THE LIFE-BOAT....JUNE, 1937.] THE LIFE-BOAT. 267 Twelve Day osf Gale ast Aberdeen. Award of th Silvee Medalr . DURING the twelve day fros m th 21se t January to the 1s Februaryt 193

THE LIFE-BOAT.The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution.

VOL. XXX. JUNE, 1937. No. 330.

THE LIFE-BO AT FLEETMotor Life-boats, 134 :: Pulling & Sailing Life-boats, 33

LIVES RESCUEDfrom the foundation of the Institution in 1824

to May 31st, 1937 65,196

H.R.H. The Duke of Kent, K.G.Presidential Address at the Annual Meeting.

LAST year I had the pleasure ofspeaking at this meeting as a visitor.It is a much greater pleasure for meto be able to address you this yearas your President. (Applause.) I amthe fifth member of my family insuccession to hold the presidency, andI am proud to carry on this longtradition of close association betweenthe Royal Family and the life-boatservice. (Applause.) I know some-thing already of the work of the ser-vice ; I have seen it on many parts ofthe coast; and I should like to beginmy first presidential address by assuringyou that I shall always share your pridein its achievements, and follow its workwith the greatest interest. (Applause.)

A Remarkable Year.

You have before you the annualreport for 1936. It is a remarkablereport. The Institution has completedits 113th year, and I ask you to thinkfor a moment of what the conditions ofshipping were when it was founded.Our tens of thousands of ships were stilldependent on sails. The steamer wasonly in its infancy. There was nowireless. There were no weather fore-casts to warn ships of gales to come.A thousand things for the comfort and

safety of those at sea which to-day wetake as a matter of course did not thenexist; and yet, in spite of all the inven-tions of the past century, last year wasthe busiest in the whole history of theInstitution. There were more launchesof life-boats to vessels in distress thanthere have ever been before. Therewere nine launches for every week ofthe year, and nearly 500 lives weresaved (Applause) • and those launcheswere made, and those lives were saved,without the loss of a single life amongthe life-boat crews. That is a splendidproof of the skill of the crews and thequality of their boats ; but, though theycame through the risks of a stormyyear unscathed, we must never forgetthat the risks were there. (Applause.)

Services to Foreign Vessels.

Many lives besides those of our ownpeople depend on the vigilance of ourlife-boat service. Of the lives savedlast year no fewer than 161 were fromforeign vessels belonging to fourteendifferent countries. The French Am-bassador is with us this afternoon(Applause), and we shall have thepleasure of hearing him speak of ourlife-boats as a great international ser-vice. All I wish to say is how glad I

266 THE LIFE-BOAT. [JUNE, 1937.

am to have sitting with me here therepresentatives of fifteen countries whowish to show their gratitude for those161 lives. (Applause.)

We have here also ten of the 2,000life-boatmen round our coasts to whoseskill and courage nearly 500 men andwomen, saved last year, owe their lives.They are men who by outstandinggallantry have won special awards.You wiU see them for yourselves, andbe able to show your gratitude andadmiration. To two of them I hadthe pleasure of presenting medals lastyear. They have again shown con-spicuous gallantry. When the timeconies I will ask you to give thema specially warm welcome. They areCoxswain Mogridge, of Torbay, andCoxswain Sinclair, of Aberdeen.(Applause.)

It has been a very busy year for thelife-boat service in other ways. Elevennew motor life-boats were sent to thecoast, so that now there are only thirty-five pulling and sailing life-boats left inour fleet; and I believe that in threeyears I shall be able to announce fromthis platform that the fleet consistsentirely of motor life-boats. (Applause.)

Public Support.

I should like now to refer for amoment to another part of the report.In its way it is as remarkable as therecord of launches and lives rescued. Itis that part of the report which de-scribes how the Institution's revenuewas raised. The report records fivespecial gifts ranging from £3,000 to£10,000 to build motor life-boats. Twoof them came from great and distin-

guished bodies, the Civil Service andthe Ancient Order of Foresters. Theother three were from private citizens.

Besides those records of outstandinggenerosity is the record that over fivemillion people contributed on flag days.(Applause.) It is indeed a nationalservice to which the wealthy are pre-pared to give their thousands ofpounds, and the millions in the streetstheir pence ! For that great responseon flag days I know how much theInstitution is indebted to the municipalauthorities, and I should like to thankthem all, and in particular the Mayorsand Mayoresses on this platform, fortheir generous help. (Applause.)

An Appeal.

Yet in spite of these gifts the revenuefor the year was £10,000 less than theexpenditure. That deficit was due tothe very large amount spent on buildingnew life-boats. Fortunately, the In-stitution has such funds in reserve fromthe generosity of other years that sucha deficit does not alarm it, nor does itmean any delay in carrying out thework of mechanizing the fleet. Butwhen I look at that wonderful recordit seems to me not right that the publicshould have given in the year less thanthe whole sum that was needed.

It is true that over five millions gaveon flag days, but our population isnearly fifty millions. There are stillmillions who give nothing. I look for-ward to the day when every man andwoman in the British Isles gives some-thing, however little it may be, to helpin the work of this great service.(Loud applause.)

The Institution's OldestTHE Institution has again received herannual subscription from a lady inDumfriesshire who is now in her106th year. Three years ago shedoubled her subscription, feeling thather next year's subscription was un-certain. She has again doubled it, andhas written in her own hand to saythat she is doing it, " being grieved byreading of the year's disasters."

The Institution has also again re-ceived a cheque from a lady in Surreywho is now in her 102nd year. Her

and Youngest Supporters.cheque is in part her subscription, inpart money which she has collectedand in part the proceeds of her ownknitting.

At Hindley, near Wigan, where thereis a Ladies' Life-boat Guild with 140members, men are admitted tomembership as a special mark ofesteem. At the last annual meeting ofthe guild two more men were enrolled,introduced by their grandmother, whopaid their subscriptions. One was tenmonths old and the other seven weeks.

JUNE, 1937.] THE LIFE-BOAT. 267

Twelve Days of Gales at Aberdeen.Award of the Silver Medal.

DURING the twelve days from the 21stJanuary to the 1st February. 1937 theworst gales within living memory blewat Aberdeen, and the south break-water of the harbour was washed away.In those ten days the Aberdeen motorlife-boat was launched three times,the pulling and sailing life-boat waslaunched once and her crew wereassembled twice, and nine times theInstitution's life-saving apparatus atNorth Pier and Torry were called outto stand by.

The First Call.

The first call came in the afternoonof 21st January, when a message wasreceived through the coastguard fromWick Radio that the Aberdeen trawlerStrathebrie was in need of help eightyor ninety miles N.E. by E.JE. ofeither Buchan Ness or Girdleness. Ithad been impossible for Wick Radioto tell for certain which of the twoplaces the trawler had named in hercall for help.

A whole gale was blowing from thesouth-east, Avith a very heavy sea andrain. The motor life-boat Emma Con-stance put out at 4.20 in the afternoonand found that several other vessels,which had received the trawler's callfor help, were also looking for her.She went to one of the positions given,eighty miles N.E. by E.JE. of Girdleness,then twenty miles to the north, then tenmiles north-east, then ten miles south.In this way she searched round both thepositions given, but could find no signof the trawler. She then put back andreached her station again at 4.47 in theafternoon of January 22nd. She hadbeen at sea in the gale for over twenty-four hours, and had travelled 230 miles.Shortly after she returned the coast-guard reported that the trawler wassheltering in Buckie Bay. The reasonwhy none of the searching vessels hadfound her was that all the time shehad been travelling slowly towardsBuckie.

An Inland Rescue.The second call came three days

later. The rains had been very heavy.

The rivers Dee and Don had risenrapidly. They had now overflowedtheir banks at many points. At 10.45on the morning of the 25th the policetelephoned to the life-boat stationthat Waterside Farm, about a mileabove the Bridge of Dee, had beenflooded, and that a woman and twomen were signalling for help from theupper storey of the farmhouse. A galewas blowing and the weather was verycold. The pulling and sailing life-boatWilliam and Ellen Robson set out ateleven in the morning on her trans-porting carriage, and was taken by herlaunching tractor by road over threemiles to the river bank above the farm.There she was launched into the floodedriver and was carried down to thefarmhouse by the current. The cox-swain manoeuvred her close to thebuilding. Then, by means of a ladder,the woman, the two men, a cat and adog were brought down into the life-boat. The life-boat was then rowedto the bank and taken back by roadto her station, where she arrived at4.30 in the afternoon. Three hourslater her crew were assembled again, asthe coastguard had reported that avessel was drifting ashore near Bel-helvie. They stood by for three-quarters of an hour, when anothermessage came that the vessel was outof danger.

A Yawl Saved.

While the pulling and sailing life-boatwas on service inland, the motor life-boat Emma Constance had also beencalled out. A local motor yawl, whichwas in the Old Torry harbour with noone on board, was seen to be hangingby stern moorings only, and was indanger of breaking away and beingcarried out to sea. A tug had beencalled out to go and secure the yawl,but the heavy spate in the river,with the strong gale from the south-east, made it impossible for the tugto do anything. The Emma Constanceput out at noon; towed the yawl tothe safety of the fish market; andreturned to her station an hour later.


A Silver Medal Service.At 4.30 in the afternoon of the next

day, January 26th, the coastguardreported that a trawler about threeand a half miles east of'the Bridge ofDon look-out was firing distress signals.A small coastal steamer was asternof her, broadside to the sea and wallow-ing deeply. It was still blowing awhole gale from the south-east, witha very heavy sea. There were frequentheavy snow showers and the weatherwas intensely cold. The motor life-boat Emma Constance was away withineight minutes of the call.

The south-easterly gale was blowingagainst the ebbing tide, and this, withthe flood water coming down the RiverDee, caused an exceptionally heavybreaking sea on the harbour bar. Thelife-boat was seen from the shore tolift most of her length out of the waterto the first sea, and then to be com-pletely swept by sea after sea.She came safely through them, butnot undamaged. Water was comingthrough the deck into the engine-room,but this was kept under control bythe pump.

The life-boat found the steamerFairy, of King's Lynn, with seven menon board, wallowing heavily in thetrough of the sea. She had brokendown and a German trawler, whichhad sent up the signal of distress, wastrying to tow her, but was unable tokeep her head to the seas. The life-boat went within hailing distance, butwas told that the Fairy wished to holdon as long as possible. The life-boatstood by, and she and the trawler andthe disabled steamer drifted north-wards. The life-boat then saw anothersteamer, the s.s. Montrose, driftingdown on to the Fairy and flashing alamp. The life-boat made for her,found that her steering-gear had carriedaway, and stood by while she repairedit. She then returned to the othertwo vessels, and found that the tow-rope had parted and that the Fairywas drifting towards the heavy surfabout two miles south of Belhelvie.The life-boat hailed her, asking hercrew if they wished to abandon ship.A few minutes later they signalledthat they would like to be taken off.The Fairy was then very close tothe surf, and was being swept

by heavy seas which were breakingover her. It was now eight o'clock.The night was very dark. It wassnowing hard.

Life-boat Carried on to the Wreck.

The life-boat went alongside on theleeside of the steamer and some of thecrew jumped aboard the life-boat fromthe bridge deck. The Fairy wasrolling heavily; the life-boat besideher was rolling and sheering about;and the bow of the life-boat was carriedover the gunwale of the steamer, as thesteamer rolled towards her. Then, asthe side of the steamer came up again,the life-boat's bow was lifted right outof the water, until the life-boat slidbackwards into the sea. Again shewent alongside, and the rest of theFairy's crew jumped aboard her. Oneof them fell between the steamer andthe life-boat, but he was promptlygrabbed and hauled aboard by oneof the life-boatmen, John Masson,who saved the man's life at the risk ofbeing dragged overboard himself. Theactual work of rescuing the crew ofseven men had only taken a fewminutes, and very soon afterwards theFairy drifted right into the heavysurf, where her crew would certainlyhave been washed out of her anddrowned.

