DLSRT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Hoylake Lifeboat Museum
John Parr, chairman of the Hoylake Lifeboat Museum, parted with thousands of pounds to capture the legendary vessel when he discovered she would be scuttled if a buyer could not be found.
The former Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat, famed for the heroic part she played in the evacuation of Dunkirk, will now become a permanent exhibit at the Hoylake Lifeboat Museum in Cheshire, once she has sailed hundreds of miles from her mooring on the Isle of Islay off the western coast of Scotland.
But news she will not return to Norfolk has been met with mixed emotions from some maritime enthusiasts who longed to see her chugging through the waters near Great Yarmouth and Gorleston.
However, Mr Parr has offered assurances that they will do everything they can to celebrate the little ship's Norfolk history once she is in place at the Hoylake museum.
Job Titles:
- Membership Secretary
- Treasurer
Job Titles:
- Commodore for the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, Is One of Many People Who Hoped to See the Louise Stephens Returned to Norfolk
He had offered to re-home the vessel in Lowestoft, but struggled to find the funds to buy her.
"Initially, my reaction was one of disappointment because it is not coming back to its home in Norfolk," he said.
"But I am also very pleased and relieved that it is going to a museum with a proven track record for looking after former lifeboats.
"I have invited Mr Parr to join the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships so we can keep track of the Louise Stephens at her new home in Hoylake."
Richard Basey, commodore for the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, is one of many people who hoped to see the Louise Stephens returned to Norfolk.