Celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of the RNLI went off with a bang today.
Harwich and Walton lifeboat stations were among the 222 firing a flare at 10.05am exactly to commemorate the birthday of the charity.
The Douglas Lifeboat Station on the Isle of Man fired its maroon at 10am - the time of the very first rescue - with the rest of the British Isles' stations following five minutes later.
A celebration flag was also raised at the West Mersea headquarters of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in Coast Road.
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