Not just boats, you know The cover picture from your winter 2001/02 issue of the Lifeboat showed one of our squadron helicopters, Callsign Rescue 193, operating with a Severn class lifeboat. Inside you incorrectly identified this as an RAF helicopter. While I can fully understand the general perception of the public that all that flies must be RAF, we in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy are justifiably proud of our Search and Rescue capabilities and thought your readers might be interested in the following.

Of the 14 Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter bases around the coastline only two of these, at Culdrose and at Gannet, in Ayrshire, are Royal Navy. However, these two units were the busiest in the country last year with figures of 255 and 246 rescue missions respectively. Indeed, these two units carried out over a quarter of all SAR missions for the country and 771 squadron alone contributed one sixth of UK SAR total rescue missions.

771 Squadron operates from Hartland Point on the north Devon coast, right around Lands End, east to Start Point, south of Brixham, and to a range of 240 miles out into the south-west approaches. This area covers many popular sailing areas and important fishing grounds, where a fair proportion of our trade is taken from.

Your publication is not alone in mistaking our aircraft for RAF - television and radio are also forever getting it wrong - but please inform your readers that in case of difficulty it is almost as likely that it will be the boys in DARK blue coming to their aid, and not our sideways-walking relations! Lieutenant Roger Brook 771 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, HELSTON, Cornwall Oh dear. Roger was one of many who spotted our error. We hope that the bottle of Old Purteney whisky currently winging its way to RNAS Culdrose will be compensation to him and his brave colleagues.

Sweet dreams -thanks to the RNLI I was interested to see in the winter issue that there is to be a lifeboat permanently stationed at Gravesend. I was born there in 1919. My father travelled every day by the Gravesend Tilbury ferry to his work at Customs and Excise at Tilbury Docks, being away all day and arriving home late in the evening.

In those days there were many thick fogs when the ferry could not sail. On those days I was told my father had to cross the river in a small boat and it was said that if anyone fell into the Thames off Gravesend they would never be seen again - presumably swept away by strong currents. My mother was not a great communicator and kept any anxiety she felt to herself. Thus all I knew as a small child was an atmosphere of silent anxiety in the home on foggy days.

To this day I believe this anxiety has haunted me, occasioning nightmares of silent nothingness for which I could not account. But hopefully now I can resolve this by adding to my nightmares the pictures of a small orange lifeboat speeding to the rescue.

Thank you RNLI - for one more rescue.

Miss Eleanor Hill Wadhurst, East SussexRNLI United? Your article on the Thames lifeboats (winter 2001/02) mentions the Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Canning Town, who made many of the early lifeboats.

The workers in that company formed a football team, which the RNLI staff member may have watched or played in. That team still plays to this day but they are now called West Ham United! Bert Anderson By email DelJohnson The award of a Bar to a Gold Badge is a rare honour, given to an.outstanding personality. Such a man was Del Johnson, whose sudden death at the end of October 2001 you recorded in your last issue.

When I joined the Penlee committee in 1962, Del was assistant to the honorary secretary Jack Bennetts. Soon he became honorary secretary and continued until 1989. He was always a hard worker. Much of what he did was carried out away from the limelight and his life was rooted in service to his local community.

The Penlee disaster in December 1981 was a terrible tragedy for Mousehoie. As a close friend of all the crew, Del was particularly affected but, in spite of his personal grief, he was a tower of strength to their families.

Del became treasurer in 1989 - a post in which he was still active at his death at the age of 70. His funeral at Paul church was full of his friends and colleagues and a helicopter from Culdrose flew overhead in tribute. We shall not forget him - the Penlee branch will never be quite the same again.

James Hodge President Penlee branchWin a bottle Inver House Distillers, the makers of Old Pulteney whisky, have kindly agreed to give away a bottle of the genuine maritime malt to our 'Letter of the quarter'. So if you've got any burning issues to get off your chest about lifeboats or a related subject, put your pen to paper and send your letter to: Your Letters, the Lifeboat RNLI, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH151HZ or email us at [email protected] All letters intended for consideration should be clearly marked 'For Publication'..