How much the life-boat had beendamaged when crossing the bar it wasimpossible for her coxswain to tell.With the tremendous seas still breakingover the bar he would not risk anothercrossing, and after signalling to theMontrose to report by wireless that thecrew of the Fairy had been rescued,he made for Macduff, where the life-boatarrived at 4.30 the next morning. Shehad then been out for twelve hours.

The pulling and sailing surf-boatWilliam and Ellen Robson had alsobeen called out, when it was learntthat the Fairy was in danger of driftingashore, and was taken by tractor asfar as the Bridge of Don. There thenews came that the Fairy's crew hadbeen rescued by the motor life-boat.

Rewards.

This was a service carried out withgreat courage, determination and skillon the part of the coxswain and crew,


IN THE JANUARY GALES AT ABERDEEN.

By courtesy of]CROSSING THE BAR.

A trawler entering Aberdeen Harbour on 29th January, 1937

(Fox Photos

By courtesy of]AN INLAND SERVICE.

To the help of a flooded farm.(See page 267.)

M. H Gloyer, Aberdeen


in the face of very heavy seas, darkness,heavy snow squalls and intense cold,and in the face also of considerabledanger both when the life-boat wascrossing the bar and when she wasengaged in the actual rescue justoutside the very heavy surf breakingoff the Belhelvie sands. The Institu-tion has made the following rewards :

To Coxswain THOMAS M. SINCLAIR,the silver medal for gallantry. Cox-swain Sinclair won the bronze medalon Christmas Day, 1935, for the serviceto the trawler George Strwd.

To ALEXANDER WEIR, the motormechanic, the bronze medal.

To JOHN MASSON, the member ofthe crew who at great personal risksaved the man who had jumped intothe sea, the bronze medal. (The threemedals were accompanied by a copyof the vote inscribed on vellum).

To each of the other five members ofthe crew the thanks of the Institutioninscribed on vellum: GEORGE A. FLETT,JAMES COWPER, JOHN M. NOBLE,ALEXANDER S. MASSON, ROBERT J. B.ESSON.

To the coxswain and to each memberof the crew a reward of £2 in additionto the ordinary scale reward of £2 7*.,and £2 7s. for bringing the life-boatfrom Buckie, making a reward of£6 14s. to each man. Total moneyrewards for the service, £66 18s.

For the service to the Strathebrie, areward of £2 to the coxswain and eachmember of the crew in addition to the

ordinary scale reward of £3 6s., makinga reward of £5 6s. to each man. Totalmoney rewards for the service,£40 4s. 6d.

For the service by the pulling andsailing life-boat to the people maroonedin the farm, £14 5s. 9d.

To the crew of the pulling and sailinglife-boat for assembling when a vesselwas reported in danger off Belhelvie,£2 17s.

To the crew of the pulling and sailinglife-boat for assembling ready to go tothe s.s. Fairy, £11 17s. 6d.

To the crew of the North Pier life-saving apparatus, which stood by •whiletrawlers came in on January 26th,£5 12s.

To the crew of the Torry life-savingapparatus, which between January 25thand February 1st stood by eight times,£28 13s.

To CAPTAIN W. A. JOHNSTONE,assistant honorary secretary, who, inthe absence of the honorary secretary,played a most important part in thisseries of services, and was on dutyalmost continuously for ten days andnights, an inscribed binocular glass.

A letter of thanks was sent to theBoard of Trade expressing appreciationfor the valuable help given by CAPTAINA. L. FLETCHER, R.N., inspector ofcoastguard.

The service to the yawl Utility wasa property salvage case.

Total money rewards for this seriesof services, £170 7s. 9d.

Life-Saving by the Coastguard 1936.

DURING 1936 the coastguard tookaction in the case of 806 vessels oraircraft reported to be in distress, indifficulties, or overdue off the coast ofGreat Britain and Northern Ireland.The rocket life-saving apparatus com-panies were assembled for service 79times, and 98 people were brought tosafety by their help.

In addition 119 vessels which wereseen to be standing into danger werewarned by the coastguard and alteredcourse.

Help was given to 54 persons indifficulties on cliffs and 22 cut off bythe tide.

The Board of Trade shield for thebest service of the year by & rocketlife-saving apparatus company wasawarded to the Robin Hood's Baycompany for bringing to safety fivemembers of the crew of the s.s.Heatherfield, of Liverpool, whichhad stranded at North Cheek,Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire, onJanuary 25th.


A Silver Medal Service at Flamborough.ON the night of 2nd March, 1937, theGrimsby steam trawler, Lord Ernie,bound for Grimsby from the WhiteSea, with a crew of fifteen men, wentashore under Bempton Cliffs, north ofFlamborough Head. The harbour-master at Bridlington picked up hercall for help on his wireless and passedthe news by telephone to the Flam-borough coxswain. It was then abouteleven o'clock. The wind from thesouth-west was light, but a heavyground swell was running from thenorth-east, the aftermath of a northerlygale. The weather was misty.

The tide was at three-quarter ebb,and the life-boat had to be launchedby hand over the flat sand and rocks.Fifty launchers took part, many ofthem going into the sea up to theirchests. In spite of these difficulties, themotor life-boat Elizabeth and AlbinaWhitley was afloat half an hour afterthe call had come.

She found the Lord Ernie aboutmidnight, a mile south of the placewhere the trawler Skegness was wreckedin September, 1935. The Lord Erniewas lying with her bows touchingthe cliffs. She had a heavy list; herafter part was under water; and shewas swept continually by the heavybreaking swell. Her crew were for-ward, or in the rigging. With bedding,clothing and fish-boxes all soaked inparaffin, they had lighted a signal fireon the forecastle head. It was burningbrightly, and by the light of this firethe life-boat went to work.

Three Hours' Work of Rescue.The starboard side of the wreck was

the side giving shelter from the heavyswell, which was rebounding off thecliffs, but the coxswain knew that onthat side there were rocks awash, andthat to get alongside under the lee ofthe wreck was impossible.

He anchored and veered down,hoping to get alongside the portquarter, but he found that also to beimpossible, owing to the weight ofthe seas. He then fired a line from theline-throwing pistol across the wreck.By this means lines and a lifebuoy werepassed to her, and one of her crew

was hauled towards the life-boat.He had nearly reached her when thelife-boat sheered violently and thelines parted. The man was got safelyaboard, but the coxswain saw that, ifthe rest were to be rescued, he must getclose to the trawler. He went ahead,and dropped anchor again. Again theline-throwing pistol carried a line overthe trawler and a heavier line waspassed.

A four-inch mooring-rope was alsopassed to the trawler to keep the life-boat near her. Then one by one thetrawler's crew were hauled through thesea in a bight of the line. Six men hadbeen rescued in this way when thefour-inch rope parted. A wire ropewas passed from the trawler to the life-boat to take its place. By this time thebonfire on the trawler had burnt out,and the lifeboat-men and trawler's crewwere working in pitch darkness, until, alittle later, coastguards arrived at thetop of the cliff, 400 feet above thewreck, and trained their searchlight onher. By this light the work continued,when suddenly a heavy sea sweptin, lifting the life-boat with it, andflinging her on to the trawler. For-tunately she slid off again, her keelgrating on the trawler's rail, but herrudder had been split, and half of ithad beeen torn away.

The work went on, and the trawler'sskipper, the last of the fifteen mento leave her, was hauled safely throughthe seas into the life-boat. The actualwork of rescue had taken three hours.Anchor was weighed with difficulty andthe life-boat reached her station againat four in the morning. She had beenout four and a half hours.

The Awards.It was an exceptionally fine service,

carried out in the middle of the night,in circumstances of the greatest diffi-culty and danger, in shallow water,thick with rocks, close under 400-feetcliffs, with heavy seas pounding in.The Institution has made the followingawards :—

To COXSWAIN GEORGE LENG, thesilver medal for gallantry, accompanied


by a copy of the vote inscribed onvellum:

To each of the eight members of thecrew, the thanks of the Institutioninscribed on vellum :—JOHN H. CEOSS,EDWARD SLAUGHTER, ROBERT EMMER-SON, GEORGE GIBBON, RICHARDCOWLING, ROBERT LENG, GEORGEWARCUP, JNR., JOHN C. EMMERSON;

To MR. EDWARD TAYLOR, harbour-master at Bridlington, a letter ofthanks;

To the coxswain and each memberof the crew, a reward of £2 in addi-tion to the ordinary scale reward of£1 17s. 6d., making a reward of£8 17«. 6d. each ;

To each of the forty-nine helpers, areward of 5s. in addition to the ordinaryscale reward of 9s.

Total rewards, £69 1.?. 6d.The Scarborough motor life-boat was

also launched, but was recalled when itwas known that the Flamboroughmotor life-boat was going to thetrawler's help. Rewards, £32 Os. 6d.

A letter of congratulation and thankswas sent to Coxswain Leng and hiscrew by the Bridlington Fishermen'sand Boatmen's Society, and CoxswainLeng and the captain of the Flam-borough life-saving company broadcastan account of the rescue in "In TownTo-night."

A Fine Service at Droughty Ferry.

ON the night of 20th January, 1937,the life-boat coxswain at BroughtyFerry, (Dundee), heard on his wirelessthat the Abertay lightship, which liesoff Buddon Ness, six miles away, wasasking that the Broughty Ferry life-boat should go out to her help. Theanchors of the lightship had beenfouled and the cables were in dangerof parting. A strong S.S.E. galewas blowing, with a very heavysea running. The weather was verycold. The motor life-boat Mono,was launched at 11.20 P.M., anduntil 5.15 next morning she cruisedround the lightship. The weather wasthen moderating, and as the masterof the lightship considered that thedanger of the cables parting was over,the life-boat returned to her station.She arrived at six in the morning,having been out nearly seven hours.

Ten days later, just after noon on30th January, the lightship was againin danger. A message came to thelife-boat station, through the harbour-master at Dundee, that she was holdingby only one anchor, and that thatanchor was dragging. It was blowinga full E.S.E. gale, with a blizzard ofsnow. A very heavy sea was running.

The motor life-boat Mono, put out at12.25 P.M. An hour and ten minuteslater she reached the lightship and

found that she had been driven amile out of her position. She waspitching heavily to a very heavy sea.The coxswain hailed the lightship andtold her to cut away her starboardboat to leave him room. This wasdone. Then a grapnel was thrownfrom the life-boat to the lightship.Watching his opportunity, the cox-swain took the life-boat alongside,but so heavy were the seas that shecould only remain there for a fewseconds. One of the lightship's crewjumped aboard her and she sheeredoff. Four times more the life-boatwent alongside. Each time a manjumped. The whole crew of five hadbeen rescued, and so skilfully had thecoxswain handled the life-boat thathe brought her away undamaged.She reached her station again twohours after putting out.

The Institution has made the fol-lowing awards :

To COXSWAIN JAMES COULL, itsthanks inscribed on vellum for hisskilful seamanship on the second service.To the coxswain and each member ofthe crew an award on the usual scaleof £1 17s. 6d. for the first service, andan award of 19s. for the second service.Total money rewards, for the firstservice £13 Is., for the second service,£9 12s.

THE LIFE-BOAT

By courtesy of] [The Yorkshire PostON THE FLAMBOROUGH CLIFFS.

The Grimsby trawler Lord Ernie, wrecked on 2nd March, 1937. (See opposite page.)

...

By courtesy of] [ Norman Brown & Co., Vunaee

RETURNING WITH THE RESCUED.The Droughty Ferry motor life-boat coming in from the service to the Abertay Lightship,

30th January, 1937. (See opposite fage.)


