The RNLI is partnering with Ancestry to celebrate 200 years of saving lives at sea by making thousands of the charity’s historic records accessible to the public for free*.
Ancestry’s partnership with the RNLI will see two centuries of RNLI records digitised and hosted on Ancestry.co.uk for the first time, streamlining a process that previously required manually searching through two hundred years of physical documents. The public will now have access to browse the online archive of records and discover if the RNLI has changed the course of their own family history.
John May, 66 years of age, followed in the footsteps of his grandfather when he became RNLI crew at Fraserburgh. John idolised his grandfather, John Downie May, who was coxswain at Fraserburgh RNLI and helped with countless life-saving missions as part of the charity.
John May, commented:
‘Being able to explore the records of my grandfather is invaluable. It is amazing to see records of his time in the RNLI and see the footsteps he laid out before me. I am so proud to follow his journey with the RNLI, knowing that my grandfather, father and I shared the same passion for the sea.’
From crew cards of RNLI crew, records of rescues, to records of volunteer awards and gallantry medals given for brave acts of courage, these valuable records can help people to unlock unknown parts of their history, with the documents dating and locating family members of the past, and in some instances providing imagery too.
Simon Pearce, Family History Expert at Ancestry 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.’
David Welton, Heritage Manager at RNLI, said:
‘We are very excited to be making parts of our extensive archive collection available to the public for the very first time. Opening access will mean many will discover their family connection to the RNLI and explore records of their ancestors in our collection. We are grateful to Ancestry for allowing us to make this happen and for it to be in our 200th year of lifesaving makes it even more special.’
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI – public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.