The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) operates 238 lifeboat stations and has seasonal lifeguards on over 240 beaches around the UK and Ireland. It designs and builds its own lifeboats and runs domestic and international water safety programmes.
The charity's 200-year history includes many incredible moments, no least in the World Wars, when the RNLI continued to save lives at sea.
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When the First World War broke out, many lifeboatmen were called away to fight. The average age of the lifeboat crews at home increased to over 50. During 1914-18, RNLI lifeboats launched 1,808 times, saving 5,332 lives.
In 1939, young lifeboat volunteers were called away again to war. Nevertheless, by the end of the Second World War in 1945, RNLI crews had saved 6,376 lives around the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
In 1940, 19 RNLI lifeboats were used to evacuate troops from Dunkirk. Two had RNLI crews onboard, while the others were manned by the Royal Navy. The lifeboats and their stand-in crews saved thousands of lives while being shelled and bombed for days.
Words: Laura Haslam, RNLI | Main image: Jane Holland Eastbourne lifeboat showing the damage she sustained during the Dunkirk evacuation in May/June 1940/Credit: RNLI
