The Lifeboats Story

by Edward Wake-Walker

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is one of the best known maritime rescue organizations in the world. This insightful guide from a RNLI veteran tells the story of the Institution from its beginnings during the reign of King George IV in the 19th century up through the hi-tech rescue maritime organization it has become. The topics addressed include early lifeboats and early lifeboat heroes; famous coxswains; early rescues and disasters; the arrival of motorized craft, as well as inshore and all-weather craft; the modern fleet and volunteer crewmember; the development and use of hovercraft; and the RNLI’s bright future.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2008

About the author

Edward Wake-Walker worked for 28 years with the RNLI, the final 16 as public relations director. His other books on the RNLI and its history are Gold Medal Rescues (1992), Lost Photographs of the RNLI (2004) and The Lifeboats Story (2007), and he is an honorary adviser to the RNLI Heritage Trust. He lives in Dorset.