Can you imagine what life might have been like 200 years ago for children in the 19th century (1800-1899)? II was a lime when everything depended on how rich Iheir parents were. The government did little to help the poor who were trying to live on less that £1 a week. New inventions were changing everyday life and towns grew quickly.

Railways spread all over the country so people could travel more easily and cheaply.

In those early days, lifeboat volunteers were local fishermen. Although the boats were powered by oars and sails, they did some amazing rescues, often in terrible weather. Large cargo ships would be driven onto the bottom of shallow waters in a storm and the lifeboats would battle through the large breaking waves to rescue survivors.Today, lifeboats are high tech and volunteers come from many wal life. Often their rescues involve the growing number of leisure user; the sea has not changed. It remains as cruel and unforgiving as This year, four stations will reach a milestone in their histc Scarborough and Lowestoft lifeboat stations will celebrate years of lifesaving and are to be awarded a Bicentenary V& Newbiggin and Lytham St. Annes will see 150 years of SE lives and will each receive the Gratitude of the Institutio Vellum. Other stations celebrate anniversaries in 2001 2002 (see the map). These stations, together with the c lifeboat stations around the coast of the United King and Republic of Ireland all have stories of increi bravery to iScartmiougn CleetfiorpesEstablished in 1801, Scarborough lifeboat station is one of the oldest stations in the UK and Republic of Ireland and was taken over by the RNLI in 1861.

For many years Scarborough fishermen had risked their lives using their own rowing boais to save shipwrecked men and women. An appeal for funds was made to the public and. by August 1801, the sum of £212 t shillings 6pence ({£212 Is 6d or £212.71/2p) had been raised. This resulted in the building of the first lifeboat and boathouse.

It was not until 1861 that Scarborough received its first RNLI lifeboat called Amelia. Tragically. Amelia only launched once on service when on that occasion, the lifeboat was smashed beyond repair and was never launched again.

Another tragedy happened on 8 December 1954. The lifeboat, E.C.J.R. had safely escorted some fishing boats back to harbour. A severe gale was blowing and the lifeboat was capsized by a huge wave that smashed right over the boat. Although she righted herself successfully, three of the lifeboat crew were killed.

The Greathead lifeboat in 18Q1 From painiinQs by James StuObs, courtesy Scarborough Public Library John Owston.

one of Scarborough's most famous tifeboatmen. He retired in 1911 after 41 years. Altogether he took part in the rescue of 230 lives.

Although lifeboat crews' work can be dangerous, there is a funny side to some rescues. Stuart Ogden, coxswain of Scarborough lifeboat from 1987 to 1994 has a favourite story about a lifeboat crew who went to sea in very cold weather. He says, 'We keep emergency rations on board, including Mars Bars. They got out there and decided to have a Mars Bar each. It was so cold that their teeth got stuck in them and when somebody tried to radio them nobody could answer it because all their teeth were stuck!'.

HISTORY AMeboatlXHisev.asDuiflfortfwlirsilfltboalnearMdlBeck lifeboat housa was moved »t We new the Wast Pw.

Waboat slatton was renovated *f»n me RNLI tor* over.

riewkleOMitous* was Durf! on itw promenade and was used urtttM 940 It then became a tractor house and has smce been converted into an arnusemeri arcade ArmrMeboaihouseinsbuilL inshore lifeboat stabon was estabtehed « April.

rww traow Nxise was added to the boattxn.se Scarborough's current lifeboat crew with the carriage-launched, all-weather Mersey class " lifeboat Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs, together with the Talus MBH tractor and D class inshore lifeboat. John Wesley Hillard.

tfj* • ! ' Claudia Taylor, ( Nil/Evening News Lifeboat Princess and tier mairj-of-honour, Emma Keebie with Coxswain Richard Constantine.

6 Yorkshire Regional Newspapers Ltd Medal Record Seventeen medals have been awarded, 13 Silver and four Bronze, Ihe last in 1973.here have been lifeboat statior Lytham St. Anne: first being establi in A major event in Ihe history RNLI occurred on the nighl of 9 Deo 1886. Forty two crew men from Lyth Annes and Southport lifeboats set out in t conditions to rescue the crew of ttie Gi barque Mexico. The Lytham tifeboat re the crew of 12 from the Mexico t St. Annes and Southport lifeboats capsized with the toss of 27 of the 25 members. The tragedy led !o the first c street collet One of the boathouses from which lau were made on that fateful night is nc Lytham Lifeboat Museum, which has items from the Mexico dis Lytham lifeboat Charles Biggs with the crew that went to the wreck of the Mexico.Carol Turner is the only female volunteer } at Lytham St. Annes lifeboat station. 6 Blackpool Gazette Medal Record Nine medals have been awarded, four Silver and five Bronze, Ihe last being in 1981, HISTORY W1 AsBMnwastxi.il to the lire! lifeboat and was used untt 1863.

