New inshore lifeboat is named after wartime crew member

Harold Hobbs will be the name of the Atlantic 85 vessel, which is due to arrive in the spring. His story will be told in a special episode of the TV series Saving Lives at Sea, due to be broadcast on BBC2 on 12 March.

The announcement of the name and the TV programme come as the charity celebrates its 200th anniversary, with a service in London today to be followed by other events throughout the year. Harold Hobbs was a member of the Guernsey lifeboat crew who was killed in June 1940, while serving on the RNLI’s Alfred and Clara Heath. The boat was heading to Jersey to pick up its lifeboat to prevent it falling into the hands of the Germans, when Mr Hobbs was shot by an enemy aircraft as the boat approached St Aubin’s.

Jason Hobbs is the current lifeboat operations manager at St Peter Port RNLI and Harold was his great-uncle. His grandfather, great-grandfather and great-uncle also served on the lifeboat.

‘It’s an incredibly moving tribute to my great-uncle’s memory that our new lifeboat will bear his name, honouring his incredible sacrifice and inspiring our generation to continue doing all we can to save lives at sea, like the generations before us did,’ said Mr Hobbs.

‘The generosity of our donors never fails to inspire, and we are indebted to our local community for enabling us to have this state-of-the-art lifeboat, which will serve the waters of the Bailiwick for years to come.’

The new inshore boat is being built at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre on the Isle of Wight.