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Stolen RNLI flag returned to station after 50 years

Eleri Griffiths
BBC News
RNLI/Megan Dixon The flag flying on the flagpole which is attached to the Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station on a sunny day. RNLI/Megan Dixon
Since the flag was in good condition, it has been put back on the station's flagpole

A box containing a stolen RNLI flag has arrived at a lifeboat station more than 50 years after it disappeared.

It was delivered to Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station, in Holyhead, on Sunday, by a 73-year-old man from the Wirral, who admitted to stealing the flag during a late-night camping trip on Holy Island, Anglesey, in 1969.

Along with the flag, the man included a £20 donation, a confession letter, and an apology.

RNLI press officer Megan Dixon said the crew is "happy to have their flag returned" and assured the man that "there's absolutely no hard feelings".

RNLI/Megan Dixon The man’s letter reads: 'In 1969, my two friends and I were camping nearby. One night, on our way back to the tent, we passed your station and flagpole. One of us climbed the pole and took the flag! It was wrong of us. We were only 17 at the time, but that’s no excuse! I just found the flag again, completely forgotten about it until I was sorting through things, and there it was, after all these years. I hope it finds its way back to you. Very sorry.' The letter is signed with his name and 'Wirral,' though the RNLI has blurred the name for privacy."RNLI/Megan Dixon
RNLI volunteers shared photos of the man's letter on social media but opted not to reveal the identity of the culprit

RNLI volunteers opened the small brown box during their Sunday training session.

In the letter, the man explained that while camping with two friends, one of them climbed the pole and took the flag from the station.

He added: "We were only 17 at the time, but that's no excuse."

It was discovered after he had a sort out, and the man apologised, adding "I hope it gets back to you".

Ms Dixon said the message "gave us all a good laugh" and that the crew thought it was "fantastic".

"Most of us weren't even born in 1969, so it's wonderful to see the station's history return," she added.

RNLI/Megan Dixon A RNLI volunteer putting the old flag on the flagpole. The man is facing the sea, away from the camera and is wearing a high vis yellow top with red RNLI writing on. It is a sunny day. RNLI/Megan Dixon
Megan Dixon says the RNLI volunteers walk past the flag all the time for training

Since the flag was in good condition, Ms Dixon said it was returned to its rightful place on the station's flagpole, which the crew "walk past all the time for training".

Ms Dixon added she was grateful to the once-naughty teenager for returning the flag and "all is forgiven".

"It's made a lot of the crew reminisce about their teenage years and what they got up to so we found it great," She said.

Ms Dixon shared the photos online but chose not to identify the "culprit" and instead, thanked the man for his "kind donation and for making us smile this morning".