I Ship on FireBy Lieutenant L. A. C. May, R.N. (Ret.), Honorary Secretary, Holyhead Station.

THE telephone rings long and loud ;time 5.25 A.M., 22nd March, 1937. Ihasten to answer it and am informed bythe coastguard that Seaforth Radio hasgiven them a message that the s.s.Marie Moller was on fire ten milessouth-west of the South Stack at 4.36A.M. I hurriedly dressed and went tothe look-out hut to find the correctposition of the vessel, calling at themotor mechanic's house on the way,knocking him up and telling him to geton board and start up his engines assoon as possible. Then on to the look-out, arriving about 5.50 A.M. Here Iascertained, from the information avail-able, the approximate course that thevessel would take, and the maroonscalling out the life-boat were fired at5.55 A.M. I went to the life-boat and,all being in readiness, I gave theacting coxswain his instructions, andthe life-boat left her berth at 6.5 A.M.,exactly thirty minutes from the time Ijumped out of bed to answer the firsttelephone call.

Bitterly Cold.It was bitterly cold, a thing I had

not noticed till after the life-boat hadset out. A lumpy sea and strong gale,with, at intervals, flurries of snow andshowers of hail (this weather improvedas the day wore on). The life-boatwas many times completely hiddenfrom view, but making good progress,she came up with the Marie Moller,which by this tune had been sightedcoining round the North Stack, escortedby the liner Accra.

The Marie Moller continued tomake good headway towards Holy-head, and the life-boat made twoattempts to get alongside her towindward while she was under way.She could not do it, on account ofthe heavy seas. Then she tried toget alongside to leeward, but wasenveloped in thick black smoke whichwas too much for her.

The flames had by this time reachedthe navigation bridge-; the saloon deckand fittings were burning; the vesselhad slowed down (probably becausethe engineers and firemen had been

driven from their posts by the fire), andan anchor was let go.

The life-boat then attempted toget the Marie Moller in tow bytaking a hawser from her to theTrinity House steamer Beacon, butthe rope parted. The master, see-ing the hopelessness of dealing withthe fire, which was rapidly spread-ing, decided to get the crew out ofthe vessel, and, calling the life-boat,asked that they should be taken off.The side plating of the ship was so hotthat the life-boat could not go along-side, and had to get under her quarter.

Fifty-Nine Saved—and the Ship's Dog.Fifty-nine men, mostly Chinese, with

their belongings and the ship's dog,were brought ashore the first trip, andwhen the life-boat returned to the shipshe found that the master, officers andremainder of the crew had been takenoff by the Beacon after a violentexplosion in the hold. Two of the ship'sboats were found and brought ashore,and the life-boat then left the ship,which was well alight from end to end,and returned to her berth.

The master (Captain Anderson) gavethe ship's papers to the coxswain of thelife-boat to bring ashore for safecustody. I returned them to him and hethanked me for the prompt arrival ofthe life-boat and for the help givenhim. He told me that he had had avery trying time. The fire had startedsoon after midnight, followed by anexplosion. They had used every en-deavour to deal with the outbreak, butthe heat had become more intense, andthey had been driven from the bridgeand had had to navigate and steer theship from aft. The cargo consisted ofground nuts and linseed cake, whichhad burned furiously, and the fire hadspread very rapidly.

The crew were cared for by the repre-sentative of the Shipwrecked Mariners'Society, and the Marie Moller herselfwas beached by the salvage steamerRanger. There she was still burningthree days after, the flames reaching agreat height, and was likely to burn foranother twenty-four hours.


By courtesy of] [ Richard Bros. PenmnceTHE BELGIAN TRAWLER VIERGE MARIE.

Wrecked on the Cornish coast, l l th January, 1937. (See page 277.)

Bv courtesy of] ON FIRE. {The Daily MailThe Marie Mailer off Holyhead, 22nd March, 1937 (See opposite page.)


Eight Life-boats Search for an Aeroplane.

ON 21st January, 1937, an aeroplane,G—AELT, with two men on board, leftLiverpool for Belfast at ten in themorning. She did not arrive. Asoutherly wind was blowing, varyingfrom a fresh breeze to a strong gale.The sea was rough and steadily in-creasing. Eight life-boats were launchedto search for the aeroplane. They werethe five life-boats from the Isle of Man,one of the New Brighton life-boatsfrom the mouth of the Mersey, theLytham-St. Annes life-boat, Lan-cashire, and the Kirkcudbright life-boat,near the Solway Firth.

Ramsey, Isle of Man.—News of themissing aeroplane was received from thecoastguard, and the motor life-boat,Lady Harrison was launched at 3.30 inthe afternoon. She went north to thePoint of Ayre, the northernmost pointof the island, and then on a north-westcourse to the Mull of Galloway inWigtownshire. No-sign of the aero-plane was found and the life-boat thenturned westward towards the coast ofIreland, running into very bad weather.At ten at night she arrived off Peel andreturned round the Point of Ayre toher station, where she arrived at 2.15next morning. She had then been outfor ten and three-quarter hours and hadtravelled between seventy and eightymiles.—Rewards, £32 6s. 9d.

Douglas, Isle of Man.—The stationreceived the news through the coast-guard from Barton Aerodrome, Man-chester. The Liverpool steamer hadjust arrived. It had kept a look out forthe aeroplane on its crossing, but hadseen nothing. After consultation withthe steamer's captain, the motor life-boat Manchester and Salford, in chargeof the second coxswain, was launchedat 3.47 in the afternoon. She went inan E.S.E. direction for over two hours.By that time it was very dark. Shethen turned west, and finding nothing,made for her station, where shearrived at 7.30 P.M. She had been outfor three and three-quarter hours.—Rewards. £19 5s. 3d.

Peel, Isle of Man—The stationreceived the news from the Peel coast-guard, and the pulling and sailing life-boat Henry Kirk put off at 4.45 in theafternoon. She steered north-west, butwas recalled when news was receivedthat one of the men from the aeroplanehad been picked up. She arrived backat her station at ten at night, havingbeen out five and a quarter hours.—Rewards, £38 8s. 6d.

Port St. Mary, Isle of Man.—Informa-tion was received from the Castletowncoastguard and the motor life-boat SirHeath Harrison was launched at fiveminutes to five in the afternoon. Shefollowed the aircraft course for aboutsixteen miles, steering S.S.E., and at7.30, when the news of the rescue ofone of the men was received at thestation, she was recalled and got backat 9.20 P.M., having been out four anda half hours.—Rewards, £22 2s. 6d.

Port Erin, Isle of Man.—News wasreceived from the coastguard, and atfive in the afternoon the motor life-boatEthel Day Cardwell put out. Shesearched on a route west of the ChickenRock and Calf of Man, and was recalledwhen the news of the rescue reachedthe station. She got back at 9.50 P.M.,having been out for nearly five hours.—Rewards, £18 10s.

New Brighton, Cheshire.—News reachedthe station from the Hoylakecoastguard, and the motor life-boatWilliam and Kate Johnston put out tojoin in the search at 5.18 in the after-noon. She set a north-west coursetowards Castletown in the Isle of Man.She too was recalled and arrived backat her station at 12.30 next morning.She had then been out seven and aquarter hours.—Rewards, £13 8s.

Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire.—Thecoastguard at Hoylake informed thestation and at four in the afternoon themotor life-boat J.H.W. was launched.She went to the Nelson Buoy off themouth of the Ribble, and then cruised


north-west for about ten miles. Atseven at night she turned back andreached her station at 9.45, havingbeen out for five and three-quarterhours.—Rewards, £14 13s. Sd.

Kirkcudbright.—News was receivedfrom the Portpatrick coastguard andthe motor life-boat Morison Watsonput off at 4.30 in the afternoon. Shemade for a position three miles outsideRoss lighthouse and called the light-house by Morse. The lighthouse-keeperhad seen nothing. The life-boat herself

could find nothing. After dark hadfallen she returned to her station andarrived at six o'clock. She had beenout for an hour and a half.—Rewards,£11 12*. 9of.

The aeroplane had come down at seatwenty-five miles north of the Bar light-vessel on the Mersey, and one of thetwo men was picked up by a steamer.The other could not be found.

The eight life-boats had been search-ing, altogether, for over forty-threehours, and the total rewards paid forthis search were £170 7s.

Services of the Life-boats.Reported to the February and March Meetings of the Committee of Management.

Launches 97. Lives rescued 84.

February Meeting.

Arklow, Co. Wicklow.—On the even-ing of the 8th January the steamerCity of Dublin, of Dublin, bound homefrom Hamburg with a general cargo,ran aground on Arldow Main Bank,about five miles north of the light-vessel.A strong S.E. breeze, increasing laterto gale force, was blowing, with a veryheavy sea. The weather was verycold and thick, with rain. The Cityof Dublin sent out an S O S, and themotor life-boat John Taylor Car dwellwas launched at 9 P.M. She foundthat the steamer had floated off thebank, with the loss of her rudder, andwas lying at anchor, helpless. Themaster had wirelessed for a tug, andasked the life-boat to stand by. Shestood by all night and next morning,and put back to her station at 1 P.M.It was there learned that a tug had leftDublin, but had been unable to findthe steamer. Later she found her andtook her in tow. The life-boat putout again at 5.15 P.M. in case her helpshould be wanted, stood by until thetug started the tow to Dublin, andreturned to her station at 10 P.M.—-Rewards, £24 6*., and £16 5s. 6d.

B*

Penlee, Cornwall.—At 7.40 A.M. onthe llth January the police reporteda wreck under Tregiffian cliffs. Astrong S.S.W. breeze was blowing,with a heavy sea, and the weather wasthick. The motor life-boat W. and S.was launched at 8 A.M., and found themotor trawler Vierge Marie, of Ostend,ashore and being pounded heavily bythe seas. The life-boat found threemen in the sea. They were rescued andartificial respiration was applied. Therewas no sign of the rest of the crew, sothe life-boat made,for Newlyn, wherethe three men were landed. Un-fortunately only one of the threerevived, and he .died later. The life-boat returned to her station at 9.30A.M. The trawler had been makingfor Newlyn from the fishing grounds,with a crew of six on board. Of theother three men, two had managed toscramble ashore, but the third hadbeen drowned. The Belgian Govern-ment sent its thanks to the Institution.—Rewards, £12 6s.

Longhope, Orkneys, Wick, and Thurso,Caithness-shire.—Early on the morningof the 12th January the Finnishmotor vessel Johanna Thorden struck


a rock in the Pentland Firth. Shehad thirty-eight persons, includingwomen and children, on board, andwas bound, with a general cargo, fromNew York to Gothenburg. Two boatswere launched from her and one gotashore with five of the thirteen peopleon board her dead. The other boatwas lost. Altogether thirty peoplelost their lives. The Longhope, Wickand Thurso motor life-boats all searchedfor the missing boat, but withoutsuccess. An enquiry is to be held onthe wreck and a full account will bepublished after this enquiry. An in-crease in the usual money reward onthe standard scale was made to theThurso crew to bring its rewards upto those of the Wick crew.—Rewards :Longhope, £12 Os. 6d.; Wick, £18 16*.;and Thurso, £17 17s.

