Alex's 80th birthday donation for Thurso RNLI
When retired Thurso maths teacher Alex Main celebrated his 80th birthday he asked his friends and family to give, in place of presents, donations that he could pass on to the Thurso RNLI branch.
Alex has been a lifelong supporter of the RNLI as his grandfather, after whom he was named, was an original member of the Helmsdale RNLI lifeboat crew. In 1912 he was awarded the RNLI silver medal for diving from the lifeboat into rough seas and recovering a casualty from the upturned local fishing boat Gem. He was also awarded £3.
The lifeboat at the time was an unpowered rowing vessel.
All of the time he was a prisoner, Alex’s grandfather kept with him the ribbon from the medal he had received from the RNLI.
During World War I, Alex’s grandfather joined the Royal Navy and in 1915, when the ship he was on was torpedoed, he was taken prisoner and held by the Germans for three years.
All of the time he was a prisoner he kept with him the ribbon from the medal he had received from the RNLI.
After the war he was a fisherman and went to sea until he was 73 years of age. The family still have the medal and paperwork from that time.
Alex presented £750 to members of the Thurso lifeboat crew at Scrabster.
