Launch team praised THE STORMS which battered the south east coast of England last autumn left Eastbourne lifeboat station behind a three foot high sandbank, 30ft in length.

At 1913 on November 1, 1987, Coxswain Graham Cole received a message from Second Coxswain David Corke and from Dover Coastguard that two boats, each with two youths on board, had been reported missing by a parent.

The Coastguard was reminded that the station's 37ft 6in Rother class lifeboat Duke of Kent was off service because of the beach conditions, but that every effort would be made to launch.

Head Launcher Anthony Walker quickly organised his team of 20 helpers to shovel the bank to clear a path for the lifeboat to be launched from its skids.

The sea was calm and the tide was full and at 1933, helped by the launch crew, the lifeboat made a successful clearance of the bank and proceeded to search for the missing boats. Within minutes of the launch the lifeboat was recalled by Dover Coastguard, the missing boats having landed ashore safely. There had been a delay in the youths informingtheir parents of their safe return while they tried to find a public telephone which had not been vandalised. Following this service, a letter congratulating Head Launcher Anthony Walker and his volunteers for their first class job in successfully launching the lifeboat was sent to the station by the then deputy director/chief of operations Lt Cdr Brian Miles..