Littlestone - Atlantic 21 Lady Dart and Long Life II Littlestone's latest Atlantic 21 rigid inflatable, Lady Dart and Long Life II, was named and dedicated at a ceremony at the town's lifeboat station on 6 July 1988.

The new boat, the second Atlantic 21 and the fourth inflatable at the station, was funded jointly by the RNLI Ladies' Darts League of the Romney Marsh and Allied Take Home, brewers of Long Life beer.

The 30 ladies' teams had raised the money by donating 5p for every darts game leg they lost during their Tuesday night matches.

The lifeboat was presented to the RNLI by the chairman of the Ladies Darts League, Mrs Mary Baker-Cass, on behalf of both donors, and Mr A. K. S. Franks, a member of the RNLI's Committee of Management accepted the boat before delivering it into the care of Mr G. W. Schneider, branch honorary secretary.

Canon L. P. Ford of St Nicholas church, New Romney and the Reverend Mark Roberts of St Mary's on the Marsh church conducted the service of dedication before Mrs Peggy Battrick, Honorary Secretary of the darts league, named the boat and Mr A.

Carolan of Allied Take Home unveiled the donors' plaque in the lifeboat house.

The music for the occasion was provided by the band of the Folkestone Salvation Army.Moelfre - Tyne class Robert and VioletCrowds lined the harbour walls at Moelfre on 2 July 1988 to watch the naming ceremony of the station's new Tyne class lifeboat Robert and Violet. Dr O. C. Parry Jones, chairman of Moelfre station branch, opened the proceedings and Mr Michael Vlasto, divisional inspector of lifeboats described the lifeboat.

Mr Bruce Maughfling, representing the donor of the lifeboat, formally handed her over to the RNLI which was represented on this occasion by The Lord Stanley of Alderley, a member of the Institution's Committee of Management.

He in turn delivered the boat into the care of the station, and it was accepted by Captain David Jeavons, the station's honorary secretary.

The Right Reverend J. Cledan Mears, Bishop of Bangor, conducted the service of dedication, after which Mrs Lesley Roberts, wife of Moelfre Coxswain William Roberts, was asked to name the lifeboat.

Music for the occasion was provided by the Menai Bridge Brass Band, Moelfre Schoolchildren and Cor-y-Traeth.Bay - Arun class Roy and Barbara HardingThe hot summer sun shining on Kilronan Harbour and the lifeboat flags and colourful bunting formed an almost perfect backdrop for the naming ceremony of the Galway Bay lifeboat on 11 June 1988.

A huge crowd of local people from Inishmore Island was joined by invited guests from throughout Ireland. Mrs Barbara Harding, who was present to name the lifeboat, had travelled from Devon and the new Arun class lifeboat brought them from Rossaveal on the mainland to Kilronan.

The chairman of Galway Bay branch, the Very Reverend Athair Padraic O'Tuairisg opened the proceedings by welcoming the guests in Irish and English.

The Lord Killanin, a Vice-President and member of the RNLI Committee of Management, delivered the lifeboat to Galway Bay branch, and Mr Coleman Hernon, honorary secretary of the branch, thanked Lord Killanin and accepted thenew lifeboat with pride on behalf of the branch.

The service of dedication and blessing was conducted by the Right Reverend John Neill, Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry and the Very Reverend Athair Padraic O Tuairisg. The local church choir led in the singing of two hymns.

Dr Marion Broderick, the honorary medical advisor for Galway Bay lifeboat, which is regularly required to provide an ambulance service to the mainland from the islands, proposed the vote of thanks on behalf of the branch.

The Director of the RNLI, Lt Cdr Brian Miles, then introduced Mrs Barbara Harding saying that her husband Roy was Operations Trials Officer of the RNLI during the initial period of development and evaluation of the Arun class lifeboat. Mrs Harding has been honorary secretary of the Seaton, Beer and district branch since 1940 and has been an honorary life governor of the RNLI since 1984.

Mrs Harding was then invited to name the lifeboat Roy and Barbara Harding.LoweStoft - Tyne class Spirit ofLowestoft helicopter flying overhead often marks the end of a naming ceremony, but at Lowestoft on 26 May 1988 the Duke of Kent's red helicopter circling over the Trawl Dock at Lowestoft seemed to push away the clouds ready for him to christen the town's new 47ft Tyne class lifeboat under blue skies.

Mr Timothy Hall, chairman of the Lowestoft station branch opened the proceedings by introducing Councillor Peter Hunt, Chairman of Waveney District Council, who handed over a cheque for £450,000, representing the money raised by the 37- month Lowestoft Lifeboat Appeal.

Mr Michael Vernon, Deputy Chairman the RNLI, accepted the cheque on behalf of the Institution, saying that it was 'a fantastic achievement by the people of Lowestoft', before officially handing over the new lifeboat to Mr Michael Chapman, the station honorary secretary.

