St Abbs Lifeboat Archive

This archive is a project that is still in its infancy. The photos and documents shown here are those that are currently held in the Lifeboat Station. We know that there are many more photographs and documents out there. If you have any documents or photos that relate to our Lifeboat we would be really grateful if you could get in touch, allow us to digitise your material, or send us digitised copies, and most importantly give us permission to display the material publicly on this site. This permission is key.

We will also, over the cold rainy winter months be sitting down with those in this village who have all the stories to tell behind these images and documents and we will add these to the archive....so keep checking back as this project grows.

Our thanks go to Alison Fuller-Shapcott for digitising the vast majority of the current archive. Thanks also go to image contributors and to our oral history creator, Richard Eyers. https://www.richardeyers.photography

Finally thanks as always go to Kreative Technology for their untiring technical assistance and for enabling this material to be displayed in this way online.

Photographs

OUR BOATS

THE SINKING OF THE MV NYON On 16 November 1958, Nyon was on a voyage from Leith, Midlothian to Dakar, Senegal when she ran aground at St. Abbs Head, Berwickshire.

ST ABBS HARBOUR

News Clippings

THE SINKING OF HMS PATHFINDER 1914

On September 5 1914, the German submarine U-21 torpedoed and sank the Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Pathfinder in the North Sea, off St. Abbs Head, Berwickshire, Scotland. The torpedo struck the ship's magazine, causing an explosion that sent the ship to the bottom within minutes. The sinking killed 259 men

JANE HAY 1913 -1914

ASSISTING THE CYRIL 1924

SEARCHING FOR THE CLYTHA,  NOVEMBER 1927

MARY NISBET'S PRIZE, 1929

A LIFEBOAT TAKES TO THE WATER, 1949. THE ANNIE RONALD & ISABELLA FORREST 

JB COUPER OF GLASGOW,  1949 TRAFALGAR DAY AND 1951 DEDICATION

'A DEPUTY'S CAUSERIE' : ST ABBS LIFEBOAT : WARTIME EXPLOITS : JET ENGINES IN 1896. PUBLISHED 1950?

ST ABBS LIFEBOAT HAS SAVED 120 LIVES, 1957

WRECK OF THE NYON, 1958

YOUR LIFE IN THEIR HANDS, 1959

HOLIDAYMAKERS RESCUED - DINGHY CAPSIZED, 1959

REFLOATED TRAWLER HEADS FOR FORTH, 1960

CRIPPLED YACHT IS TOWED TO HARBOUR 1960

PIRATE SHIP! W ROSS MACARTHUR OF GLASGOW, 1961

THREE GRAND OLD MEN OF THE SEA, 1961

SAVIOURS IN OILSKINS, 1961

ST ABBS LIFEBOAT MAKES HER WAY ROUND THE ROCKY COAST, 1961

LIFEBOAT SETS OFF FOR HOME PORT AFTER RESCUE (ROSEHEARTY), 1962

IT'S JUST ROUTINE FOR US SAY THE PART-TIME LIFE-SAVERS, 1963

JANE HAY, 1964 AND 1965

WHEN A PHONE CALL MEANS DISASTER, 1965

DON'T BE MISTAKEN. HE IS NOT JUST AN ORDINARY ST ABBS FISHERMAN (JACOB NISBET) 1965

MAN AND NATURE PROVIDE SHELTER FOR FISHERMAN, 1965

OPENING OF NEW EYEMOUTH HARBOUR, 1965

LONGHOPE LIFEBOAT, 1969

COURAGE WITHOUT ANY FUSS, 1969

HOAX SOS, 1970

HOLIDAY DEATHS, 1970

CLINGING TO EDGE OF SURVIVAL, 1975

APPEAL LAUNCHED FOR £70,000 FOR LIFEBOAT STATION, 1996

ST ABBS LIFEBOAT GALA, 2007

LIFEBOAT ASSISTS DIVERS, 2009

ST ABBS LIFEBOAT LAUNCHES A NEW LIFEBOAT AND BECOMES INDEPENDENT OF THE RNLI

Letters And Documents

NAMING CEREMONIES AND LAUNCHES

LISTS OF OFFICERS, RECORDS OF SERVICE AND LIST OF LAUNCHES

OTHER LETTERS AND EVENTS

Oral Histories and Videos

Audio Files

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024  Alistair and Gus In Conversation

Alistair Crowe and Gus Skene, life-long friends, have both given over 50 years of service to St Abbs Lifeboat. Here they have a series of conversations with local photographer, Richard Eyers (www.richardeyers.photography)  about the station and the life of a crew member.

To listen to our audio clips, click on the 'play' button in the audio files below

Audio File : "Gus and Alistair talk about why St Abbs Lifeboat is independent"
Audio File : "Keeping St Abbs Lifeboat Operational"
Audio File : "Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard"
Audio File : "How you can help"

Videos

2024
Katharine Hay from the Scotsman reports from "a community which funded its own lifeboat after the RNLI pulled out".

Click Here To Watch

2023
Kate Humble visits St Abbs as part of her Coastal Britain series and goes out with our Lifeboat.

Click Here To Watch

2018
Rebecca Adlington visited St Abbs with a box load of sizzling sausages to thank the crew for their service.

Click Here To Watch

YouTube Videos

2016
The launch of the Thomas Tunnock, Sky Vantage Productions.
Watch below.

2012
St Abbs Lifeboat crew member receives RNLI bravery award after perilous cave rescue. Watch below:

1960s-1970s
St Abbs Lifeboat and fishing boats.
Watch below.