Montrose, Angus.—On the morningof the 12th January the Dutch motorvessel Bornrif, of Groningen, droveashore on the Annat Bank. She wasbound in ballast from Grangemouthto Montrose, and carried a crew of five.A strong S.S.E. gale was blowing, witha rough, confused sea, and the weatherwas very cold, with rain squalls. TheBornrif made distress signals, and theNo. 2 life-boat, the surf pulling boatMarianne Atherstone, was launched at10.15 A.M. Commander T. G. Michel-more, R.D., R.N.R., the NorthernDistrict Inspector, who was in Montroseat the time, went with her. She madeseveral attempts to get alongside, butowing to the strong wind and tide,and the wash from the Bornrif's pro-peller, she was driven past the Bornrif,and twice was thrown on to her beamends by heavy seas. By this time hercrew were exhausted, and it was de-cided to get the help of the MontroseNo. 1 life-boat, the motor life-boatJohn Russell. The life-boat returnedto Montrose, and at 11 A.M. was towedout again by the motor life-boat.They went to windward of the Bornrifand the surf life-boat was then castoff. This time she was able to getalongside and two of the Bornrif's crewslid down ropes into her. The re-mainder wished to stay on board, andthe life-boats made for Montrose,arriving at noon. Shortly afterwardsthe Bornrif was washed in over the

sandbank and up on to the beach,where she became high and dry. Thestem of the pulling life-boat had beendamaged against the Bornrif. A letterof appreciation was sent to the DistrictInspector for his services, and an in-crease in the usual money award onthe standard scale was granted to eachmember of the crew of the pullinglife-boat.—Rewards : No. 1, £7 10s.;No. 2, £21 16s. Qd.

Cromarty.—Early in the afternoonof the 12th January the Helmsdalecoastguard telephoned that a vesselwas aground in a dangerous positionat the entrance to Little Ferry, inDornoch Firth. She was the s.s.Totnes, of London, laden with coaland carrying a crew of eight. Amoderate S. breeze was blowing, witha rough sea. The motor life-boatJames Macfee was launched at 2 P.M.,and reached the Totnes three hourslater. Seas were breaking over theTotnes, and the master asked the life-boat to run out a kedge anchor andthen stand by. This she did, standingby until, with the falling tide, theTotnes ceased to be in immediatedanger. The life-boat then made forher station, arriving there, after arough trip, at 5.30 A.M. on the 13th.She had been on service for fifteenand a half hours.—Rewards, £1915s. 6d.

Flamborough, Yorkshire.—During themorning of the 16th January a moderateS.S.E. breeze was blowing, with arough sea, sleet and rain. A fishermanreported that the local fishing coblePioneer was at sea, and the No. 1motor life-boat Elizabeth and AUrinaWhitley was launched at 10.15 A.M.She met the Pioneer about three milesnorth, escorted her to the safety of thelanding, and returned to her stationat 12.15 P.M.—Rewards, £14 13s.

Bridlington,* Yorkshire.—On the morn-ing of the 17th January the motorfishing boat Peggy left Bridlingtonharbour to fish about eight miles out.Later a gale sprang up from the S.S.E.and the sea became rough. At 2.45 P.M.the Peggy was seen making for home.The sea was very heavy and breakingdangerously across the harbour en-trance, and at 3 P.M., the motor life.


IN THE JANUARY GALES ON THE YORKSHIRE COAST.

• ' "

By courtesy of] [ Topical PressHURRYING HOME.

A Bridlington fishing-boat coming into harbour on 17th January, 1937. The motor life-boat, though not in the photograph, is escorting her.

(See opposite page.)

By courtesy of \Wide World PhotosOUT TO THE RESCUE.

The Scarborough Motor Life-boat on 24th January, 1937, on her way to stand by fishing-boats.(See page 281)


boat Stanhope Smart was launched.She poured oil on the sea to lessen theeffect of the waves, and then escortedthe Peggy safely into harbour. Shereturned to her station at 4.20 P.M. ASouthport lady sent £10 to be distri-buted among the life-boatmen in ad-miration of their work.—Rewards,£10 4s. 6d.

Eyemouth, Berwickshire.—During themorning of the 19th January a strongwest breeze sprang up, bringing a veryheavy sea, which broke dangerouslyoutside the harbour. About twelvesmall fishing-boats were at sea, andanxiety was felt for their safety inmaking harbour. The pulling andsailing life-boat Anne Frances waslaunched at 2.15 P.M. She went intothe bay, stood by until all the boatshad got in, and returned to her stationat 4.15 P.M.—Rewards, £13 2s.

Whitby, Yorkshire.—Several fishing-boats went to sea early on the morningof the 19th January. When they weredue to return the sea was breakingover the harbour entrance, which wasmade more dangerous by the river-water running very strongly out ofthe harbour. A fresh N.W. breezewas blowing. The No. 1 motor life-boat Margaret Harker Smith waslaunched at noon, and escorted in thePilot Me and then the Provider, whichhit the East Pier on the way in. Aftergoing off and warning two other boatsnot to attempt the crossing until thetide flowed she moored alongside theFish Quay at 3.30 P.M. She thenwent out again and escorted in theVenus, Gallilee and Progress, and latertwo other boats. She returned to herstation at 5.30 P.M. — Rewards,£12 8s. 3d.

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, Norfolk.—At 1.40 A.M. on the 20th January thecoastguard reported that a steamerappeared to be ashore three miles N.E.of Britannia Pier. A gentle W.S.W.breeze was blowing, and the sea wasbreaking heavily on the sands. Thereserve motor life-boat J, B. Proudfoot,on temporary duty at Gorleston,put out at 1.50 A.M., and found thesteam trawler Luda Lady, of Grimsby,hard aground on Scroby Bight. She

carried a crew of ten, and was boundfrom Grimsby for the fishing grounds.The life-boat stood by, and at lowwater the trawler was nearly dry.When the tide flowed she tried tolaunch a small boat, with the inten-tion of running out an anchor, butheavy seas made this impossible. Atug arrived, the life-boat passed linesbetween her and the trawler; and atabout 3 P.M. the trawler was towed off.The life-boat escorted her into harbour,and returned to her station at 4.30P.M.—Property Salvage Case.

Broughty Ferry, Angus.—On thenight of the 20th January the life-boatstood by Abertay light-vessel.—Rewards, £13 Is.

(A full account of this service and ofthe rescue of the light-vessel's crewby the life-boat on the 30th Januarywill be found on page 272.)

Blyth, Northumberland.—At 12.15A.M. on the 21st January the coast-guard telephoned that a steamer hadrun ashore about a quartei of a milesouth of the West Pier. A S.S.E. galewas blowing, with a very heavy sea.The motor life-boat Joseph Adlam waslaunched at 12.25 A.M., and found thes.s. Therese, of Swansea, upon thebeach. She stood by until it was seenthat the Therese was in no immediatedanger, and that nothing could bedone then to get her afloat, and re-turned to moorings at 1.30 A.M. Thecrew stayed on watch, and the life-boatput out again at 7.15 A.M. in case herhelp should be wanted. She passed ahawser from the Therese to a tug, butit parted. Nothing more could bedone on that tide, and the life-boatreturned to her station and was re-housed at 11 A.M. At 8.45 P.M. sheput off for the third time, at the requestof the master of the steamer and Lloyd'sagent. By means of her line-throwinggun a hawser was got from the tugto the steamer, but this attempt totow her off also failed, and the life-boatreturned finally to her station at 10.50P.M.—Rewards, £16 7s.; also PropertySalvage Case.

Torbay, Devon.—On the 23rd Januarythe s.s. English Trader, of London, ranashore at the entrance of Dartmouth


Harbour. The motor life-boat GeorgeShee rescued the fifty-two men onboard. Rewards : Bronze second ser-vice clasp, vellums, letter of thanks,and money awards amounting to£48 Is. 6d.

(A full account of this service appearson page 214 of the March number ofThe Life-boat.)

Aith, Shetland.—At 7.15 A.M. onthe 24th January the Lerwick postoffice telephoned a message receivedfrom Wick Radio Station that the s.s.Toran, of Hamburg, sheltering in St.Magnus Bay, was calling for a doctor.A whole S.E. gale was blowing, with arough sea, and no ordinary boat couldleave harbour. The motor mechanicboarded the life-boat and tried tospeak to the Toran by wireless tele-phone, but was unsuccessful, as she wasusing wireless telegraphy. He gotinto touch with Wick Radio, however,and got more definite information.The motor life-boat The Rankin em-barked a doctor and a nurse, and putout at 8.30 A.M. It was found thatthe captain of the Toran was sufferingfrom acute appendicitis. He was takenashore, and rushed to the hospital atLerwick, where he was operated uponimmediately. The life-boat returnedto her station at noon.—Rewards,£6 17s. 6d.

Portrusb, Co. Antrim.—At 11.15 A.M.on the 24th January the coastguardreported that a ship about three milesN.N.E. of Ramore Head was flying atwo-flag signal, and was apparently indifficulties. A moderate to strong S.E.gale was blowing, with a rough seaand rain squalls. The motor life-boatT.B.B.H. was launched at 11.25 A.M. andfound the s.s. Porthleven, of Montrose,drifting out to sea, out of control, as achain in the steering-gear had broken.She was bound with a cargo of coalfrom Garston to Newport, Co. Mayo.The life-boat showed her a safe anchor-age, and then took the broken linkashore. Another one was obtained,and the life-boat took it, and a pilot,back to the Porthleven. She stood bywhile temporary repairs were made,escorted the Porthleven into harbour,and returned to her station at 3 P.M.—Rewards, £7 6s. 6d.

Scarborough, Yorkshire.—During themorning of the 24th January the motorfishing boat Royal Charter, of Grimsby,and the local motor fishing coble OurMaggie left Scarborough for the fishinggrounds. By 1.15 P.M. a strong galewas blowing from the S.E., with a veryheavy sea. At 1.25 P.M. the motorlife-boat Herbert Joy II was launchedto look for the boats. She found theRoyal Charter about two miles N.E., andescorted her back to harbour. Sheput out again, but was unable to findthe Our Maggie, and returned to seeif she had run for Whitby. She hadnot, but the coastguard had seen herN.E. from Scarborough, and so thelife-boat put off for a third time. Shemet the Our Maggie about a mile outand escorted her safely back, througha very heavy sea. The life-boat re-turned to her station at 4 P.M.—Rewards, £19 14s. 6d.

Campbeltown, Argyllshire. — At 10A.M. on the 24th January, during astrong S.E. gale with a very rough sea,the s.s. Rustoer, of Glasgow, was drag-ging her anchor and drifting off thepier. Only the captain and a boywere aboard her. The other three mem-bers of the crew had come ashore thenight before and, owing to the roughseas, had not been able to get back tothe steamer. It was also reported thatthe s.s. Challenger, of Glasgow, fartherdown the loch, was dragging heranchors, with no one on board. Shewas in no immediate danger, but theRustoer was. The motor life-boat Cityof Glasgow was launched at 10.19 A.M.,and put the men aboard the Rustoer.She was then ashore, but with her fullcrew got off unaided. The life-boatescorted her to a safe anchorage, andalso put the Challenger's crew of fiveon board.—Rewards, £6 17s. 6d.

Eyemouth, Berwickshire. — On the25th January a whole S.E. gale wasblowing with a very heavy breakingsea. The small fishing boat Spes Bonawas at sea, and there were fears thatshe would have difficulty in makingharbour. The pulling and sailing life-boat Anne Frances put off at 11 A.M.,and stood by in the bay until the SpesBona had got in to safety. She re-turned to moorings at 3 P.M.—Rewards,£13 Os. 6d.


Skegness, Lincolnshire.—On the morn-ing of the 26th January the coastguardreported that rockets had been seenby the Lynn Wells lightship from asteamer aground on the Dog's HeadSands. She was the s.s. Olavus, ofHull, bound in ballast from the Tyne toBoston. A moderate east breeze wasblowing, with a rough sea. The motorlife-boat Anne Allen was launched at7.55 A.M., and four life-boatmenboarded the steamer. At themaster's request the life-boat took amessage ashore and returned with thereply. She then stood by until late inthe afternoon, when the Olavus got offunder her own steam. The life-boatreturned to her station at 6.20 P.M.,after having been on service for nearlyten and a half hours. An increase inthe usual money award on the standardscale was granted to each member ofthe crew.—Rewards, £19 18s.

