200 Years of Lifesaving at Sea

A photographic history of lifesaving at sea, told through the camera lens of the Reach (Mirrorpix) archives.

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On 4 March 1824, thirty philanthropic gentlemen – including the abolitionist William Wilberforce and Archbishop of Canterbury Charles Manners-Sutton – met in a London pub. Here, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution was born.

In the following 200 years, the RNLI has been woven into the fabric of our island nation, saving over 144,000 lives, despite some rescuers losing their own in the process. With over 100 fascinating images from Mirrorpix, one of the world’s biggest photo libraries, 200 Years of Lifesaving at Sea is a testament to the brave folk who sailed and continue to sail towards danger, rather than away from it.