The Royal National Lifeboat Institute, Lowestoft

The Lowestoft Lifeboat Station is one of the oldest in the nation, and was founded in 1801, 23 years before the Life Boat Service was established.

The first lifeboat at Lowestoft was built by Henry Greathead who, 12 years before, had built for South Shields the first lifeboat of all, the famous Original. Six years later Lowestoft took her place in the history of the lifeboats by having the first sailing lifeboat.

There have been some extraordinary rescuers such as Robert Hook, John Swan, and Alan Spurgeon, all of whom won medals for gallantry, heading up the 45 awards the stations has earned over the years.

The Lowestoft lifeboat "Michael Stephens" was among the 19 of the Institution’s boats, which went over to Dunkirk in 1940 to help in bringing off the British Expeditionary Force, her crew was officers and men of the Navy. The Michael Stephens worked in Dunkirk Harbour itself, carrying men through the crowded darkness to the ships outside. She was twice rammed by motor torpedo boats but she went on with her work and returned to Dover under her own power.