Buckie, Banffshire.—On the afternoonof the 26th January the steam trawlerSangarius, of Aberdeen, signalled tothe coastguard for a doctor. A galewas blowing from the S.E., with aheavy swell and snow. At 3.15 P.M.the motor life-boat K.B.M. put outwith two doctors, who boarded thetrawler and attended to an injuredman. The doctors and their patientwere then brought ashore by the life-boat, which got back at 3.45 P.M.While going out to the trawler one ofthe life-boat's crew injured a knee andwas attended by the doctors. Thelife-boat was moored on her returnand rehoused at 10 P.M.—Rewards,£8 Is. 6d.

Whitby, Yorkshire.—During the morn-ing and early afternoon of the 27thJanuary the weather was very bad, andonly one coble, the Pilot Me, took therisk of going out. When she was seenreturning a very heavy sea was runninginto the harbour, and breaking cleanover the pier extensions. The motorlife-boat Margaret Harker Smith waslaunched at 3.50 P.M., met the Pilot Meabout three-quarters of a mile out,and escorted her into harbour. Shereturned to her station at 5.15 P.M.—Rewards, £13 8s. 3d.

Whitehills, Banffshire.—At 1.12 P.M.on the 28th January the coastguard

telephoned that a foreign trawler aboutone and a half miles N.E. of the coast-guard station was making distress sig-nals on her siren. A very strong S.E.wind was blowing, with squalls of snow,and a very heavy swell was runningin the bay. The motor life-boat CivilService No. 4 was launched at 1.25P.M., and found the trawler to be theMarc Archilk, of Boulogne, bound forthe Norwegian fishing grounds. Oneof her crew had injured his thumb,which had become septic. Accom-panied by another member of the crew,he was landed and taken to hospital,where he was detained. The life-boattook his companion back to the ship,and returned to her station at 5.5 P.M.—Rewards, £11 19s.

Thurso, Caithness-shire.—During thenight of the 28th January the medicalofficer for Caithness telephoned thatWick Radio had received a messagefrom a trawler that when passingStroma Island, in the Pentland Firth,she had seen Morse signals that medicalhelp was wanted on the island. Theweather was very bad and only thelife-boat could have made the trip,but in any case it would have beenimpossible for anyone to land on theisland, and nothing could be done.On the afternoon of the next day theweather moderated, and at 3 P.M. themotor life-boat H.C.J. put oft, takingwith her a doctor, and a man who hadcrossed from the island on the 23rd,and had been unable to get back. Heoffered to pilot the life-boat into acreek on the lee side of the island. AnE.S.E. breeze was blowing, the seawas rough, and the weather was verycold, with showers of snow and hail.The life-boat reached Stroma at 5 P.M.and arrived back at Scrabster withthe doctor at 8 P.M.. On the wayback the weather again got bad, andthe life-boat was left at moorings over-night. It was arranged that she shouldtake the doctor to the island again onthe 1st February. A moderate S.S.E.breeze was then blowing, with a choppysea. She was launched at 10.30 A.M.,and arrived back at her station at3.30 P.M.—A donation of twentyguineas was received from the Depart-ment of Health for Scotland. Rewards,£19 8s. 9d. and £7 12s.


The following life-boats werelaunched, but no services were renderedfor the reasons given :

Port Askaig, Isle of Islay.—10th Janu-ary. A trawler had been wrecked offArdbeg and had foundered in fifteenminutes. Four of her crew were lost,but nine scrambled on to rocks, fromwhich eight were rescued by a steamerand the other by fishermen.—Rewards, £10 125. 6d.

The Mumbles, Glamorganshire.—10thJanuary. A trawler had run ashoreten miles west of Mumbles Head, buther crew of eleven were rescued fromthe shore by the coastguard life-savingapparatus, with the exception of oneman who was drowned. The ownersof the trawler sent a donation inappreciation of the launch of the life-boat.—Rewards, £14 85.

Walton and Frinton, Essex.—llthJanuary. A flare had been reported,but an all-night search revealed nothing.—Rewards, £26 15s. 6d.

The Humber, Yorkshire.—15th Janu-ary. Distress rockets had beenreported from a vessel north ofMablethorpe which had then turnedseawards, and nothing could be found.—Rewards, 13*. 6d.; Permanent paidcrew.

Stromness, Orkneys.—16th January.Distress signals had been reportedoff Rose Ness, Holm, at midnight,but nothing could be found and thelife-boat returned after being away forsixteen hours.—Rewards, £19 Is. Qd.

Southend-on-Sea, Essex, and Margate,Kent.—17th January. A steamer hadgrounded near the South ShingleBuoy, but refloated without help.—Rewards: Southend, £20 18s. 6d.;Margate, £22 18s. Qd.

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, Norfolk.—18th January. A steamer hadstranded, but the crew were rescuedfrom the shore by the coastguardlife-saving apparatus. — Rewards,£27 12s.

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, Norfolk.—18th January. Flares had been re-ported, but nothing could be found.—Rewards, £19 4s.

North Sunderland, Northumberland.—18th January. Red rockets had beenreported, but nothing could be found.It was learned later that a chimneyhad been on fire, and that burning sootcarried seawards had given the im-pression of rockets.—Rewards, £20 5s.

(An account of this service appearson page 246 of the March number ofThe Lifeboat.)

Lytham-St. Annes, Lancashire; NewBrighton No. 2, Cheshire ; Kirkcudbright;Douglas, Peel, Port Erin, Port St. Mary andRamsey, Isle of Man.—21st January.These eight life-boats searched for amissing aeroplane without success.The aeroplane had come down at sea,and one of her crew of two had beenrescued by a steamer.—Rewards : Ly-tham-St. Annes, £14 13s. 3d.; NewBrighton, £13 8s.; Kirkcudbright,£11 12*. 9d.; Douglas, £19 5s. 3d.;Peel, £38 8s. 6d.; Port Erin, £18 10s.;Port St. Mary, £22 2s. 6d.; and Ram-sey, £32 6s. 9d. (For a full account seepage 276.)

Exmouth, Devonshire.—On the morn-ing of the 21st January the coastguardtelephoned that the Lyme Regis har-bour-master had reported a vesselapparently adrift from her moorings.He later reported that she had anchoredoff Lyme Regis and was in no immediatedanger. She was the French ketch St.Michael, carrying a crew of four, shel-tering in West Bay after having metsome bad weather. Just after ninethat night the coastguard reportedthat she was burning flares for help.A S.S.W. gale was blowing, with avery heavy sea, and the weather wasthick, with sleet and rain. The motorlife-boat Catherine Harriet Eaton waslaunched at 9.20 P.M. Meanwhile theSt. Michael had gone ashore and becomea total wreck; her crew were rescuedfrom shore. The coastguard tried tosend the news to the life-boat, butvisibility was so poor that the signalswere not seen, and the life-boat searchedfor some hours. Finding nothing, shewent to Beer Head, and there receivedthe recall signal. She returned to herstation at 8 A.M. on the 22nd afternearly eleven hours at sea. A letterof appreciation was sent to the branch,and an increase in the usual money

284 THE LIFE-BOAT. [JUNE, 1937

award on the standard scale wasgranted to each member of the crew.—Rewards, £30 4s.

Blyth, Northumberland.—22nd Janu-ary. A lighter had parted from a tug,but it succeeded in taking her in towagain.—Rewards, £16 7s.

Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.—22nd Janu-ary. A barge had been reported onthe Buxey Sands, but nothing couldbe found.—Rewards, £16 19s.

St. Peter Port, Guernsey. — 22ndJanuary. Distress signals had beenreported, and an all-night search wasmade, but without result.—Rewards,£20 9s.

Weymouth, Dorset.—23rd January.A pilot cutter's boat had capsized, anda steamer had picked up one man. Theother two had been drowned beforehelp could reach them. The boat andrescued man were brought ashore bythe life-boat.—Rewards, £13 2s. 6d.

Donaghadee, Co. Down.—27th Janu-ary. What was thought to be a fishingboat in distress was found to be a buoy,with a light and flag attached, markingthe end of a drifter's line.—Rewards,£6 17s.

The Humber, Yorkshire.—On themorning of the 29th January the SpurnPoint Royal Naval Shore Signal Stationtelephoned that the steamer EdmondHugo Stinnes, of Hamburg, had sentout a wireless message that she was indistress, with a broken rudder, aboutthirty-five miles N.E. of the Humber.A whole E. gale was blowing, with avery rough sea and heavy squalls ofsnow and hail. The motor life-boatCity of Bradford II was launched at8.35 A.M. She could not find anytrace of the steamer, but at 3 P.M.spoke a tug which had also answeredthe S O S . As the life-boat had notsufficient petrol on board to continueto search all night, she made for herstation, arriving at 8.35 P.M. Shehad been twelve hours at sea undervery bad conditions, being continu-ally swept by the seas. It was after-wards learnt that the steamer hadgone on her way. A special money

award was made to the members ofthe permanent paid crew, and theowners sent a letter of thanks andmade a donation to the Institution.—Rewards, £7 Os. 3d.; Permanent paidcrew.

Port St. Mary, and Port Erin, Isle ofMan.—30th January. Following areport that the lights of a vessel underobservation had disappeared, a searchwas made, but nothing could be found.—Rewards : Port St. Mary, £33 5s. 6d.;Port Erin, £28 16s.

March Meeting.

Galway Bay, Co. Galway.—On themorning of the 24th January there wasa very urgent call from the neighbouringisland of Inishere, the most southerlyof the Aran Isles, for a doctor. Thesea was very rough and the wind sostrong that no boat other than themotor life-boat William Evans couldmake the trip. She put out at 12.30P.M. with a doctor, and returned to herstation at 3 P.M.—No expense to theInstitution.

Portrush, Co. Antrim.—Shortly afternoon on the 4th February a fishermanreported that one of the fishing fleet—the motor boat Alert, of Portstewart—had not returned to harbour, and thatas the wind and sea were rising rapidly,anxiety was felt for her safety. A strongS.W. gale was blowing, with a roughsea. The motor life-boat T.B.B.H.was launched at 12.25 P.M., and foundthe Alert about five miles N.E. ofRamore Head. Her engine had brokendown, but had been repaired. Thelife-boat escorted her into Portstewartharbour, and returned to her stationat 3.15 P.M.—Rewards, £6 7s. 6d.

Bembridge, Isle of Wight.—On themorning of the 5th February the policereported that Ryde Hospital hadreceived a message from NitonRadio Station that the linerDelambre, of Liverpool, bound fromLondon to the River Plate, was atanchor near the Warner light-vesselwith a seriously injured seaman onboard. A moderate S.W. gale wasblowing, with a heavy sea. Enquiries


showed that the motor life-boatLangham was the only boat availablewhich could help, and she put out at7.30 A.M. On board was Dr. Cluff,a member of the local committee.The injured seaman was taken to Ryde,where an ambulance was waiting, andthe life-boat returned to her station at10:15 A.M.—Rewards, £7 17*.

Wells, Norfolk.—On the afternoon ofthe 7th February it was known thatone of three local fishing boats whichhad put out to sea had not returned.She was the motor boat Liberty, witha crew of three. A strong easterlybreeze was blowing. The sea wasmoderate and getting rough. Themotor life-boat Royal Silver Jubilee1910-1935 was launched at 4.20 P.M.,and met the Liberty between three andfour miles out. She had been delayedby fouling her propeller. The life-boatescorted her back to harbour, andreturned to her station at 5.20 P.M.—Rewards, £15 8s. 6d.