Accepting the lifeboat on behalf of the station Mr Chapman expressed his delight that Lowestoft had been allocated a modern Tyne class boat and paid tribute to thegenerous response from the many organisations and individuals who had raised the money during the appeal.

Mrs Trixie Preston, chairman of the Lowestoft ladies guild, gave a vote of thanks, thanking the Duke for his presence, and saying that the lifeboat's name, Spirit ofLowestoft, summed up everything which had been experienced by the fund raisers.

After a short service of dedication led by the Rector of Lowestoft, Canon Paul Alton, the Duke of Kent christened the lifeboat with a bottle of champagne in traditional style, saying 'there is always a link between community and lifeboat, but nowhere could that link be stronger than in Lowestoft'.

A Sea King helicopter from RAF Coltishall provided the finale for the ceremony, appearing on cue streaming the RNLI flag, and as Spirit of Lowestoft put to sea for a short trip with the Duke of Kent on board she was flanked by two of her sister lifeboats from Gorleston and Southwold.Longhope Tyne class Lord Saltoun The island of Hoy and the small community of Longhope was the setting for the naming ceremony of the Tyne class lifeboat Lord Saltoun on 22 July 1988. Despite the cold wind and heavy rain virtually the whole of the island's population gathered on the pier to participate in the occasion.

As the platform party arrived, preceded by piper Malcolm Robertson, branch chairman J. Foster Groat invited Sarah Gillespie, daughter of a crew member, to present a posy to the namer of the lifeboat.

Brigadier Robertson, representing the RNLI, acknowledged the generosity of the donor - a legacy from Mrs Mary Salvesen - and delivered the boat to the care of the Longhope station.

The lifeboat was accepted by the station honorary secretary, Jackie Groat, before the Reverend Montieth and Reverend Penny conducted the service of dedication.

When invited to name the lifeboat Lord Saltoun, Lady Saltoun expressed her family's pleasure at this tangible tribute to the memory of her late father who had been so closely associated with the RNLI as Convener of the Scottish Lifeboat Council.Harwich - Atlantic 21 British Diver IIHarwich's new Atlantic 21 rigid inflatable British Diver II was called out on service just hours before her naming ceremony on Sunday 19 June 1988.

Despite being called out to a Dutch yacht stranded on the Deben Bar and being at sea for three hours the lifeboat was ready for the ceremony which went ahead on time.

At the ceremony at Harwich's lifeboat house the new Atlantic was handed over by Mr Robert Norgren, Chief Executive of the British Sub Aqua Club which funded the boat, to the RNLI's Head of Fund Raising, Anthony Oliver - who in turn handed her over to the care of Captain Rod Shaw, the station's honorary secretary.

After the service of dedication performed by the lifeboat chaplain, the Reverend Bill Dodd, British Diver II was christened by Mr Norgren.

Harwich, which also has a 44ft Waveney, has had an Atlantic on station since 1978.- Tyne class Babs and Agnes Robertson Brilliant sunshine set the scene for the naming ceremony and service of dedication for Peterhead's Tyne class lifeboat on 21 May 1988. The boat was funded by the trust established by the three Misses Robertson 27 years ago and the lifeboat bears the name Babs and Agnes Robertson in memory of two of the sisters.

The ceremony was held next to the lifeboat house in Peterhead harbour, and the lifeboat was drawn up on the slipway, rather than lying afloat.

A piper accompanied the arrival of the platform party, and the proceedings were opened by the branch chairman, Mr John Geddes. Mrs Bruce McNeil was present to name the lifeboat, and seven-year-old James Hadden, great nephew of the coxswain, presented her with a posy.

Mr K. D. M. Cameron, representing the Robertson Trust, handed the boat over to His Grace the Duke of Atholl, and indoing so commented on the Trust's good works and the fact that this was the second such boat gifted to the RNLI.

With the boat formally accepted by Captain Alec Auld, the station honorary secretary, and a vote of thanks expressed by Mrs L. Hutton, the guild president, the Reverend Brown conducted the service of dedication.

Mrs McNeil then named the new boat, which was launched in front of the admiring audience.St AbbS-Atlantic21 Dorothy and Kathrine Barr The small coastal community of St Abbs provided a picturesque setting for the naming of the station's new Atlantic 21 on 18 June 1988.

Invited guests and holiday visitors mingled at the harbour, around the gaily decorated lifeboat house where the new boat sat on the slipway, awaiting the service of dedication.

.The chairman of the branch, Mr T. A.

Bird, opened the proceedings, and Mr Robert Barr OBE, acting on behalf of the Barr Charitable Trust, handed over the lifeboat to Dr W. J. Guild, a member of the RNLI Committee of Management.

Mr J. Smith, station honorary secretary, then accepted the lifeboat into the care of the station and the Reverend D. Lindsay conducted the service of dedication.

