Lucy Lavers returns to Aldeburgh

11/05/2015

Photograph by Wendy Pritchard

A crowd of cheering school children and supporters sounded horns and waved flags from Aldeburgh beach, welcoming their former lifeboat Lucy Lavers back to her home town.  After many years away, Lucy Lavers returned to Aldeburgh today for a special stop-over on her journey back to Dunkirk.  From around noon she hovered just offshore near Aldeburgh beach, before continuing up the River Alde to her berth at Aldeburgh Yacht Club.  

This Suffolk seaside town marks a particularly significant part of Lucy Lavers' voyage, as she was commissioned and built to be No. 2 lifeboat at Aldeburgh more than 75 years ago.  But as soon as she arrived in Aldeburgh in May 1940, Lucy Lavers was comandeered by the Royal Navy and the Aldeburgh No. 2 Coxswain, Tom Parnell, took her down to Ramsgate to join the other 'Dunkirk Little Ships'.   

Today, Aldeburgh's current lifeboat and crew came out to greet Lucy Lavers as she arrived, and transfer some crew from ship to shore.  You can meet  Lucy Lavers, and find out more about her story, on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th May at Aldeburgh Yacht Club, Slaughden Road, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, IP10 0LN.