew which, in 1924, brought home T.B.B.H.; Gilbert was the motor mechanic in Robert McMullan senior's crew which, in 1949, brought home Portrush's next lifeboat, the 46ft 9in Watson Lady Scott (Civil Service No. 4), and Derek was the motor mechanic in Jimmy Stewart's crew which this year brought home the new Arun.

The record of the Knox family is much the same, with a tradition of service spanning nearly half a century. William R. Knox first joined the reserve crew in 1932 and went on to become station honorary secretary in 1938. The war took him away from home but his wife, the late Mrs W. R. Knox, filled hisplace; she is one of the few women to have contributed to the lifeboat service in this way. In 1945, William Knox returned from the war to continue as honorary secretary until 1974; he was awarded the gold badge in 1967 and honorary life governorship of the Institution in 1974. When William retired it was his son, Joe, who took over the office, the responsibilities of which had been part of the background of his life as long as he could remember. He and his brothers were used to helping quickly and efficiently with any tasks allotted to them; Portrush lifeboatmen live close down by the harbour and, during the war, when a call came, Joe and his brothers used to act as runners for their mother, knocking up the crew.

It goes even deeper than that. Some lifeboat people seem to have a sixth sense which tells them when a shout is likely to come. As a small boy, Joe shared a room with his two brothers.

One night he roused from sleep and, still only half awake, started to dress.

'What are you doing?' one of his brothers asked, seeing Joe pulling on his socks.

'The lifeboat's needed.' Joe replied.

Just at that moment the telephone rang. Their father answered the call and, as he hurried past the boys' room he looked in.

'The lifeboat's needed,' he said.- The ladies No one will ever know the magnitude of the support given year in, year out, by the wives and families of lifeboatmen; all that can be said for sure is that it is beyond all praise. Portrush is one of the many lifeboat stations where that quiet continuous background help is extended to embrace active fund raising in aid of the lifeboat. It all began one evening early in 1977 with a discussion between Noel Black, now second coxswain, and his wife Maureen after they had seen, while on holiday, a souvenir stall at a Scottish boathouse. Could it be done at Portrush? Why not? Roberta Knox, Joe's wife, called a meeting of crew members' wives and it was decided to make a start by selling souvenirs at the boathouse every summer weekend and on weekday evenings in July and August. They were away.

Officers of the guild are Roberta Knox, Fay Scott, the wife of Crew Member John Scott, Maureen Black and Winifred Lee, the wife of William 'Billy' Lee, deputy launching authority and former bowman. Eight other members include Margaret McMullan, wife of Crew Member Robert McMullan.

and Betty McQuilken, the wife of Crew Member Albert McQuilken.

Portrush is a holiday resort and right from the start the stall at the boathouse proved popular with the visitors; even in the first year £250 was raised. Since then it has gone from strength to strength. Fay Scott, the honorary treasurer, makes out one big order to be delivered in one load and the souvenirsare stored at the Scott's house, opposite the boathouse. The McQuilkens live just opposite the boathouse, too. Betty McQuilken looks after the stall every afternoon and she and Fay are able to keep a weather eye on events and call up other helpers at any time it looks as though it would be worth while 'opening up'. They find that visitors, realising that the stallholders are lifeboatmen's wives, are most interested to stop and talk; one customer turned out to be the daughter of a man rescued by lifeboat after the car ferry Princess Victoria had sunk on passage from Stranraer to Lame in 1953.

It is all very personal, very friendly.

The same people come back year after year. Sometimes they leave an order to be posted on later. More often than not they say, 'Keep the change', and if they do not want to buy anything, they put a donation in the lifeboat box. In 1980 £1,400 was taken on the stall even though the boathouse had to be shut for a while.

Even the houses of Portrush seem to have their own lifeboat traditions.

Whenever the lifeboat is called out. Fay Scott puts on a pan of soup, warming up ready for the returning crew members— and the people who lived in the house before did exactly the same thing.Other fund-raising projects followed the sale of souvenirs. One jumble sale was planned, but so many goods were collected that two sales had to be held and the total profit was £150. A spring fair is arranged each year during Easter week, when the town will be full of visitors.

Joe Knox himself organises flag days (Portrush has two, one in July and one in August) and the wives are most appreciative of their menfolk's help, on which they can always rely in all their enterprises. 'They are marvellous', is the general verdict.

Strong support comes from other sources as well. The local golf club, for instance, arranges an annual tournament in aid of Portrush station branch, for which Ulster Bank has provided prizes. Each year a substantial cheque is handed to the branch.

Thanksgiving One annual event in which everyone takes part, and which is regarded as the crown of the year, is the Lifeboat Church Service. An ecumenical occasion, it is held in a different church each time: Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic. The church is decorated with lifeboat flags and perhaps there is a model lifeboat on display; branch and guild members are waiting outside the church with crew members to welcome the arriving congregation; one lesson is read by a crew member and one by the station's 'neighbour', Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Hezlet, a vicepresidentvicepresident of the Institution and chairman of the Search and Rescue Committee; the hymns are hymns of the sea.

