Ecclesiastical point I have been interested in the correspondence about Shoreline. I would leave things as they are. Certainly I would not want to have Lifeboat Supporters Club as a name because although we do not go to sea those of us who belong to Shoreline really do feel members one with another with those who do. If one is on holiday at the seaside and the maroons go off, a part of you goes to sea with the men.

I often compare the RNLI to the church because like the church it has only a very small proportion of its work not done by unpaid volunteers. Many of us clergy would feel quite honoured to be compared with the mechanic at the lifeboat station. Vicar and mechanic are just keeping things going but it is those who are members one with another with us who are the church, and who are the Institution—whether they man the boat or "boat the man", to coin a phrase.— REV j w MASDING, (Life Governor) Vicar of Hamstead, Birmingham.

Casevac postscript Following your report of the Casevac exercise involving the Douglas lifeboat and the Liverpool based RNR minesweeper HMS Ribble, readers might be interested in a little more detail.

The "volunteer" casualty was Leading Cook Jimmy Lee, of Hong Kong Chinese extraction. He was briefed not to utter a word of English until safely ashore and gave a most convincing, if incomprehensible, display of abject terror as he was lowered to the lifeboat from Ribble's bridge wing, the most awkward location I could find! He later revealed that his screams were entirely genuine.

Once ashore in Douglas, Coxswain Corran and his crew offered to restore Jimmy's shattered nerves in a local hostelry, on condition that he remained trussed up like a turkey in his Neil Robinson stretcher. Jimmy replied in a language they could understand!—LT CMDR ADRIAN LEGGE, Commanding Officer, HMS Ribble.

Recollections I was interested to read the letter from Edgar Gee on page 206 of the Autumn issue (No. 501). I wholeheartedly agree with his remarks, especially his tribute to all those behind the "boats". However I do not see any point in changing us to "Shoreliners".

I am over 85 years of age and my first interest in lifeboats was as a small boy watching the launch of the local lifeboat at Hythe, Kent—manned by oarsmen! How different to the modern boats.— H i. GRAY, Southgate, Crawley, West Sussex.

Bravery recalled At dusk on Thursday September 26, 1940 a convoy of ships was attacked by German aircraft and the Port Denison was bombed and set on fire and the survivors machine-gunned. The trawler Pentland Firth in which I served as an ordinary signalman was given permission to stop and pick up survivors.

Out of this nightmare appeared the Peterhead lifeboat (Julia Park Barry of Glasgow) to offer assistance. It is many years ago now but at the time I was amazed at the courage of the defenceless lifeboat crew. We had 42 survivors on board, including some badly injured and four dead. The world has spun round many times since then but I wonder if any member of the gallant lifeboat crew recalls the incident or indeed if anyone anywhere has any information to offer? I remember that the first survivor to be hauled aboard the trawler was a young apprentice aged 18 years who came from Harrow in Middlesex.

Any recollections or information would be most gratefully received.— PETER H R HARRIS, 22 Ewhurst Avenue, Sanderstead, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 ODG.

From Supplement to the Annual Reports of the RNLI (1939-1946): SERVICES 1940 September 26th—PETERHEAD, ABERDEENSHIRE.

At 8.10 p.m. the coastguard reported a vessel on fire some eight miles north east from their station. A s.w. gale, veering to N.W. was blowing. There was a moderate swell. The motor lifeboat Julia Park Barry of Glasgow was launched at 8.25 p.m.

She found that the vessel was the 8000-ton steamer Port Denison, of London. She had been bombed by enemy aeroplanes and sunk.

Admiralty vessels had picked up a number of survivors. The life-boat joined in the search and found two more on a raft. It was then 10 p.m. She continued to search and at two o'clock next morning a destroyer hailed her, and transferred to her eight of the rescued men. The life-boat took them ashore, arriving at 3 a.m. An hour later she resumed the search as a number of men were still missing, but she found none and finally returned to her station at 10.15 a.m.—Rewards, £13.3s.6d.

Testimonial It is not every day that a Shoreline member has the privilege of witnessing and, in a small way, assisting a rescue by gallant lifeboatmen. I was just this fortunate overnight October 15/16, during the great gale in the English Channel.

HMS Birmingham was on hand to provide something of a lee—and about 1,000 gallons of oil—when Weymouth lifeboat rescued five souls from a catamaran yacht.

I thought the seamanship and boathandling by the Weymouth crew were magnificent. They, and indeed all your crews, have our great admiration and respect. Well done the RNLI!— ROY CLARE, Commanding Officer, HMS Birmingham.

Barometer appeal I am inquiring whether any of your stations, etc has a redundant/broken mercury barometer which is no longer useful? I am after a "coastal" type with large bore, which I am interested to restore and for which I will pay your price.—A WARD, 74 Eastmead Avenue, Greenford, Middx UB6 9RG.

First hand account I am lifeboat shaped and made of orange plastic and back in March (1987) my "coxswain" and I went to Wimbledon for the day: he works there you know. He went about his business and I had several visitors whilst I was "moored", who kindly put money through the slots in my deck. Late in the afternoon the "cox" returned and we cast off for home port. As it was still winter the night was dark but there was little sea running and I was just thinking what a boring trip we were having when crash! I thought goodness me the "cox" has dropped off and we have hit a rock.

My side was partly stove-in by the impact but the "rock" was actually a man's boot and suddenly everything became very confused and I was buffeted all over the place until suddenly all was calm and I found that we had been arrested. As I had no mast they could not nail the warrant up so they locked the "cox" up instead.

Some time later the "boys in blue" let us both go and we completed our passage without further incident. I was patched up and the "cox" went to hospital for a check-up but we were ready for service again by 0800 the following day.

Possibly a different slant on The Swordstick Affair in which I was involved during Lifeboat Week.—ERIC J BUTLER, London E4 Helping research During research into my family tree I have come across a reference to a memorial to my great great grandfather which reads as follows: In affectionate remembrance to Frederick Peter Collins who was drowned off the Ocean of Lynn December 17, 1872 aged 34.

May I through your publication ask if any of your readers has information regarding this incident or the boat itself or even of the family who were said to own more than one boat at the time? I would be most grateful if they would contact me at the following address— i A BEDFORD, 61 Belle Vue Road, Cwmbran, Gwent NP44 3LF.

Belgian link Christian Truyens, of Rue de Vieux, Chaffour 8, 4230 Horion-Hozemont, Belgium, a Shoreline member, has written to ask if any British member would be interested in exchanging correspondence with him on a regular basis. Those who do should write direct to Mr Truyens..