Collection box returns to Weymouth quayside
As RNLI collection boxes go, an old world war two mine must rank as amongst the most unusual.
A German mine dating from the Second World War which has been a familiar landmark in Weymouth outside the King's Arms on Trinity Road as a charity collection point for the RNLI has just had a major overhaul.
It is believed to have been sited there since the time of the Queen's Coronation in 1953.
In 2012 the mine was stolen from the quay and rolled away to a nearby alley where the thieves got away with an unknown amount of money
In the summer of 2019 it was moved to the Nothe Tavern pub by the former pub operators.
An article in the local Dorset Echo reported the story about how Weymouth business owner and diver Grahame Knott, who runs a company involved in protecting marine heritage – Deeper Dorset, got involved in restoring and relocating the mine due to it being "part of the area's maritime history". "That is what Deeper Dorset is all about," he added.
Mr Knott said that he and two other men - Mark Bennett of Bennett's Fish and Chips and Kevin Strickland, landlord of The Boot pub, clubbed together to pay for the mine to be repaired before being reinstated on the quay. As well as being given a makeover it also has a new brass plaque.
The mine is now back on Trinity Street outside Bennet's Fish and Chip shop, now chained to the wall for extra security, where it will continue collecting money for the RNLI.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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