In 1980 the service was held at St Patrick's one summer afternoon. Singing was led by a male voice choir and soloists and a wonderful sermon was preached by Father Hugh Murphy, a former Royal Naval chaplain and previously a member of Belfast branch committee. It was a truly memorable occasion. Later, everyone who had contributed to the service was entertained to supper.

The children of St Patrick's Church School had played their part, too, taking lifeboats as the subject for a painting project. Every child who entered for a poster competition organised through the parent-teacher association by Mrs Patricia McNally was given a lifeboat pencil—and they do not forget! Now Patricia's husband, John McNally, together with John Campbell, runs the Harbour Bar which itself organises regular draws in aid of Portrush branch and sells lifeboat calendars. The Harbour Bar, right down on the quay, is the accepted meeting place for lifeboatmen and sailing people, and it is not unusual to find a group of the crew there. Indeed they say that one Christmas Eve when a call came, there being the nucleus of a crew in the bar, the launch was so quick the coastguards couldn't believe it! Service For Portrush, as for so many other lifeboat stations, the saving of life has not been achieved without loss. On the morning of November 1, 1889, Robert and Agnes Blair, newly placed on station, was out searching for a schooner; she was thought to be in trouble in the Skerries Roads in a north-westerly gale but in fact had succeeded in getting out to sea. Unable to return to Portrush, the lifeboat ran for Bush Strand . . .

'When close in, the sail was lowered, the mast taken down and most of the oars got out, the port side pulling and the starboard backing so as to bring the boat stern to sea, when an exceptionally heavy sea struck her on the port quarter and capsized her . . . all the crew being thrown out with the exception of one man . . .' The boat righted, was capsized a second time and righted again, being driven towards the beach. Although most of the crew managed to reach land safely, three men were tragically lost.

By the 1930s, the majority of services were to motor fishing vessels, drifting into danger with broken down engines or fouled propellers. Nowadays there are calls to yachts or dinghies as well as to fishing boats, to bathers, skin divers or people cut off by the tide. Every now and again, however, when the call out comes it is still to go to the help of a merchant ship.

On October 19, 1935, violent westerly gales were blowing when, at about 0200, a collier moored alongside thequay at Portrush broke adrift and went aground near the lifeboat slipway. The lifeboat crew was assembled and stood by until 1030 when, because it was feared the collier might damage her slipway, the 45ft Watson T.B.B.H. was launched, continuing to stand by until, at 2145 that evening, a message came from the Coastguard that a vessel was ashore at Port Ballintrae. down the coast to the east. No trace was ever found of a vessel in distress, but after T.B.B.H. had passed the Skerries she was hit by a big sea which struck Crew Member John Fleming full in the chest, carrying him overboard. Tremendous seas were running and it was dark and raining, but nevertheless, due to the presence of mind and splendid seamanship of Coxswain James Martin (coxswain from 1932 to 1936), the promptness with which Motor Mechanic Karl Chambers carried out his orders and the coolness and discipline of the crew, which included two brothers of the man overboard, John Fleming was found and rescued. The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Coxswain James Martin and Motor Mechanic Karl Chambers and a framed letter of thanks was presented to Crew Member James Fleming who, at the risk of going overboard himself, got a rope round his brother.

It was October again when, in 1961, Portrush lifeboat, the 46ft 9in Watson Lady Scott (Civil Service No. 4), was called out in the early hours of the 22nd to go to the help of Greek motor vessel Argo Delos, ashore on Inishtrahull Island 24 miles to the north west. In a north-easterly gale, with very little sea room among the rocks and in confused seas which carried the lifeboat 15 feet up and down alongside the casualty, Coxswain Samuel Cunningham brought Lady Scott in several times to take off 14 of Argo Delos's crew before a rope fouled his propeller. The 14 men were transferred to HMS Leopard, which was standing by. Lady Scott cleared her propeller and then she also stood by while 15 more of the casualty's crew were lifted off by helicopter.

Every member of the lifeboat crewwas presented with an engraved silver tankard by the captain, officers and ship's company of HMS Leopard, whose captain wrote in his report: 'The handling, ski/1 and bravery of the crew of this lifeboat were of the highest order and earned the admiration of all on board Leopard.' The silver medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain Samuel Cunningham and the bronze medal to Second Coxswain Robert McMullan, who had been on the foredeck, slippery with oil from the casualty's damaged hull, throughout the operation. The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were awarded to Motor Mechanic Gilbert Chambers, Assistant Mechanic K.

McMullan, Bowman James Stewart and Crew Members J. King and R. McKay.Four years later, on November 1, 1965, a message came at 0916 that five men had been lost overboard from the Norwegian frigate Bergen, twenty miles north west of Portrush. A storm, force 10, was blowing from the north west and frequent squalls reduced visibility.

