Lifeboat at the End of the World – Dominic Gregory

Published By: William Collins
Pages: 272
Released On: 26/03/2026

For two hundred years, the Dungeness lifeboat has launched in storms and heavy seas to frigates and barques, trawlers and dinghies. Like all lifeboat stations in the British Isles, it is led by a Coxwain and staffed entirely by volunteers. Dominic Gregory is one of those volunteers and serves as part of her crew..

Dungeness is itself a place apart. An ever-shifting expanse of shingle jutting south-east into the English Channel, it is overshadowed by its nuclear power station and made famous by Derek Jarman’s flotsam garden. Dungeness is also where millions of migrating birds and insects first make landfall in the British Isles. A small place perhaps, but one that finds itself now at the centre of one of the biggest political stories of modern times.

At the heart of this wonderful book is the lifeboat crew with whom Dominic Gregory serves, many of whom come from families who have crewed the lifeboat for generations. These are remarkable yet ordinary men and women – who serve as shore crew, or boat crew, or who keep the records and brew the tea. All, in their different ways, give up their time, livelihoods and safety to brave wind, tide and storms, not to mention the peril of navigating between the vast floating skyscrapers that make up so much of modern shipping. Then there is Coxwain Stuart Adams whose quiet, competent leadership ensures he acts as the still point in a spinning world.

Lifeboat at the End of the World is the first book to depict the experience of what it is like to volunteer on a lifeboat; the smells of the station, the emotions when the call to ‘a shout’ comes, how the crew is trained, the teamwork and trust, the ethos of the service. And incident aplenty – terrifying rescues both past and present, often to rescue overladen inflatable small craft and their desperate passengers. Gregory’s book is non-fiction writing of extraordinary power and immediacy. Whilst most of us will never serve in a lifeboat, we might well find ourselves one day thankful for their unquestioning and dauntless assistance at sea.

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and William Collins for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I am in awe of the RNLI and I love watching their TV programmes. I actually had this on pre-order but sadly it was a victim of my lack of money and so I was thrilled when they sent me an early digital copy.

This is a history lesson; Dominic has not only given us his own experiences, he has given us the experiences of the entire RNLI from conception to present day, which I found fascinating.

It is a bit haphazard. I’d have liked it to have been more chronological, have all the historical elements first and then have him join and then show his experiences. Whereas at the moment it’s a bit…a paragraph about now followed by a page about then, followed by the history then followed by now and then his training and then the history…and it got a bit confusing. So I would have liked it if there had bene more structure to the story.

Whether it was because it was a digital ARC or not, it didn’t have chapters, and for someone who loves a short chapter, this wasn’t ideal. I think it would have been structured better if it had chapters, it would feel more seamless. But like I say, it might differ in the finished copy.

You can feel Dominic’s love and passion for the job. He clearly loves where he live and what he does, his admiration for the area and it’s history. But he doesn’t sugar coat things. He is honest and raw and it is sometimes frightening and upsetting, but that’s the truth of it.

I admire his honesty in relation to the RNLI and migrants. It’s a difficult subject matter at the moment and there are people who wonder whether the RNLI should be saving migrants who illegally cross the Channel, but for them, they’re all lives, and they try to save all lives. It’s about humanity and compassion. And as the book goes on this is highlighted more and more, and at about 80% through there is the most moving passage of the book. He describes a scene exactly like one I saw on an episode of Saving Lives at Sea and I wonder if it’s the same one.

I think this is an important book for everyone to read, particularly those who live near the coast or enjoy water sports or wild swimming. We all think “it won’t happen to me” but it can and it might, and it’s vital we see just what these brave volunteers will do to save your life.

I enjoyed it, I really did, don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to love about it, it’s interesting and moving. But it was missing something. I’m not sure what but it was missing that spark, that edge. But I still highly recommend it. It’s a very engaging and important books.