The Brothers

A Newlyn resident, Jonathan Banks, has rescued an historic Penlee lifeboat from a boatyard in Kent and returned her to Cornwall.  She now lies in the Gweek Classic Boatyard and awaits restoration.  In 1919 three sisters in Torquay funded the lifeboat and named it ‘The Brothers’ after their nephews who had drowned in an accident in Cambridge.  The Brothers was built in 1922, was first called out in January 1923 and was in service at Penlee for eight years until 1931, saving 62 lives.  She later began a new life as a dive support boat in Dover before ending up in a boatyard in Rochester.  Her owner was unable to restore her due to failing health and she was rescued at the eleventh hour by Jonathan and returned to Cornwall in September.  His intention is to get her back into the water as a working boat.

A fundraising page at www.gofundme.com/f/SaveTheBrothers has been set up for anyone wishing to donate to help fund the restoration work.  The hull is largely original, but there is a daunting amount of work to be done, much of it expensive.