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1932 was a significant year for Skegness Lifeboat Station, with the
arrival of it's first motor-driven lifeboat, the Anne Allen. The
boat was provided from a legacy left from Mrs Anne Allen of Spalding
and was very similar to it's predecessor the "Samuel Lewis".
The Anne Allen launching in the late 1940s. [Photo: unknown] The boat was designed to reproduce the
excellent qualities of the Liverpool type of sailing boat. It's
overall dimensions were almost exactly the same and although her
displacement was nearly double that of the Liverpool types she drew
only an inch or two more of water. Anne Allen arrived in Skegness on Saturday 10th
December 1932 under the command of the RNLI District Inspector for
Skegness, Lt-Cdr P E Vaux, RN. Her naming ceremony took
place on Saturday 17th June 1933 on Grand Parade,
opposite the Pier Entrance. She was named by Lord Yarborough, Lord
Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, and was handed to the station on behalf
of the Institution by Sir Godfrey Baring, Chairman of the RNLI
Committee of Management.
During World War II, the Anne Allen made a large number of
launches to search for crews of crashed aircraft, both Allied and
German, who had ditched in The Wash or North Sea. The lifeboat crew
were called out sometimes two or three times a week and spent hours
and hours at sea, often in appalling weather conditions, with very
little protection from the icy winds and freezing seas. There were
occasions when they did not find anything, at other times there were
only small patches of oil and wreckage, but no sign of survivors.
On 30th September 1940, the Anne Allen was launched to search
for an aircraft reported down in the sea off Hunstanton. The
lifeboat cruised for nearly 50 miles throughout the night, but
nothing was found. At about midnight, the Coxswain found himself in
a minefield. It was dead low tide and the mines were plainly
visible. George Perrin proceeded slowly and managed to get the
lifeboat out of the danger area where he decided to anchor until
dawn, before continuing the search. No trace of any wreckage was
found.
George Perrin (Coxswain)
Montgomery Grunnill (Second Coxswain)
"Bob" Grunnill (Bowman)
Percy Grunnill (First Motor Mechanic)
Lance Grunnill (Second Motor Mechanic)
Jack Soper (Signalman)
W Perrin
Wilfred Perrin
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