The records of thousands of volunteers who served with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and risked their lives to save those in peril at sea are now available on family history site Ancestry, as the RNLI celebrates its 200th anniversary.
The collection consists of 58,227 records dating from 1824–1989, and includes digitised images of the original documents. In addition, it is free to search for those who aren’t members of Ancestry.
Simon Pearce, family history expert at Ancestr,y said: “We are thrilled to celebrate the RNLI's 200th anniversary by digitising its invaluable records. This project not only honours the charity’s rich history but also makes these important resources freely accessible to everyone, allowing families and researchers to connect with their maritime heritage like never before."
The records include crew cards, presentation books, service books and pension ledgers.
They are a good way of finding records of ancestors who served in the RNLI and were awarded medals, and include famous figures.
For example, they show that on 24 October 1838, the RNLI awarded Silver Medals to William Darling and his daughter Grace.
William was the keeper of Longstone Lighthouse in the Farne Islands. On 7 September 1838, the paddle steamer Forfarshire was wrecked nearby. William and Grace set out to sea in a rowing boat and rescued the survivors, leading to Grace becoming a national hero.
The records also relate to more recent maritime disasters, including the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster of 19 December 1981.
The cargo vessel Union Star was off the coast of Cornwall when its engines failed in a storm. The lifeboat Solomon Browne with eight crew set off from Penlee Lifeboat Station at Mousehole to rescue the ship’s crew of five, as well as its three passengers.
Tragically, the rescue attempt failed and the crew of the lifeboat died, together with all those on the Union Star.
The Ancestry collection includes records of the posthumous medals that were awarded to the members of the crew.
