Tragically, David s body could not be find despite the lifeboat s efforts to find him. As the 50th anniversary of the rescue approaches, Mr Stephen, now 71 and a retired headteacher and writer, wrote to current Dunbar lifeboat coxswain Gary Fairbairn to thank the crew.
Undated handout photo issued by the RNLI of grandfather Martin Stephen who has written to the lifeboat crew who saved his life Mr Stephen, who lives in Norfolk, wrote: “I’ve had 50 years of the happiest possible marriage, three sons and five grandchildren. “All in all I’ve been able to live a wonderful life, but only because of the bravery of one man, the skill of another and the dedication and courage of the crew of the Dunbar lifeboat.