Dfracombe, Devonshire.—At 1.35 P.M.on the 8th February the coastguard atWidmouth, Hfracombe, reported thata motor fishing boat was at sea, andhad passed out of his sight. It wasfound that she was the local boatVivian and, as the wind and sea wererising, the coastguards at Lynmouthand Woody Bay were asked to reportif she could be seen. At 2.55 P.M. thecoastguard at Widmouth reported thatshe was E.N.E. of Widmouth Head andwas in danger. It was then blowinga N.W. gale, with heavy seas. Themotor life-boat Rosabella was launchedat 3.27 P.M., met the Vivian in CombeMartin Bay, and escorted her intoharbour. She returned to her stationat 4.30 P.M.—Rewards, £20 10s. Qd.

Galway Bay, Co. Gal way.— On themorning of the 15th February therewas an urgent request for a doctor tobe fetched from the mainland. Theonly hj»at available was "the motorlife-boat William Evans, and she madethe trip, setting out at noon andreturning to her station at 5 P.M.—Noexpense to the Institution.

Sennen Cove, Cornwall.—On the after-noon of the 16th February the coxswain

received a message from the coastguardthat a steamer with her engines brokendown, about a mile north of the Long-ship lighthouse, wanted help. She wasthe Danish steamer Svanhild, of Elsi-nore, in ballast. A strong N.W. galewas blowing, with a very rough sea.The motor life-boat The Newbons waslaunched at 4.20 P.M., and reached theSvanhild at 4.45 P.M. She found her atanchor, with a small steamer standingby. The life-boat also stood by until theengines had been repaired and theSvanhild was able to go on her way.Then, as conditions were too bad topermit rehousing, she made for Pen-zance, where she arrived at 9 P.M.The crew had a meal and went home,and the life-boat was taken back to herstation on the morning of the 18th.An increase in the usual money awardon the standard scale was granted toeach member of the cre,w.—Rewards,£35 2s. Qd.

Boulmer, Northumberland.—Very earlyon the morning of the 17th Februarythe steamer Harvest Queen, of New-castle-on-Tyne, ran aground at Boul-mer Steel. She carried a crew of five,and was bound from Seaham Harbourfor Wick with a cargo of coal. Alight breeze was blowing and the seawas smooth. The new motor life-boatClarissa Langdon was launched at1.47 A.M. and stood by. The HarvestQueen floated off-at 3.30 A.M., and, asthe master feared that she might beleaking, he decided to make for thenearest port, Amble. The life-boatescorted her to the pierheads, andreturned to her station at 6.20 A.M.—Rewards, £18 17s. 6d.

Runswick, Yorkshire.—Early in themorning of the 18th February sixStaithes fishing cobles put off to thefishing grounds. The' weather wasthen fine, but there was a strong swellrunning. The southerly wind rose froma strong breeze to gale force, and thesea became so rough that it would bea danger to the cobles to enter harbouragain. The motor life-boat RobertPatton—The Always Beady waslaunched at about 9 A.M. Two of thecobles did not attempt to get intoStaithes and made for Runswick,where conditions were easier. The


other four took the risk and the life-boat escorted them through brokenwater into harbour. She returned toher station at 1.30 P.M.—Rewards,£15 6s. 6d.

Gourdon, Kincardineshire.—On themorning of the 18th February the localfishing fleet put to sea, but the weathergrew bad and all but four boats re-turned. At 10 A.M. the motor life-boatMargaret Dawson was launched, tostand by these boats in case of trouble.A strong S. by W. breeze was thenblowing, with a rough and increasingsea, and the weather was thick and verycold. The life-boat escorted the fourboats safely into harbour, and returnedto her station at 2 P.M.—Rewards,£15 11s.

Thurso, Caithness-shire.—On themorning of the. 18th February the coast-guard reported that the motor trawlerPrincess Charming, of Grimsby, whichwas off Holborn Head, was in need ofimmediate help. She was fishing outof Scrabster, and her engine had brokendown. A fresh W.S.W. breeze wasblowing, with a rough sea and squallsof snow. The life-boat coxswain andsecond coxswain were at sea, but themotor life-boat H.C.J. was launchedat 11 A.M., in charge of the bowman.She found the Princess Charming aboutseven miles N.N.W. of Holborn Head,towed her back to Scrabster harbour,and returned to her station at 1 P.M.—Property Salvage Case.

Humber, Yorkshire.—At about 4.35A.M. on the 21st February the life-boatwatchman reported that a vessel hadrun ashore about a quarter-mile N.E.of Spurn light-vessel. She was thesteam trawler Rose of England, ofGrimsby, bound for the fishing grounds.She had been in collision with anothertrawler and had been badly holed.Five of her crew of ten had been takenoff by a third trawler, and the remain-ing five had run her ashore to preventher sinking. These men were still onboard. A strong W.N.W. breeze wasblowing, with a nasty ground sea. Itwas thought at first that the Rose ofEngland could be reached along theshore, but this was found to be impos-sible, and the motor life-boat City of

Bradford II was launched at 5.45 A.M.When she arrived the trawler's deckswere awash. She rescued the fivemen and took them to Grimsby,returning to her station at 12.50 P.M.—Rewards, £1 Os. 3d; Permanent paidcrew.

Weymouth, Dorset.—At 3.55 P.M. onthe 25th February the Wyke Regiscoastguard reported that a vessel twomiles S.S.W. of Lulworth look-out wasburning red flares. She was the motorvessel Gertruda, of London, and herengine had broken down. A S.S.W.wind was blowing, varying from amoderate breeze to half a gale, andthe sea was rough. The motor life-boat William and Clara Ryland putout at 4.15 P.M., towed the Gertrudaback to harbour, and returned to herstation at 6.15 P.M.—Property SalvageCase.

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, Norfolk.—Early in the evening of the 25thFebruary Lloyd's agent telephonedthat a wireless message had been re-ceived from s.s. Invella, of Glasgow,reporting that one of her crew wasseriously ill and needed a doctor. Hehad instructed the captain to bringthe Invella into Yarmouth roads, andnow asked for the motor life-boat Johnand Mary Meiklam ofGladswood to takeout a doctor. Her crew assembledand stood by until 10.20 P.M., whennews was received that the Invellawas coming into the roads. The life-boat set out with a doctor. A moderatesouth-westerly breeze was then blow-ing, with a heavy swell. The doctorboarded the Invella and found that theman would have to be got ashore foran immediate operation. He wastransferred to the life-boat, and takento Town Hall Quay, where an ambu-lance was waiting. The life-boat re-turned to her station at 1 A.M.'—Rewards, £28 19s.

Holy Island and North Sunderland, North-umberland.—Early on the morning ofthe 28th February the coastguardreported to the Holy Island life-boatstation that a vessel was in distress inGoswick Bay. A north-easterly hurri-cane was blowing, with an exceptionallyheavy, breaking sea. The weather


was intensely cold, with heavy snowshowe'rs. The motor life-boat Milburnwas launched at 5.30 A.M., but couldnot see anything, and the flares shesent up were unanswered. It was im-possible for her to get back to HolyIsland again in such weather, and sheran for the shelter of the Fame Islands.On the way there a very big sea struckand completely filled her, causing somedamage. . The coxswain was washedoverboard, but he got a foot caught inthe outside life-line, and was hauledback on board. After sheltering foran hour the coxswain decided to makefor North Sunderland. She arrivedabout 1.30 P.M., and the North Sunder-land motor life-boat W.R.A. waslaunched to see her safely through thevery dangerous entrance. Both boatsreached shore at 2.15 P.M. An increaseof 80s. in the usual money award on thestandard scale, 28s. 6d., was granted toeach member of the crew of the HolyIsland life-boat, and a further 20s. tothe coxswain.—Rewards : Holy Island,£7519s. (including £30 3s. 2d. for clothingsupplied at North Sunderland to thecrew); North Sunderland, £13 19s.

Scarborough, Yorkshire.—The motorlife-boat Herbert Joy II was launchedat 8.40 A.M. on the 28th February, asit had been reported that the localmotor fishing coble Hilda was at sea,and though the breeze was light therewas a very rough sea, making theapproach to the harbour very danger-ous for small boats. The life-boatfound the Hilda about a mile and ahalf E.S.E. of Scarborough, with threemen and a boy on board. The boy wastaken into the life-boat, and themen were given life-belts. The life-boat then escorted the Hilda back toScarborough, and after pouring oil onthe sea outside the harbour entrance, tolessen the effect of the waves, took hersafely in. She returned to her stationat 10.30 A.M. It was known that themotor fishing boat Royal Charter, ofGrimsby, was at sea, and at about 1.30P.M. the coastguard reported that shewas about a mile and a half N.E. Thesea was still very rough, and the weatherwas thick, with heavy snow. The life-boat was launched for the second timea% 1.45 P.M. She directed the RoyalCharter on the right course, and

escorted her into harbour. The life-boat arrived back at her station againat 2.15 P.M.—Rewards : First service,£20 ; second service, £19 9s.

Mumbles, Glamorganshire.—On themorning of the 28th February it wasreported that a small vessel wasdragging her anchors. She was theketch Roger Aubert, of Paimpol, boundwith a cargo of coal, and a crew offive, from Swansea to St. Brieuc. Astrong N. gale was blowing, with avery heavy sea, and it was snowing.The motor life-boat Edward Prince ofWales was launched at HA.M., and find-ing that the ketch was still dragging,took off the crew and landed them.She got back to her station at 11. 35 A.M.Later on the weather moderated andthe ketch's anchor held. The life-boatthen put the men on board again: andfinally arrived back at moorings at4.30 P.M. She was rehoused next day.—Rewards, £9 14s. 6d.

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, Norfolk.—At 3 P.M. on the 28th February thecoastguard reported that a steamdrifter, in tow of another drifter and atug, had parted her towing hawser andwas drifting rapidly on to North Bank.She was the Arimitkea, of Lowestoft,bound to Yarmouth to be broken up,and there were three men on board. Astrong S.E. breeze was blowing,with a rough sea and snow squalls.The motor life-boat John and MaryMeiklam of Gladswood was launchedat 3.10 P.M., and found the Arimitheaaground on North Bank. She anchoredand veered down, and the three menjumped on board. Then she hauled off,picked up her anchor and returned toher station, arriving at 4.15 P.M.—Rewards, £14 13s.

Sunderland, Co. Durham.—During theafternoon of the 1st March it waslearned that a boat was showing distresssignals. A squally E.N.E. breeze wasblowing, with showers of snow, and thesea was choppy and increasing. Themotor life-boat Edward and IsabellaIrwin was launched at 5.10 P.M., andfound the fishing boat True Vine, ofBurnmouth, about half a mile offRyhope, drifting towards the rocks.She had lost an anchor, and the remain-!


ing one could not hold her. The life-boat towed her and her crew of threeinto Sunderland, and returned to herstation at 7.30 P.M. The skipper senta letter of thanks on behalf of himselfand his crew.—Rewards, £15 14s. 6d.

Whitby, Yorkshire.—On the morningof 2nd March only one fishing boat—•the Provider—took the risk of going tosea, as the weather was bad and aheavy sea was breaking a long way out-side the harbour entrance. It wasdecided to send the motor life-boatMargaret Harker Smith to see hersafely in, and the crew stood by. At3.15 P.M. the life-boat was launchedand moored against the fish quay.At 4 P.M. she put out, as the Providerhad been seen off Kettleness Point.She escorted her into harbour, throughvery' heavy seas, and returned to herstation at 5 P.M.—Rewards £9 4s. 6d.

Flamborough, and Scarborough, York-shire.—The steam trawler Lord Erniewent ashore under Bempton Cliffs onthe night of the 2nd March. Her crew offifteen were rescued by the FlamboroughNo. 1 motor life-boat. The Scarboroughmotor life-boat also put out, but herservices were not required.—Rewards,silver medal, thanks on vellum, letterof thanks. Flamborough, £69 Is. 6d.,Scarborough £32 Os. 6d. (For a fullaccount of this service see page 271.)

