Those strolling along South Promenade in Ramsey may have noticed that Ramsey RNLI Station has a brand new nine metre shiny flagpole proudly flying the RNLI flag.

The old wooden flagpole has been retired after over a century of proud service as silent sentinel to the station and its many volunteers.

Ali Clague, the Station Mechanic, begins: “If the old flagpole could speak it would certainly have many an interesting tale or two to tell. We are hopeful that it dates from when the current slipway and former Norbury Boathouse were constructed in 1890.

"We do know that traditional wooden flagpoles have a given lifetime of 50 to 100 years and there are quite a few still in existence that date back to the end of the 19th century. We are trying to find out if it is the original and so far have not come up with any reference to it being replaced.

"If anybody out there knows anything please do get in touch. It is certainly a lot shorter than it would have been in 1890 as the base has had to be sawn off at least a couple of times because of rot.”

Ali continues: “The old flagpole may have retired but it is by no means the end of its useful life. Kim Holland, one of our DLAs (Deputy Launching Authority) is a keen model boat builder and is currently renovating a model of the RNLB Thomas Corbett, the Liverpool class lifeboat that served Ramsey from 1948 to 1970.

"He has requested a piece of the timber from the old flagpole to make a display stand for it. The model is destined to go to the RNLI museum at Hoylake where the actual RNLB Thomas Corbett is now stored.

“We also have plans to use the rest of the timber to raise funds for the RNLI charity, as the station has been earmarked to get a new Shannon class lifeboat sometime around 2017.”

Photo courtesy of the RNLI: The new flagpole in pride of place.