Cromer: Lifeboat called to emergency during 100 year event

Cromer's iconic lifeboat house and slipway first opened in 1923

An RNLI crew marking the 100th anniversary of a lifeboat house had to leave during celebrations to deal with an emergency call.

The RNLI said crews dispatched from the end of Cromer Pier had saved "numerous lives" since it opened in 1923.

On Wednesday, the charity's Tamar class all-weather lifeboat was commemoratively launched to mark the centenary.

But during celebrations, the lifeboat was called to an emergency.

The Coastguard reported a person in difficulty in the water. The RNLI said that after searching for about an hour, the lifeboat was stood down as it turned out to be a "false alarm with good intent".

During centenary celebrations crews were called to a report of person in difficulty in the water

Cromer Lifeboat Station was first established in 1804 and, following the construction of Cromer Pier in 1901, a new lifeboat house and slipway was built at the end of the pier costing £32,000.

The lifeboat's most famous crew member is Coxswain Henry Blogg who, between 1894 and 1947, carried out 387 rescues and helped save 873 lives.

He was awarded many honours, including the George Cross for general war service and a British Empire Medal.

To this day, he remains the most decorated person in RNLI history.

Henry Blogg saved more than 800 lives in a 53-year career as a lifeboatman

RNLI volunteer Neil Glover, who came up with the idea of marking the centenary said: "When we do tours of the station, we tell people about the boathouse and slipway being built in 1923, and I suddenly thought a couple of months ago that this was something worthy of celebration.

"The idea was to mark the occasion with an exhibition to showcase the last 100 years primarily with photographs marking events like the deliberate blowing up of part of the pier in World War Two through to some of the most remarkable lifesaving launches involving Henry Blogg.

"I am fascinated by the history of lifeboats at Cromer."

A week-long exhibition to mark the centenary will be held at the Henry Blogg museum until 1 August.