The following life-boats werelaunched, but no services were renderedfor the reasons given:

BIyth, Northumberland; Dunbar,'Had-dingtonshire ; Buckie, Banffshire ; Lerwick,Shetland.—27th-31st January. TheRussian steamer Irtysch, while boundfrom West Hartlepool to Leningradhad run into a severe gale and beendriven north. She wanted help, buther correct position could not beascertained. Blyth life-boat crew as-sembled on the 28th and Dunbar onthe 29th. Buckie and Lerwick motorlife-boats searched for her withoutsuccess on the 31st January. On themorning of the 1st February it waslearned that she was out of danger.—Rewards: Blyth, £5 10s.; Dunbar,£1 15s.; Buckie, £23 5s. 6d. ; Lerwick,£19 15s. 6d.

Troon, Ayrshire.—4th February. TheSwedish steamer Kattegatt, of Helsing-borg, had stranded, but tugs went toher help.—Rewards, £14 13s. 3d.

Anstruther, Fifeshire.—7th February.A trawler had stranded, but one of hercrew went ashore by the coastguardlife-saving apparatus with the informa-tion that the crew intended to stay onboard.—Rewards, £17 12s. 6d.

Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire. — 9th•February. A steamer had groundedoutside Aberdovey bar, but got offunaided.—-Rewards, £30 10s. 9d.

Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire. — llthFebruary. A man fell off a breakwater,and was picked up by the life-boat, butalthough artificial respiration was ap-plied at once, he could not be revived.—Rewards, £8 11s.

Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.—21st Febru-ary. A flare had been reported, but asearch revealed nothing.—Rewards,£23 5s. 3d.

New Brighton, Cheshire; Beaumaris,and Moelfre, Anglesey ; Lytham-St. Annes,Lancashire ; and Llandudno, Caernarvon-shire.—25th February. Early in themorning the tanker Realf, of London,which was bound for Liverpool, in tow ofthe Dutch tug Witte Zee, broke awayfrom the tug when nearing the entranceof the Mersey channel. A whole northgale was blowing, with a very heavy seaand snow. The Realf sent out a wire-less message that she was adrift, butthat she did not want any help at thetime. A little later she asked for help,and the New Brighton No. 2 motorlife-boat William and Kate Johnstonput out at 7.40 A.M. and made for theposition she had given. The life-boatkept in touch with the shore by meansof her wireless, and at 12.30 P.M. learnedthat the Realf had given a wrong posi-tion, that she was then about thirtymiles away, a few miles north of GreatOrme, and that the Beaumaris andMoelfre life-boats were dealing with thecase. She therefore made for herstation, arriving at 3.40 P.M., after eighthours at sea. A message was receivedat Beaumaris during the morning thata vessel was drifting abreast of Puffin


Island, and the motor life-boatFrederick Kitchen was launched at12.12 P.M. She searched for somehours, but could find no trace of theRealf, and arrived back at her stationat 4.30 P.M. The gale had brought alltelephone lines down, but at about1.20 P.M. a message that the Realfwas adrift off Puffin Island was takenby police car to Moelfre and the motorlife-boat G.W. put out at 1.40P.M. She,too, was unable to find her. Onaccount of the very bad weather itwas impossible to return to Moelfre, andshe made for Beaumaris, arriving at6 P.M. She stayed there overnight andreturned to her station next morning.The crews of the Llandudno andLytham-St. Annes motor life-boats wereassembled, but the boats were notlaunched. While the three life-boatswere at sea the Realf had wirelessedthat she was then about five milesN.N.E. of Great Orme's Head, thather anchors were holding and that shewas in touch with her tug again. Shewas towed into Liverpool by tugs onthe 2nd March. The owners of theRealf, United Molasses Co., Ltd., senta letter of thanks and made a donationof fifty guineas to the Institution'sfunds. An increase in the usual moneyaward on the standard scale wasgranted to each member of the NewBrighton crew. — Rewards : NewBrighton, £12 7s.; Beaumaris, £8 Is.;Moelfre, £14 15s. 6d.; Lytham-St.Annes, £1 10*.; and Llandudno, £4 10s.

Girvan, Ayrshire.—27th February. Afishing boat had been reported in diffi-culties, but she got in without help.—Rewards, £6 13s.

Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.—28th Febru-ary. A sailing barge had been reportedwith her sails damaged, but she did notwant help.—Rewards, £8 9s.

Hartlepool, Co. Durham.—28th Feb-ruary. At 11.19 A.M. the coastguardreported that the s.s. Miguel, of Bilbao,was in difficulties with her steering-chain broken, about twelve milesE.N.E. of West Hartlepool. A N.E.gale was blowing, with a very heavysea and occasional snowstorms. Themotor life-boat Elizabeth Newton waslaunched at 11. 36 A.M., but althoughshe made a wide search, was unableto find any sign of the Miguel. TheMiguel was eventually picked up bytugs. On her return journey thelife-boat saw the s.s. Fingal I, ofStavanger, making very heavy weather.The Fingal I had a bad list to port,but was not in immediate danger, anddid not want the life-boat's help. Thelife-boat, therefore, went on to Hartle-pool, and arrived back at her stationat 5 P.M., after five and a half hours atsea in extremely severe weather. Abig sea swept over the life-boat,knocking down the assistant motormechanic. He injured his head andribs, and was unconscious for aboutfour hours. A letter of appreciationwas sent to the branch and an increasein the usual money award on thestandard scale was granted to eachmember of the crew.—Rewards, £14 2s.

Margate, Kent.—3rd March. A smallboat with two boys on board had beenreported missing, but no trace of hercould be found.—Rewards, £14 2s.

Aldeburgh, Suffolk.—5th March. Atrawler had broken away from her tow,but she had no crew on board, andwent ashore.—Rewards, £29 10s. 6d.

Baltimore, Co. Cork.—5th March. Adrifting vessel was found by the life-boat, but she had no one on board.—Rewards, £21 Is.

Life-boat Charts for Yacht Clubs.As in the past two years, the Institutionhas again supplied free to all yachtclubs which wished to have it a copy ofthe chart of life-boat stations roundthe British Isles which appears in theannual report. This chart, besides

having the life-boat stations clearlymarked, with motor or pulling andsailing life-boats, has on it particularsof the different signals to be used byships or aircraft in distress. It hasbeen sent to 77 yacht clubs.


Shoreboat Services.For which Rewards were given at the February and March Meetings of the

Committee of Management.

February Meeting.

F~ Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. — On themorning of the 8th January the fishingboat Sea Flower, with a crew of two,got into difficulties when returningfrom the fishing grounds, owing to abreakdown of her engine. A strong S.gale was blowing, with a heavy swell.The fishing boat Jeannies, with a crewof three, which was at sea, saw the SeaFlower's distress signals, went to herhelp and found her in a very dangerousposition on the outside of the northarm of the Admiralty breakwater.With some difficulty, and at consider-able risk, she got her in tow and tookher safely into harbour.—Rewards,£3, and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

Bridlington, Yorkshire. — On theafternoon of the 14th January it wasreported that a vessel about three mileseast of Bridlington was showing flares.She was the local motor fishing cobleRoss Castle, with eight people on board,fishing. Her engine had broken down,and she was unable to get in. Thewind was freshening from the south,and there was a southerly swell.Coxswain Welburn with three othermen put off in a motor coble andassisted the Ross Castle back to Brid-lington.—Rewards, £2, and 2s. for fuelused.

Poolbeg, Co. Dublin.—At 4.30 P.M.on the 20th January Coxswain Rackleysaw a man lying on a mooring-buoy inthe middle of the river, with seaswashing over him. He had gone in asmall boat to release a steamer'smooring-rope from the buoy, and hisboat had drifted away. A moderate

S.E. gale was blowing, with a very roughsea. The coxswain and four othermen put off in a skiff and rowed aquarter of a mile to the buoy. Theman, who was in an exhausted con-dition, was rescued and landed at5.15 P.M.—Rewards, £2 10s., and 7s. 6d.for an oar broken.

March Meeting.

Jaywick, Essex.—On the 3rd Augustthree men in a motor boat rescuedfour people whose sailing dinghy hadcapsized.—Rewards : Framed lettersof thanks to Messrs. J. E. Brett andE. C. Jackson—in place of moneyawards previously granted in September,1936—-10s. to the other man, and 5s.for fuel used.

(For a full account see The Life-boatfor December, 1936, pages 170 and179.)

Boulmer, Northumberland. —• Duringthe morning of the 22nd February themotor fishing yawl Honesty, with acrew of three, put out for the fishinggrounds. When she had almostreached her nets her engine brokedown and, as she only had a smallmizzen sail for steadying purposes,she began to drift out to sea, helpless.The depth of water made it impossibleto anchor. A moderate N.W. breezewas blowing, with a moderate sea.The Honesty hoisted a signal, and itwas seen by the Robert and Isabella,with a crew of three, which was fishingabout half a mile away. She left herlines and towed the Honesty into thesafety of Boulmer Haven.—Rewards,£l 10s., and 5s. for fuel used.

A Year's Halfpennies.FOR the sixth year running the Institu-tion has received from a lady in Hamp-stead the gift of a year's collection ofhalfpennies. It numbers 216, or nineshillings.

Portrait on the Cover.THE portrait on the cover is of CoxswainJames Tait, of Aith, Shetlands. Hewas appointed coxswain when a life-boat station was established at Aith in1933.


The Annual Meeting.THE hundred and thirteenth AnnualMeeting of the governors of the Institu-tion was held at the Central Hall,Westminster, at 3 P.M. on Friday,9th April. Nearly 2,000 people werepresent.

H.R.H. the Duke of Kent, K.G.,the President of the Institution, was inthe chair and the other speakers were :The Right Hon. Ernest Brown, M.C.,M.P., Minister of Labour, His Ex-cellency the French Ambassador (M.Charles Corbin), the Right Hon. LordStanley, M.C., M.P., Parliamentary andFinancial Secretary to the Board ofAdmiralty, Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.,chairman of the Institution, the Hon.George Colville, deputy chairman, andLieut.-Commander R. Fletcher, R.N.(ret.), M.P., a member of the com-mittee of management.

The Duke of Kent was supported onthe platform by vice-presidents of theInstitution, members of the committeeof management, the Duchess of Suther-land, President of the Ladies' Life-boatGuild, the Lady Magdalene Williams-Bulkeley, a vice-president of the Guild,members of the Central LondonWomen's Committee of the Guild, andhonorary life-governors of the In-stitution.

Among those who accepted theinvitation of the committee of manage-ment to support His Royal Highness onthe platform were representatives offourteen foreign countries (in addition tothe French Ambassador), six Membersof Parliament, Mayors and Mayoressesof twenty-five cities and towns, andrepresentatives of the Board of Trade,King George's Fund for Sailors, and theCivil Service Life-boat Fund.

The representatives of the foreigncountries were : Their Excellencies theAmerican, Spanish and PortugueseAmbassadors, the Netherlands, Nor-wegian, Estonian, Latvian and FinnishMinisters, a representative of theGerman Embassy, the Counsellorsof the Italian and Japanese Em-bassies, the Counsellor of the DanishMinistry, the Belgian Air Attache"and the Swedish Naval Attache".

The six Members of Parliament were:Mr. Charles G. Ammon, M.P. for

Camberwell, Rear-Admiral T. P. H.Beamish, C.B., M.P. for Lewes, Mr.A. C. Reed, M.P. for Exeter, and theRight Hon. F. O. Roberts, M.P. forWest Bromwich, all members of thecommittee of management, and MajorA. N. Braithwaite, M.P. for Buck-rose, Yorkshire, and Miss FlorenceHorsbrugh, M.P. for Dundee.

