Michael was born in 1942 into a local fishing family. He lived in the
family home in Brancaster Staithe until his marrige in 1996 when he moved 4½ miles along
the coast to Thornham. Much of his working life was spent tending gardens in the locality
but now, due to ill health, he has been forced to take early retirement.
He has had strong connections with the lifeboats, his father and one of his
grandfathers had both been crew members of the Brancaster Lifeboat and his other
grandfather had been a horseman helping to launch the boat.
For a time Michael was an auxiliary Coastguard and for many years he was a
voluntary warden on Scolt Head Island. He is passionately interested in local
history - expecially Roman Brancaster, and now maintains an extensive archival collection
of information and photographs relating to Brancaster Staithe and the Brancaster area.
His interest in local history and the lifeboats has led to his first book
"Brancaster Lifeboats 1874-1935" which was published in the year 2000. He
is already researching his second book about the Hunstanton Lifeboats which he hopes will
be published in 2001.
Michael is an active member of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and
has recently been appointed Honorary Press Officer for the Hunstanton Lifeboat
Station which, in his own words, "is the next best thing to being a crew
member!". |
Michael Softley
Author of
The Brancaster Lifeboats 1874-1935
A Norfolk & Suffolk Research Group Publication
This book covers the period of 61 years that a lifeboat was
stationed on Brancaster Beach and manned by Brancaster men.
Three lifeboats were commissioned during this time, the 'Joseph and Mary', the
'Alfred S. Genth' and the 'Winlaton'.
During 32 launches, there were 34 lives saved.
See on this website
The Brancaster Lifeboat Station
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