RNLI volunteers have fondly recalled Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II opening the college in Poole.
More than 200 coxswains and senior helms from every lifeboat station across the UK and Ireland came together to mark the occasion in 2004, still the only time that has happened.
The Queen dedicated 70 years as Patron of the RNLI and on July 28, 2004, officially opened the RNLI college in Poole.
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Being the local operational station, Poole were asked to escort Her Majesty as she left the college on boar the Castletownbere Severn class lifeboat.
Among the 233 coxswains and senior helms was Jonathan Clark, representing Poole Lifeboat Station.
He said: “All the crews were assembled, in their traditional ‘guernseys’ and white caps, it was really warm and we were waiting for Her Majesty, together like a school photograph.
“I was the first person on the bottom row, as I had to race back to the station to meet crew and take our Tyne lifeboat and escort the Queen as she came through the bridge.
“As the Queen came out of the college into the sunshine, I remember her visibly doing a double take when she saw the mass of navy and red RNLI letters and a huge smile spread across her face.”
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Several volunteers from Poole Lifeboat Station over many years had the honour of attending the royal garden parties at Buckingham Palace.
Volunteer Helm Mr Clark and his wife Anne-Marie, retired lifeboat operations manager Rod Brown and his wife Carole had the privilege to attend in 2016.
Anne-Marie said: “It was a lovely occasion, we felt immensely proud as the Queen is our patron, it also felt very special as it was the Queen's 90th birthday year, I remember her grace, her smile and warmth that radiated as she passed through the crowd’.
Frank Ide, who was the coxswain from 1974 to 1989, attended the Buckingham Palace Garden party in 1984 along with his wife Rose.
Each Christmas Frank would send greetings and a card to the Queen and her family from the Poole crew, the Palace acknowledged and reciprocated the good wishes, which meant an awful lot to the volunteer crew.
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