The Jane Hannah MacDonald III (JHM III) was the third lifeboat donated by Mrs Jane Hannah MacDonald of Brighton to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the late 19th century. Constructed in 1909 by the Thames Iron Works & Ship Building Company in Blackwall, East London, the vessel bore the production number TL56 and was built at a cost of £931.

JHM III is a notable example of a self-righting, pulling and sailing ketch-rigged lifeboat, equipped with standing lug sails. The vessel featured two drop keels, 10 oars, and weighed just under four tons. It was registered with the RNLI under the official number ON611 in 1910.

The lifeboat was launched on 31 August 1910 and served at Appledore Lifeboat Station from 1910 to 1922. During this period, JHM III was launched 22 times and credited with saving 23 lives. In 1929, she was assigned as the No. 2 lifeboat at Eastbourne but was never called out. Subsequently, from 1933 to 1938, she served as the No. 1 lifeboat at Flamborough, where she was launched three times but did not record any lives saved.

In January 1939, JHM III was sold out of RNLI service for £50 to Mr R. C. Dunn of North Shields. The following year, schoolboy Graham Chase discovered the vessel advertised in a yachting magazine and persuaded his father, Bernard Chase, to purchase her. The lifeboat was relocated to Blakeney, North Norfolk, where she was noted to be in excellent condition.

During Operation Dynamo in 1940, JHM III was requisitioned for the Dunkirk evacuation. Skippered by George and "Fat Freddie" Long, the vessel was taken to Newhaven and handed over to the Royal Navy. Reports indicate that she was heavily laden with troops, to the extent that water entered through her valves. On 7 June 1940, JHM III was reported lost at sea; however, she was later found floating in the English Channel and towed back to shore. The vessel was returned to Bernard Chase in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, repaired, and subsequently taken back to Blakeney.

JHM III remained in Blakeney until January 1953, during which time she sustained near-catastrophic damage to her port side during East Coast floods when driven into a stone wall on Blakeney Quay. After repairs, she was used as a fishing boat by "Billy" Long and later by Stratton Long. The vessel was sold in 1962 and passed through a succession of owners until 1992.

In 1992, Simon Evans of Evans Marine International in France acquired JHM III, where she was stored pending restoration. In October 2019, brothers Simon and James Morris, together with Robert Braddick from North Devon, purchased the lifeboat and transported her back to Bideford, North Devon, in June 2020. The vessel was then donated to the Appledore Maritime Heritage Trust for restoration.

John Vistuer, who conducted extensive research on JHM III, rediscovered the lifeboat in France. The current owners are committed to restoring JHM III to full RNLI operational condition for the benefit of Appledore and the surrounding communities. The Appledore Maritime Heritage Trust, established to preserve local maritime heritage, now holds ownership of the vessel.

Key Dates

• 31 August 1910: RNLI Lifeboat ON611, Jane Hannah MacDonald III, launched into the River Torridge, Bideford.
• 23 August 1922: Retired from Appledore service after saving 23 lives in 22 rescues; replaced by a motor lifeboat.
• 14 January 1929: Assigned as No. 2 lifeboat at Eastbourne; never launched.
• 11 March 1933: Transferred to Flamborough Lifeboat Station; launched three times without lives saved.
• 31 January 1939: Sold out of RNLI service to Mr Cann, Whitley Bay, North Shields; renamed Jane Hannah and used as a fishing boat.
• 1 March 1940: Sold to Mr B. Chase, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.
• 25 May 1940: Requisitioned for Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk evacuation); motored from Blakeney to Ramsgate.
• 10 October 1940: Returned to Broxbourne for repairs; later returned to Blakeney, skippered by Mr G. Long and Mr W. Long.
• 31 January 1953: Sustained severe damage during Norfolk coastline floods at Blakeney Quay.
• 1962: Sold out of Blakeney.
• 28 February 1992: Sold to Simon Evans, lifeboat enthusiast and restorer, in Migennes, France.
• 17 October 2019: Purchased by Simon and James Morris and Robert Braddick of Bideford, North Devon.
• 3 June 2020: Transported back to Bideford.
• 4 June 2020: Donated to the Appledore Maritime Heritage Trust.
• 5 June 2020: Placed in storage awaiting restoration; registered with National Historic Ships.