AN old sailor regaled a spellbound audience with tales of rescue at sea as an engraved ship's bell he had recovered from a wreck more than 50 years ago was donated to his local museum.

Eight-five-year-old Jim Thompson and his family were guests of honour at a ceremony at the Zetland Lifeboat Museum, in Redcar, east Cleveland, which has the world's oldest surviving lifeboat.

The Thompson family has helped to man Redcar's lifeboats for at least 150 years - and probably since the first Zetland was built 201 years ago, when Redcar was a village of just 200 people.

John Knight, of the Merchant Navy Welfare Board, said that the bell had been on the Greek ship, The Dimitrios, when it perished on East Scar rocks, at Redcar, in 1952.

Mr Thompson, his uncle, Jim, and two brothers, Jack and Mark, were among the Teesmouth crew that rescued the 40 men aboard the ship, which had been carrying iron ore. It was a major operation and Mr Thompson recovered the bell to commemorate the drama.

Eventually, the bell was engraved with the name of Mr Thompson's father, who bore the family name of Jack, who had retired from active lifeboat service shortly after the Second World War. The bell had pride of place at Middlesbrough's Merchant Navy Hotel and was later taken to the London Merchant Navy Hotel. However, the hotel has closed and Redcar councillor Vilma Collins helped to bring it to the Zetland Museum.

Mr Thompson, who was awarded a British Empire Medal for his lifeboat service, said: "My family have been fishermen and lifeboatmen for generations and have helped rescue hundreds of people. I've helped rescue 230 myself and been out in some of the worst storms you can imagine. I remember when The Dimitrios went down. Our captain at the time, Captain Downes, was a great man, a real character and a real gentleman.