Photos offer glimpse of RNLI heroism ahead of 200th anniversary
Henry Blogg, who retired in 1947 after 53 years of service, helped save 873 lives at sea.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Colourised images showcasing the heroism and community spirit of early lifeboat crews and volunteers have been released by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) ahead of its 200th anniversary.
The 11 candid snapshots depict people and events from the charity’s early years, from lifeboats in action to fundraising campaigns.
Featured in the collection is a colourised 1916 photograph of RNLI lifesaver Henry Blogg, who retired in 1947 after 53 years of service on Cromer’s lifeboats and helped save 873 lives at sea.
After the lifeboatman’s death in 1954, Viscount Templewood called him “one of the bravest men who ever lived”.
The photographs also highlight the importance of action taken by volunteers on land.
One image shows a group of Plymouth children collecting money for the charity in 1939 while another from the same year depicts a group of Northumberland women launchers reeling in a lifeboat.
Hayley Whiting, RNLI heritage and archive research manager, said: “The carefully coloured images illustrate just a few highlights of the incredible history of lifesaving over the previous two centuries, where over 144,000 lives have been saved to date.”
After the original black-and-white images had been cleaned of dust and scratches, the RNLI’s heritage team consulted archive records to produce historically accurate colourised versions using Adobe Photoshop.
The charity has been saving lives at sea around the British Isles since it was founded on March 4 1824.
On Monday, the Royal Mint launched a 50p commemorative coin celebrating 200 years of RNLI lifesaving.