Hidden Depths (Women of the RNLI)

When we hear the word "lifeboats" or "RNLI." the first picture to jump into our mind will almost certainly be that of a big, brave, bearded lifeboat man. And with good reason, as for more than 180 years such images of strong, selfless males have populated all the reports and literature of the lifeboat service. What has not been so well documented or recognized are the roles that, right from the very beginning, women have played in working to save lives at sea. Perhaps the stereotypical image is of women waiting in the lifeboat house for their men to return—brewing tea and giving encouragement and solace to each other? Look more deeply and it becomes clear that women have always been at the heart of the RNLI operation, undertaking a wide range of tasks. From Victorian times right through to the twenty-first century, women have always been "strong to save."