In 2024 the Royal National Lifeboat Institution will celebrate 200 years of its existence.

To celebrate this milestone East Cowes is to organise a celebration week in May 2024 which will be fully supported by the RNLI and related organisations.

In conjunction with the events next year, the East Cowes Heritage Centre will be hosting an exhibition to tell the story of lifeboat building in East and West Cowes. 

Large numbers of lifeboats were built in the yards of Groves and Gutteridge, J.S. White’s, Saunders Roe, Souters and other firms over many years for the RNLI, the Navy and the RAF.

They were designed and built by hundreds of Island workers. Lifeboats continue to be built in the town today at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre in East Cowes.

The heritage centre is reaching out to find people who have worked on lifeboat production who are willing to be interviewed about their working lives and have photographs which can be copied for the exhibition.

Did you build lifeboats or work in the drawing offices and are now retired?

Do you have a family member who worked in the yards and has written down their story?

We would be very interested to hear from you.

If you or a family member would like to contribute to this project please contact:

Ken Wheeler at kenwheeler65@gmail.com or contact the Heritage Centre at 8, Clarence Road, East Cowes, PO32 6EP. 

Tel: 280310.