1KJ A new Urtoai house was Duilt Since 1986. it las t»«n used as a lifeooal museum Wl T w Mrtoat was placed on pennanent moorings which were moved further wesl m ine 1961k.

m A new txdrjng wes consiructBd at the Central Beacfi H was extended in 1984,1985 ind 1991 to Dravxte a store'souvenir shop and extra crew facilities :re Dedoat station was established In April.

1M SwxessM Inato toe* place with a carriage-launched Mersey dais MeboatalSl Annas.

l She replaced a Tyne doss Keboat Last year, two Lytham St. Annes lifeboat crew were invited to join the Queen Mother's 100th birthday celebrations.

Lytham St. Annes current all-weather Mersey class lifeboat, Her Majesty The Queen, arrived on station on 16 December 1999.

Proposed new lifeboat station at Lytham St. Annes.

Building scheduled to start this yearLowestoft was one of the earliest lifeboat stations and can boast having its own lifeboat since 1801.

This first lifeboat marked an unfortunate beginning to what became a long and courageous history of lifesaving. The trouble was ttiat the beachmen, who were supposed to use her. disliked and distrusted this wooden pulling boat. IF a gale was raging and a vessels needed help, the lifeboat remained on the beach.

However, in 1807, Lionel Lukin. one of the first developers of lifeboats, came to Lowestoft- He talked lo the beachmen about iheir favourite craft, the boats they would take out in any weather.

The result was that Lukin designed a lifeboat based on these boats. She was the Frances Ann. the world's first sailing lifeboat. Launched in November 1807, she saved more than 300 lives in her 48 years o! service at Lowestoft.

A Lowestoft's lifeboat, Frances Ann, going out to the brig George, on 22 October 1820.

The station's current Tyne class lifeboat. Spirit ol Lowestott. was bought by tne people of the town. It arrived on station in J987 and has launched 230 times and saved 50 lives.

Medal Record Thirty nine medals have been awarded, two Gold. 21 Silver and 16 Bronze, the last to the present coxswain. John Catch pole lor his part in the rescue of a yacht in August 1996.

John Catchpole O Maggie Murray.

Robert Hook, who was known as the Lowestofl hero.

helped to save more than 600 lives. He was twice awarded a Silver Medal.

One of the mofe unusual services in the history of the station was when the lifeboat was asked lo launch to a cow! The crew got a rope around the cow's neck but the vet had radioed to say don't pull it as it was in calf and would drown. They gently drove the cow towards the land where it staggered up the beach exhausted. The vet later wrote to thank them and said both the cow and new calf were fine! Past and present. Lifeboat house and crew in the 1880's.

C Lowestott Journal f The new lifeboat house, built in 1998, with the present crew.

O Lowestoft Journal HISTORY 1301 A Hettat was placed at Lowesicfl but soon rammed as the local boatmen refined to man X 1807 AsecorMlbofltwasDuillanOflboairiousewaslxjinneaflfwtowlighlhouse, benealh the town 1855 Station came under (he control ot the RNU 1870 A second Metwaistabcn was estabtehed but P| was ckwed in 1912.

1940 Ttw Lowest* i»eDoaiMtfia#S«pfynsvir 1951 A tSfflh Anniversary Vellum awardwThe lifeboathouse at Newbiggin was built in 1851 when an act of heroism impressed the Duke of Northumberland so much that he agreed to pay for a station as well as Newbiggin's first and second lifeboats, both called Latimer.

The original boathouse of 1851 still nds but its lenglh of 10.9m has now been extended to 15.2m. tt is the oldest operational boathouse that the RNL! operates in the UK and Republic of Ireland. An Atlantic 75 inshore lifeboat and its launching tractor are kept in the boalhouse. which One of the Latimer lifeboats, is also used as a provided by the Duke of Northumberland.

Lifeboat No. 1 served from 1852-1860.

Lifeboat No. 2 served from 1860-1866.

Details of the currenl lifeboat and crew were put into a time capsule, cemented into the foundations of the boathouse during alterations in 1998- Before the introduction of mechanical tractors in the early 1950s, the women of Newbiggin were always ready and willing to assist in launching the lifeboats. On one occasion, Ihe Newbiggin liieooat was called out in a fierce gale to stand by its fishing fleet. With the help of the wives and daughters of the men who were at sea. the lifeboat was launched with great difficulty- Without their help it would have been impossible to get her afloat ihrough the heavy surf.

A Launching the lifeboat - past and pr • Newbiggin women launchers moving the lifeboat out of the boathouse in the 1940s.

HISTORY 1K2 A lifeboat house was tw* at the eastern end of ihe Promenade, 1937 The Maboal house was altered lor the station's first TVXW Irfeboai 1949 A tractor house was bwtl on to the east wan at the hteboal house.

1964 The lifeboat house was adapted to accommodate a 37ft Oettey class lifeboat 1981 The irtetoa! house was aoaoiedwaccwinxxiaie an Atlantic 21 iteboatani] launching iractof k 1998 The Meboat house was extensively modified and a new crew budding was built on the east side.

Medal Record Ten medals have been awarded, nine Silver and one Bronze, the last in 1940..