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The Tyne Lifeboat Society established a station here in 1790 with the Original.
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The Tyne Lifeboat Society remained independent of the RNLI for many years but in 1862 the Institution established its own station at Tynemouth. This station was successful in saving many lives, including the rescue on the 1st November 1914 of the hospital ship HMHS Rohilla which was caught in a severe gale off the coast of Whitby.
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The Tynemouth Motor Lifeboat Henry Vernon and crew saved 50 survivors from the ship. The photograph above shows the Lifeboat and brave crew members from that day.
Tynemouth Lifeboat Henry Vernon was one of the institution’s first experimental motor lifeboats. Built in 1905 it was placed under the supervision of Lieutenant H E Burton RE, afterwards Major Burton, holder of the Institution's Gold (Rohilla case) and Silver Medals and the George Cross. He died in December 1944 and the Committee granted his widow a pension of £60 to be reviewed yearly.
The lifeboat station was completely destroyed by enemy action in April 1941 but was re-opened six months later, and in 1947 a new station was built, pictured below right, this station was to stay in operation until 1998.
On 16 September 1962 the Duchess of Northumberland unveiled a stained glass window in the Seamen's Chapel of Christ Church, North Shields, to commemorate the Centenary of the Tynemouth lifeboat station. The window, which was given by the coxswain and crew, incorporated a picture of the lifeboat Original which was built on Tyneside.
Pictured below are the "John Pyemont" which was destroyed by bombing along with the boathouse early in 1941, and the "Tynesider" which saw its first rescue just 4 days after its naming ceremony, the first of 153 services.
Chronological history
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