Staithes Coastguard pays tribute to Eric Lorrains who served HM Coastguard for 50 years

This included a lengthy period as Station Officer in charge of Skinningrove Coastguard – his radio callsign was Skinningrove Alpha.

Keith Gregory, who succeeded Eric as Station Officer of the now merged Skinningrove and Staithes Coastguard Rescue teams, said of Eric: “He was the safest coastguard I ever worked with.

"He wouldn’t let a rescue go ahead unless everything was 100%.

“However, Eric was quite prepared to face danger to save others, and in 1976 was awarded the Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal for Courage after assisting in the rescue of crew from the Admiral von Tromp, a trawler that ran aground in mysterious circumstances in Saltwick Bay near Whitby.

"This was one of three awards Eric received during his time as a Coastguard.

“Anyone who served with Eric will talk about his leadership, his dedication to the service and to the safety of the Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) he worked with.

"They will also remember the robust way in which he sometimes communicated with CROs who had fallen short of his high standards.

Eric survived his wife Denise by two years and said without her, “he was lost”.

The service celebrating his life was held at Kirkleatham Memorial Park and Crematorium, where former and serving Coastguards, all in their Number One uniforms out of respect, were so numerous that they had to stand in the entrance hall at the back of the chapel.