In naming the lifeboat Dorothy and Kathrine Barr, Mrs Heather Barr was invited to unveil the plaque commemorating the occasion and dedicated to the memory of Mr Barr's late wife and daughter, whose C AND D CLASS INFLATABLES Bembridge - D class The dedication service of the new D class lifeboat took place at the lifeboat house in Bernbridge, Isle of Wight, on 29 July 1988.

The Reverend Barry Hammett, Staff Chaplain to the Chaplain of the Fleet, handed over the lifeboat on behalf of the Church in the Royal Navy to Vice-Admiral R. R. Squires, a member of the RNLI Committee of Management and of the RNLI Search and Rescue Committee, who then delivered it into the care of the Bembridge lifeboat station.

Captain G. Hall, honorary secretary of the Bembridge station, accepted the boat on behalf of the branch, and the Reverend Matthew Lynn MA, Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, conducted the service of dedication.

The money to fund this lifeboat was raised by the Church in the Royal Navy as a completely separate appeal from the nationwide Church Appeal, which resulted in a new Tyne class lifeboat called The Good Shepherd.

Cleethorpes - D class Tricentrol II The new D class lifeboat Tricentrol II, the second boat to be funded by Tricentrol, was handed over at Cleethorpes on 12 June 1988 to Mr Gilbert Gray, QC, a member of the RNLI Committee of Management, by Mr Dennis Tower and Mr Olaf Karlsen, representatives of ARCO British Limited.

Mr John Leech, honorary secretary of Cleethorpes station branch accepted the boat on behalf of the station, and Superintendent Alex Slater, of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, Grimsby, conducted the service of dedication.

Councillor R N Cole, chairman of the branch then invited Mr Olaf Karlsen, Exploration Manager UK of ARCO British Ltd, to name the lifeboat.

The ceremony also incorporated the formal opening of the lifeboat house and Coastguard Sector Headquarters.

Lough Swilly - D class Lough Swilly's new D class inflatable, D356, was dedicated in front of a crowd of almost a thousand people on 24 July 1988, when Mr Clayton Love Jnr, Chairman of the RNLI Ireland Committee, officially delivered the new inflatable into the care of the Lough Swilly station branch.

The station is the 26th RNLI lifeboat station in Ireland, and the first new station to be established in Donegal for more than a hundred years.

Honorary Secretary Mr Patrick Heaney accepted the lifeboat with delight and gratitude, and a short service of dedication was conducted by the Reverend Bolton, Reverend Father McGlinchy and the Reverend Graham.

Mrs Catherine Heaney, who had been a leading light in the project to provide a lifeboat for the lough proposed a vote of thanks which was Continued on following pagenames the lifeboat bears.APPLEDORE- Tyne class George GibsonAppledore's new Tyne class lifeboat was named at a ceremony at the town's quay on 25 June 1988.

Major David Gibson, elder son of George Gibson, the donor after whom the boat is named, handed the boat over to Air Vice Marshall John Tetley of the RNLI's Committeee of Management. He in turn gave the boat over to the care of Dave Garrett, station honorary secretary at Appledore.

The lifeboat was then named George Gibson by Mrs Frank Homfray, daughter of the donor. (Photo courtesy Jeff Morris)C AND D CLASS INFLATABLES Bembridge - D class The dedication service of the new D class lifeboat took place at the lifeboat house in Bernbridge, Isle of Wight, on 29 July 1988.

The Reverend Barry Hammett, Staff Chaplain to the Chaplain of the Fleet, handed over the lifeboat on behalf of the Church in the Royal Navy to Vice-Admiral R. R. Squires, a member of the RNLI Committee of Management and of the RNLI Search and Rescue Committee, who then delivered it into the care of the Bembridge lifeboat station.

Captain G. Hall, honorary secretary of the Bembridge station, accepted the boat on behalf of the branch, and the Reverend Matthew Lynn MA, Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, conducted the service of dedication.

The money to fund this lifeboat was raised by the Church in the Royal Navy as a completely separate appeal from the nationwide Church Appeal, which resulted in a new Tyne class lifeboat called The Good Shepherd.

Cleethorpes - D class Tricentrol II The new D class lifeboat Tricentrol II, the second boat to be funded by Tricentrol, was handed over at Cleethorpes on 12 June 1988 to Mr Gilbert Gray, QC, a member of the RNLI Committee of Management, by Mr Dennis Tower and Mr Olaf Karlsen, representatives of ARCO British Limited.

Mr John Leech, honorary secretary of Cleethorpes station branch accepted the boat on behalf of the station, and Superintendent Alex Slater, of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, Grimsby, conducted the service of dedication.

Councillor R N Cole, chairman of the branch then invited Mr Olaf Karlsen, Exploration Manager UK of ARCO British Ltd, to name the lifeboat.

