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Marjorie Gambrill supporter of RNLI and Whitstable lifeboat

Lifeboats News Release

Whitstable lifeboat station fundraisers and crew have been saddened to hear of the passing at the age of 104 of Marjorie Gambrill who was an active supporter of the RNLI and Whitstable lifeboat.

Marjorie Gambrill who passed away on Tuesday and was an active supporter of the RNLI and Whitstable lifeboat station.

Geoffrey Gambrill

Marjorie Gambrill who passed away on Tuesday and was an active supporter of the RNLI and Whitstable lifeboat station.
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Born into the Castle family in Whitstable, Marge started her working life as an apprentice dressmaker in the 1920’s and married her husband Tom Gambrill just before the war.

Always active with local groups, she ran a cub pack in Herne Bay and in 1981; following the Penlee lifeboat disaster joined the Herne Bay Branch of the RNLI spending the ensuing year’s helping with various fundraising activities and manning RNLI souvenir stalls at events.

On the closure of that branch she turned her attention to helping out at the Whitstable lifeboat station and put her dressmaking and knitting skills to good use by, until around 5-year’s ago, producing hundreds of soft toy ‘lifeboat men’ and other characters which were very popular at the stations Easter and Christmas fairs.

Diane Randall, Chairman of the Whitstable lifeboat fundraising branch said “Marge was a tireless worker for us at Whistable, the RNLI and many other local causes. Her knitted soft toys where always an eye catching display at our events and she was a regular visitor to the station café. Our condolences go to her family and she will be much missed by our branch members”.

Marjorie who lived independently until two years ago passed away in St Peter’s Care Home, Herne Bay on Tuesday. She leaves two sons, Geoff and Godfrey, four grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

Notes to editors

Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.

The station is equipped with an Atlantic 85 lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Miss Lewis of London who passed away in 2006.

She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people.

RNLI media contacts

  • Chris Davey, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Whitstable Lifeboat Station.
    07741 012004/ [email protected]


  • Paul Dunt RNLI Press Officer London/southeast/east Tel: 0207 6207416 Mob: (07785) 296252 [email protected]


For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

Key facts about the RNLI

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

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