Thanks, Whitby (see photograph, page 187) I am one of the pupils of Brinsworth Whitehill Junior School and I am writing to say how grateful we are to the RNLI at Whitby for rescuing us from the cliffs on Tuesday, March 19. It was the second day of our five-day holiday when we had planned to walk across the beach to Saltwick Bay. We were enjoying climbing across the rocks and fishing in the rock pools until we came around the last cove and found the tide had cut us off. We were amazed because it was only 11.30 am and high tide wasn't until 3.05 pm. We quickly ran to the other side but it was hopeless, we were trapped at both ends of the beach although there was still plenty of beach left. We climbed to higher ground and waited.

Eventually an air-sea rescue helicopter looked at us, then flew away thinking we were all right. We sang songs and ate our lunches waiting for the tide to turn. Suddenly a small speed boat came towards us. When it got nearer I saw it was an RNLI inflatable lifeboat. We were really relieved when we saw it. I couldn't wait to get on it. It took us in fours to the big lifeboat. We got very wet in the inflatable and some of us were sick on the big lifeboat because of the swell. If the RNLI hadn't rescued us I would have caught cold because I had water in my shoes. I am really grateful to the RNLI and will look back on it as a very exciting experience. The following day we visited the lifeboat museum and thanked Mr Thomson, the coxswain personally. He and the rest of the crew were very kind to us.—NICHOLAS STRINGFELLOW.

Calling all ex-lifeboats I am sure many readers of THE LIFEBOAT will be familiar with the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society, which was formed in 1964 by John Francis to unite all those with an historical and/or technical interest in the work of the RNLI.

Thanks to the hard work of John and his wife, Pam, the society is still going strong twenty-one years later. To mark its coming of age, the society is to publish a book, it is hoped by the end of the year, which will catalogue all known ex-RNLI lifeboats which have been sold from service and adapted for further use by private owners. The book will list current owners, locations and uses of ex-lifeboats, and describe any conversion work carried out.

As editor of the project, I was wondering if it might be possible, through the columns of THE LIFEBOAT, to ask all readers who own or who know of any former RNLI lifeboats, to write to me at the address below with details.

Any amount of information, however small, perhaps from a quick sighting as a conversion cruises by, to a full history, would be very helpful.

Should any new owner of a conversion require a service history of his or her craft, I would be pleased to pass their letter on to the society's expert honorary archivist, Jeff Morris, who I am sure will be able to help.—TIM KIRTON, 23 Cadwell Close, Alvaston, Nr Derby, DE2 OSH.

Book of signatures sells I am very pleased to tell you that the response was marvellous to my letter in the journal offering for auction by post a copy of the book, In Danger's Hour, with signatures; it sold for £400 to Shoreline member Mr R. Laslett of Kent.

I would like to thank, through the journal, all those who made bids. I regret they could not all win as everyone was obviously interested in helping the lifeboat service. Obtaining the signatures has been a most rewarding experience and I am sorry to part with the book as it holds lots of very pleasant memories. However, the £400 which has gone to the RNLI makes up for any regrets.—MRS H. j. ENTECOTT, 31 Hornbeam Spring, Knebworth, Herts, SG3 6BE.Grace Darling oak Following your enquiry in the spring edition of THE LIFEBOAT about the Grace Darling oak, I went to Battersea Park today and took a photo of the tree. It was of special interest to me as I served three years in Battersea as Head Keeper. The tree is just beginning to break into leaf.—RON TAYLOR, Prince Consort Lodge, Kennington Park, London.

June Mills of Didsbury, near Manchester who was born in Battersea, wrote to the present day park manager to discover that the tree was still thriving, while Mr R. Macnab of Shepton Mallet commissioned his daughter (who lives in Battersea) to do a search of the park where she discovered it, about 25ft high, she reckoned. David Morrell of Chelsea, a frequent walker in Battersea Park, was unaware of the tree's existence until he saw the spring journal. He, too, located the oak on his next visit to the park..