The ceremony also incorporated the formal opening of the lifeboat house and Coastguard Sector Headquarters.

Lough Swilly - D class Lough Swilly's new D class inflatable, D356, was dedicated in front of a crowd of almost a thousand people on 24 July 1988, when Mr Clayton Love Jnr, Chairman of the RNLI Ireland Committee, officially delivered the new inflatable into the care of the Lough Swilly station branch.

The station is the 26th RNLI lifeboat station in Ireland, and the first new station to be established in Donegal for more than a hundred years.

Honorary Secretary Mr Patrick Heaney accepted the lifeboat with delight and gratitude, and a short service of dedication was conducted by the Reverend Bolton, Reverend Father McGlinchy and the Reverend Graham.

Mrs Catherine Heaney, who had been a leading light in the project to provide a lifeboat for the lough proposed a vote of thanks which was Continued on following pageCeremonies Continued followed by an address by singer and songwriter Phil Coulter, whose concert in aid of the appeal had raised a large part of the cost of the lifeboat and her equipment.

Mr Coulter spoke with passion and feeling in praise of the establishment of the lifeboat, having lost a brother and a sister in separate tragic incidents on the lough.

Walmer-D class Mr J. J. Lewis, chairman of the Goodwin Sands and Downs Branch welcomed guests to the handing over and service of dedication of the new D class lifeboat at Walmer on 26 June 1988. Among the guests were the Mayor and Mayoress of Deal, the Officer Commanding Royal Marines, Deal and representatives of the funding bodies (The Freelands Tavern, Bromley, the Lifeboat Inn, Walmer, and HM Customs and Excise, Dover).

Mr C. Williams, deputy divisional Inspector of Lifeboats described the lifeboat, following which Mr D. Rickson, fund-raising secretary of the Freelands Tavern, Bromley, on behalf of the joint donors of the new lifeboat, presented her to the Institution.

Mr Williams, representing the RNLI Committee of Management, accepted the lifeboat and delivered her into the care of the Goodwin Sands and Downs branch.

Major General I. S. Harrison, CB, Captain of Deal Castle and patron of the branch accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the station branch committee and the Reverend B. Hawkins conducted the service of dedication.

At the conclusion of the ceremony the new lifeboat was launched and took part in an exercise with an SAR helicopter from Mansion and lifeboats from Dover and Ramsgate.

Flint-Dclass A new D class lifeboat, provided by the generosity of the National Association of Tangent Clubs, was formally handed over to the RNLI by Mrs Barbara Rawlinson, President of the Association for 1986-87, on 30 July 1988.

The Right Honourable the Lord Stanley of Alderley, Chairman of the Fund Raising Committee, accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the Institution, and Councillor Gary Jones, station honorary secretary, accepted the lifeboat on behalf of Flint Lifeboat Station.

The service of dedication was conducted by the Reverend R. G. Cole, minister of St John's United Reformed Church.

Rhyl-D class The first D class lifeboat to be funded from the proceeds of an appeal to banks' staff was blessed by the vicar of Rhyl, the Reverend H. J.

Lloyd on 4 June 1988.

Mr Richard Barclay, chairman of the appeal, handed the lifeboat, Banks' Staff No. 1, into the care of the RNLI, and she was accepted by Mr Richard Hannay, a member of the Committee of Management who then handed the boat to Mr Richard Thomas, the station honorary secretary.

Music at the ceremony was provided by the Rhyl Silver Band and St Thomas's Junior Choir.

Red Bay -c class The sun shone as the guests were arriving for the service at Red Bay for the dedication of the station's C class inflatable on 21 May 1988, completing the magnificent setting with its backdrop of the Antrim Hills.

The ceremony was chaired by the station branch chairman, Mr T. G. McLaughlin (also chairman of the Glens lifeboat guild) who thanked the entire community for its willing support of the lifeboat service.

The C class lifeboat, which was funded by the trustees of the Thomas Corbett Charity, was accepted by Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Hezlet, Vice President of the RNLI, on behalf of the Institution, and Mr N. R. Workman, station honorary secretary, then accepted the lifeboat into the safekeeping of the station.

The service of dedication which followed was conducted by the Reverend Francis Park, assisted by Canon Bannon, the Reverend R. S.

Ross and the Reverend H. McEldowney.

The contribution of the Ballymena Silver Band and the Glens Choir was greatly appreciated by those present.

- D class A new D class lifeboat provided from the proceeds of The Yachting Monthly Appeal was handed over to the RNLI by Mr Andrew Bray, Editor of Yachting Monthly, at Conwy on 30 April 1988.

Councillor Mrs J. H. Williams, Mayor of Conwy and president of Conwy ladies' guild, accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the Institution before handing it into the care of Mr Keith Robinson, station honorary secretary.

The Reverend Canon Dwyfor Jones conducted the service of dedication..