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Port Isaac Lifeboats: An Illustrated History of 150 Years
Nicholas Leach and Bob Bulgin BEM
Published by Foxglove Publishing
Price £9.99, available from Bob Bulgin, Jessamine Cottage, Rose Hill, Port Isaac, Cornwall PL29 3RL; cheques to Port Isaac RNLI

The history of the Port Isaac lifeboat station is covered in this new comprehensive history of the station. The station was served by pulling and sailing lifeboats from 1869 to the 1930s, when the lifeboat was withdrawn following the arrival of the new motor lifeboat at nearby Padstow. Since 1967 inshore lifeboats have been ready to undertake rescues off this picturesuqe part of the North Cornwall coast.
The volunteer lifeboat crews have performed some outstanding rescues, with one of the most recent recognised by the RNLI with the award of medals for gallantry. There are accounts of all the significant rescues, as well as first-hand stories from the volunteer crew of several notable rescues.
The station was well known for the launching operation in the 19th and early 20th centuries, which provided a dramatic spectacle as it involved pulling the lifeboat on its carriage through the narrow streets of the village, and often with hundreds of people, both locals and visitors, hauling on the ropes. Hundreds of photographs old and new, many unpublished, add to this record of the lifeboats station at Port Isaac.

The Lifeboat Service in England: The North West and Isle of Man
Nicholas Leach
This 128-pae book is the sixth in a series of eight books covering all the lifeboat stations of the UK and Ireland, past and present, under a ‘station-by-station’ byline. This volume covers the stations from West Kirby on the Wirral to SIlloth in Cumbria, as well as the Isle of Man. The RNLI currently operates twenty-four lifeboat stations around the North West and Isle of Man, and details and colour photos of all are included. This comprehensive book details every station, with information about their histories and current operations. It also includes details of closed stations and many of the dramatic, courageous and daring rescues undertaken by the lifeboat crews from the region.
• Available from Amberley Publishing, Stroud, https://www.amberley-books.com/ price £15.99, or via online shops.

Littlehampton Lifeboats: An Illustrated History
Nicholas Leach
To celebrate 50 years of inshore lifeboats at Littlehampton, this comprehensive history has been produced. The 112-page book is divided into three sections, covering the era of pulling and sailing lifeboats, the half century of inshore lifeboats, and lifeboat building at William Osborne’s Arun Shipyard. The station is well known as one of those that received a Blue Peter-funded inshore lifeboat, and lifeboats named Blue Peter I served the station until 2016.
• To obtain copies, contact Nick White, Lifeboat Operations Manager via info@littlehamptonlifeboat.org.uk for account details for payment. Cheques and BACS payments are welcome; go to www.littlehamptonlifeboat.org.uk, tel 07917 195925; send cheques to 4 York Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 6EN.

 

Falmouth Lifeboat: 150 years of saving lifves at sea 1867-2017
David Barnicoat and Simon Culliford
Falmouth lifeboat station celebrated its 150th anniversary during the summer with a gathering of old lifeboats and other events (see p.12), and this impressive new book has been published to detail the station’s century and a half of operations. Running to 208 pages, it details all the lifeboats that have served the station, as well as the coxswains and the famous rescues. It is profusely illustrated with many unusual photos of Falmouth’s lifeboats, and has been well researched and is highly recommended. NL
• Cost £9.95 plus £4.50 p&p; make cheques payable to Falmouth RNLI, and send to  to Falmouth RNLI Shop, Tinners Walk, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3XZ; tel 01326 210844 for orders with a debit or credit card.

 

Rescue At Sea
Nicholas Leach
Published by Kelsey Media, Cudham, Kent
Available from www.kelseyshop.co.uk, or tel 0845 872 7385
Price £7.99
ISBN 978-1-909786-77-6

This A4-sized 100-page publication is one of the quarterly Ships Illustrated bookazines produced by Kelsey Publishing. It celebrates 200 years of sea rescue and provides a thorough overview of lifeboat history since the late 18th century. It starts with a chronology which gives a snapshot of lifeboat development, the establishment of the RNLI and describes each significant development up to the establishment of the All-weather Lifeboat Centre at Poole.
Subsequent chapters expand on the happenings with detailed descriptions of the first sea rescue services, the formation of a National Lifeboat Service in 1824 and the expansion of that service expanded in the 19th century.
Other chapters look at the work of the lifeboat service during the war, the rebuilding of the fleet, the evolution of a self-righting fleet and the introduction of faster lifeboats. The inshore fleet is not forgotten and its development from 1963 is covered in detail.
The book is profusely illustrated with colour action pictures and many previously unpublished photographs. This publication is not only a fine record of the establishment of the present day lifeboat rescue service but is worth having for the photographs. AJD