Each quarter we aim to bring you something that will stir and inform and, if I say so myself, this Autumn issue is something rather special.

We are reminded of the best and the worst of the RNLI’s 185-year history by the memorial in Poole to all those who have lost their lives in the attempt to save others at sea (page 18).

The name Torrey Canyon is notorious since the oil tanker hit rocks in 1967, but did you know that Penlee’s lifeboat Solomon Browne attended, 14 years before disaster would strike for her too (page 28)?

Spanning the generations to the present day, we hear what the memorial means to some of those left behind after the St Ives lifeboat disaster of 1939 (page 6). Looking into the future, the woman behind the sculpture explains it is intended to also serve as ‘a beacon of hope’ to generations of lifesavers to come (46). And inspiration will surely also flow from the extraordinary achievements of the charity’s latest gallantry medal awardee (13 and 24).

But his courage and skills would have been for naught if he and his crew hadn’t been aboard such a superbly designed and built lifeboat – the RNLI’s abilities in this area are surely a hidden treasure (34). Lastly, the gratitude of supporters and lifesavers alike is expressed in our profile of a seagoing solicitor (49) and in your letters (51).

Thank you!
Liz Cook, Editor