It was two hours before high water and the conditions at the harbour entrance were described as 'appalling'. It was the worst weather any one can remember.

Nevertheless, Coxswain Robert McMullan decided to try to take the lifeboat out. The crew unanimously volunteered to go with him and they were joined by Noble Ruddock, the district engineer for Ireland from Courtmacsherry who was on duty in the area.

Lady Scott was launched and Coxswain McMullan succeeded in taking her safely through the high breaking seas at the harbour mouth and out to deeper water; people who were watching said that several times the lifeboat appeared to leave the water and drop bodily into the trough of the sea.

Although the search continued all day until darkness fell, nothing could be found of the five Norwegians. Wind and sea were too bad to return to Portrush, so Lady Scott made for Greencastle, Donegal, at the entrance of Lough Foyle. For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Coxswain Robert McMullan, Second Coxswain James Stewart, Bowman William Lee, Motor Mechanic Gilbert Chambers, Assistant Mechanic Frederick Williams, Crew Member T.

O'Neill and Noble Ruddock, district engineer of lifeboats (Ireland).

Fast afloat The first service of Portrush's new 52ft Arun lifeboat was to a Danish cargo vessel. The Arun, like her predecessor Lady Scott, is the gift of the Civil Service and Post Office Lifeboat Fund—the 39th lifeboat these most loyal friends have donated to the Institution.

She has been named after the most famous living lifeboatman, formerCoxswain Richard Evans of Moelfre, holder of two gold medals.

Richard Evans (Civil Service No. 39) came to Portrush in February this year, calling at Moelfre on the way. For the last stages of her delivery trip, from Howth to Campbeltown for exercise with the Arun Walter and Margaret Couper and on to Portrush, she was joined by Admiral Hezlet and the late Commodore Peter Kavanagh, Director of the Irish Navy and an Irish member of the Committee of Management. She received a great welcome from the people of Portrush. Lady Scott (Civil Service No. 4) came out to meet her and there was a welcoming banner right across the front of the Harbour Bar.

The next day a telegram of good wishes arrived from Mr Humphrey Atkins, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. She had come home.

It was just a couple of days later, on Friday February 27 while Richard Evans was still occupied with crew training before going on station, that the Danish cargo vessel Erria ran aground on the Donegal coast in south easterly gales. Richard Evans slipped her moorings at 2230 under the command of Coxswain Jimmy Stewart assisted by Tony Course, divisional inspector of lifeboats (Ireland). Reaching the casualty three quarters of an hour later, she stood by while three of theDanish crew were taken ashore by breeches buoy. Then, as the captain and chief engineer had elected to remain on board Erria, Richard Evans put into Greencastle for the rest of the night so that she would be nearby should the situation deteriorate. The two remaining Danes were finally taken off the next day by Foyle pilot boat.

Richard Evans (Civil Service No. 39) was placed on station on March 1 and on Saturday June 27 lifeboat people came from all over Northern Ireland to be present at her naming ceremony. It was an ideal day, with brilliant sunshine.

Galway lifeboat, the 52ft Barnett Frank Spiller Locke, on passage, was there in support and among the special guests were Miss Connie Henry, honorary secretary of the Civil Service and Post Office Lifeboat Fund and, of course, former Coxswain Richard Evans with his wife, Nancy, and their three sons.

Sir Ronald Radford. chairman of the Civil Service and Post Office Lifeboat Fund, accompanied by Lady Radford, was there to present the lifeboat to the Institution. The Arun was received by Admiral Hezlet who in turn handed her into the care of Portrush branch, on whose behalf she was accepted by the honorary secretary, Joe Knox. A service of dedication followed in which the Reverend Winston Graham, the Reverend M. Roycroft. and Father John Hurson all took part.

The service ended. Lady Hezlet stepped on to the dais and named Richard Evans (Civil Service No. 39), pressing a button to break over the Arun's bow 'the wine of the country', a bottle of Irish whiskey presented for the naming ceremony by Bushmills, a venerable distillery founded in 1608. After a vote of thanks the lifeboat slipped—perhaps the most moving moment of all.

It "has been a wonderful afternoon, and, writing later. Miss Henry said she only wished more of the people who had contributed to the boat could have been there. But the celebrations were not yet over. Richard and Nancy Evans were guests of honour at the crew dinner held that evening when Richard was presented with an inscribed clock by Coxswain Jimmy Stewart and Nancy with a piece of Irish cut glass by Winifred Lee, chairman of the guild.

When at sea as a young man, Richard Evans had visited many Irish Ports; in the speech which he gave after the dinner he said that now there would always be a little bit of Wales in Ireland.

Richard has many times received standing ovations, but the warmth of the one with which he was honoured by the lifeboat people of Portrush is something he will surely never forget—just as Portrush lifeboat people will never forget his words when, at the end of the naming ceremony in the afternoon, before calling for three cheers for the lifeboat and crew he said: 'Take good care of the Richard Evans for me'..