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.
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
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
Other Records
RETURNS OF SERVICE 1912 - 1934
RETURNS OF SERVICE 1935 - 1944
RETURNS OF SERVICE 1944 - 1954
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.
Videos
2018
Rebecca Adlington visited St Abbs with a box load of sizzling sausages to thank the crew for their service.
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.