The Mayors and Mayoresses of thetwenty-five cities and towns were:The Lord Provost of Aberdeen, theMayors and Mayoresses of Westminster,Lewisham, Barnes, Baling, Fulham,Wimbledon, East Ham, Kensington,Lambeth, West Ham, St. Pancras,Bermondsey, Finsbury, Leyton, StokeNewington, Acton, Southgate, Totten-ham, Salisbury and St. Albans, theMayors of HolbQrn,Hythe andSurbiton,and the Mayoress of Greenwich. TheChairman of the Feltham Urban Dis-trict Council also accepted theinvitation.

A party of boys from the trainingship Arethusa was present.

The President's Address.

The DUKE OP KENT'S address is on page265.

Presentation of the Report for 1936.SIR GODFREY BASING, BT., chairman of

the Institution, presented the annual reportand accounts for 1936, and they were adopted.

Election of Vice-Presidents and Committeeof Management.

LiEUT.-Coi,. C. R. SATTERTHWAITE, O.B.E.,secretary of the Institution, read the list ofthose nominated as vice-presidents, treasurerand other members of the committee ofmanagement, and auditors for the ensuingyear. Those nominated were elected andthe list appears in the annual report for 1936.

Presentation of Medals.THE SECRETARY read the accounts of the

services for which medals had been awarded,and the medals were presented by the Dukeof Kent as follows :—

To COXSWAIN THOMAS SINCLAIR, ofAberdeen, the silver medal for the rescue ofthe whole crew of seven of the steamer Fairy,of King's Lynn, on 26th January, 1937.Coxswain Sinclair won the bronze medal forthe service to the trawler George Strand onChristmas Day, 1935, and this medal waspresented to him by the Duke of Kent at theannual meeting in 1936.


To MR. ALEXANDER WEIR, motor mechanicat Aberdeen, the bronze medal, for the sameservice.

To MR. JOHN MASSON, a member of theAberdeen crew, the bronze medal, for thesame service.

To MR. J. COWPER, second assistant motormechanic, at Aberdeen, the thanks of theInstitution inscribed on vellum, for the sameservice. (The thanks on vellum was awardedto each of the five members of the crew whodid not receive medals.)

To COXSWAIN GEORGE LENG, of Flam-borough, Yorkshire, the silver medal for therescue of the crew of fifteen of the Grimsbytrawler Lord Ernie on March 2nd, 1937.

To MR. R. B. COWIJNG, bowman at Flam-borough, the thanks of the Institution in-scribed on vellum, for the same service.(The thanks on vellum was awarded to eachof the eight members of the crew.)

To COXSWAIN WILLIAM MOGRIDGE, ofTorbay, Devon, a second-service clasp to hisbronze medal for the rescue of 52 men fromthe London steamer English Trader on24th January, 1937. The bronze medal hewon on 30th December, 1935, for the rescueof the skipper of the French trawler Satanicle,and this medal was presented to him by theDuke of Kent at the annual meeting in 1936.

To MR. F. C. SANDERS, bowman at Torbay,the thanks of the Institution inscribed onvellum for the same service. (The thanks onvellum was awarded to each of the sevenmembers of the crew.)

To COXSWAIN HENRY A. GRIGGS, of Hythe,Kent, the thanks of the Institution inscribedon vellum for the rescue on 13th December,1936, of the crew of three men of theFolkestone fishing boat Josephine II. Cox-swain Griggs won the silver medal of theInstitution in 1930.

To COXSWAIN JAMES Couzx, of BroughtyFerry, Dundee, the thanks of the Institutioninscribed on vellum, for the rescue of the crewof five of the Abertay light-vessel on 30thJanuary, 1937.

The Right Hon. Ernest Brown, M.C., M.P.THE RIGHT HONOURABLE ERNEST BROWN,

M.C., M.P. (Minister of Labour) : Your RoyalHighness, your Excellencies, my Lords,Ladies and Gentlemen : It gives me greatpleasure to move the following resolution :

That this Meeting, fully recognizing theimportant services of the Royal National Life-boat Institution in its national work of life-saving, desires to record its hearty appreciationof the gallantry of the Coxswains and Crews ofthe Institution's Life-boats, and gratefully toacknowledge the valuable help rendered to thecause by the Local Committees, HonorarySecretaries and Honorary Treasurers.

Your Royal Highness, I should havecounted this a great pleasure at any meeting,but it is for me a happy conjunction that Ishould move this resolution at a tune whenI see two of my friends, Coxswain WilliamMogridge and the bowman of the crew fromthe Torbay life-boat, receive awards. I donot pick them out because I desire to makeany distinction between any of the brave menwho have been here to-day, but because it so

happens that my own father was the coxswainof the Torquay-lite-boat for more than thirtyyears, and among my treasures are awardsthat he received when doing that duty.(Applause.) It is, therefore, to me a verygreat joy to move the resolution when myfriends from Brixham are here.

In those days there were two life-boats inTorbay ; there were no motor boats. Therewere days when the sailing boats could'notget out of Brixham, and other days whenanother boat could not get out of Torbay togo to the rescue of those who were in thegrip of a very heavy south-easterly gale.Now the Torbay life-boat is stationed atBrixham and is representative of the 167stations all round our 5,000 miles of coast;and the men who are here this afternoon,who have received awards for their granddeeds, know full well, as all of us who havetaken a life-long interest in this Institutionknow also, that there are many men all roundthe coast who have not been, as we used tosay in the army, " lucky." For I have nodoubt that the Committee, in doing its workof deciding which of various gallant deedsshould have special recognition, has oftenlonged to make its list longer than it isannually ; but, of course, it is right fromevery point of view that deeds recognized inthis way should be of outstanding andparticular merit.

It is a very delightful thing for all of ushere, coming from all parts of the BritishIsles, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland,to see such a variety of towns round ourcoasts recognized for gallant deeds. It is, ofcourse, a pleasure for me to be here, too, asit would be for any Minister of the Crown, noton personal grounds alone, but on depart-mental grounds, because those who areMinisters of the Crown and heads of depart-ments often marvel at the amount of volun-tary work done by the Civil Service for everykind of good cause. When I realize thatfrom the foundation of the Civil ServiceLife-boat Fund'in 1866, the Civil Service ofthis country has raised over £100,000 for thisgood work, it is a pleasure for a Minister tosay " Thank you," in the name of theInstitution and of the country, to those whohave done that very fine work. (Applause.)I believe my own Ministry, the Ministry ofLabour, raises the largest, or nearly thelargest, annual subscription.

On public grounds this resolution shouldcommend itself; for the life-boat service is awonderful piece of organization. The menwho man our life-boats, 2,000 of them, are notlike the men in the Navy or the MercantileMarine, under regular discipline and regularpay; they are volunteers, rewarded by theInstitution for work done. It is a magnificentpiece of voluntary organization which couldnot be carried out as it is carried out, success-fully, from year to year, if it were not for thecourage, loyalty, and zeal of the crews them-selves, and for the admirable work done bythe local honorary secretaries and committees,both men and women, who give devotedservice, day in, week in, month in, and yearout, to this great cause. (Applause.)

It gives me very particular pleasure to


THE ANNUAL MEETING.

By courtesy of} [ KeystoneH.R.H. THE DUKE OF KENT, K.G.

Left to right: Mr. Ernest Brown, Minister of Labour, H.R.H. The Duke of Kent, CoxswainH. A. Griggs (Hythe), Mr. F C. Sanders (bowman at Torbay), Coxswain William Mogridge

(Torbay).

By courtesy o]} • L.N.A.LIFE-BOATMEN IN LONDON.

Left to right: Coxswain Thomas Sinclair, Mr. Alexander Weir, Mr. John Masson, Mr. J.Cowper (Aberdeen), Coxswain George Leng, Mr. R. B. Cowling (Flamborough), CoxswajnWilliam Mogridge, Mr. F. C. Sanders (Torbay), Coxswain Henry A.Griggs (Hythe),Coxswain

James Coull (Broughty Ferry, Dundee).

20* THE LIFE-BOAT. [JUNE, 1937.

move this resolution, as my earliest memoriesare of being held at the window while a gale ofwind was blowing and the rain was beatingon the panes, and knowing afterwards thatmy own father was out in the life-boat, andto be here when the Torbay men get recog-nition for that great deed outside CheckstoneLedge, and only those who know that partof the country know what that means. Ihave great joy in moving the resolution.(Applause.)

The French Ambatsador.His EXCELLENCY THE FRENCH AMBASSA-

DOR (M. CHARLES CORBIN) : Your RoyalHighness, your Excellencies, my Lords,Ladies and Gentlemen : As the representativeof France, I beg to second the resolutionwhich has been put to you by the Right Hon.Ernest Brown, Minister of Labour, and topay a tribute to the devoted and indefatigableefforts of the Royal National Life-boatInstitution.

In so doing, I am indeed paying a debt ofgratitude to your Society. For more than acentury it has been a pioneer in the fulfilmentof the great humanitarian task of saving lifeat sea. It is on its model that the " SocieteCentrale de Sauvetage des Naufrages " wasfounded in France seventy-two years ago,and, since that time, you have generouslypermitted us, and other similar foreigninstitutions, to share the fruits of your im-provements and progress. Thanks to theinternational conferences established byBritish initiative in 1924, there now existsbetween the different life-saving societies apermanent and practical collaboration whichis of the utmost value to all the participatingcountries.

But it is not only technical advice that theRoyal National Life-boat Institution has tooffer. In the annals of your Society there isa moving record of endurance and couragewhich illustrates in the highest degree thevirtues of a race trained for generations toovercome the terrors of the sea. In thisrespect, the year 1936 was one of the mostactive and glorious in your history. It maywell fill with pride all those who directand support the Royal National Life-boatInstitution. (Applause.)

Personally, I feel that I must emphasizethe exceptionally high number of French shipsand French sailors saved by your organizationduring the winter 1935-1936. Six Frenchvessels were helped, and 52 of my country-men were safely brought into port. (Ap-plause^)

I am glad to express to-day my gratitudeto Mr. A. C. Jones, the honorary secretary atBarry Dock, who, taking command of thelife-boat Prince David, succeeded by hisremarkable promptness and skill in rescuingthe crew of six of the French schoonerGoeland, of Paimpol, a minute before she brokeup On the rocks. I admire the exemplarydevotion to duty of Coxswain William Dassand the crew of the Longhope life-boat, whowent out to the help of the trawler Neptunia,of Havre, and, in intense darkness, by askilful and courageous handling, managed totake off the 41 men of the wrecked vessel.

I also express my warm thanks to CoxswainMogridge and the crew of the Torbay life-boat, who, on the night of the 30th December,1935, went out in very heavy seas to therescue of the trawler Satanicle, of Cherbourg.

In recognition of these splendid achieve-ments, tfip French Government has awardedsilver an*bronze medals to the coxswains andcrews to whom I have referred. (Applause.)In the name of all those French families who,but for this, might be mourning to-day, Ioffer to all the English, Scottish and Welshrescuers who have distinguished themselvesby then- gallantry my profound gratitude.(Applause.)

I hope I shall be forgiven for taking up somuch of your time recalling the servicesrendered to my countrymen. I do not forgetthat during the year 1936 thirty-one foreignvessels, as I have been told by His RoyalHighness, belonging to fourteen differentcountries were assisted by British life-boats.In this humane and inspiring work, yourpeople showed themselves faithful to thespirit of that tradition founded as long agoas 1824, when your then President, SirWilliam Hillary, defined the aims of theRoyal National Life-boat Institution as torescue in war as well as in peace the vesselsand the sailors of any country. (Applause.)

At the present time with so much unrestin international affairs, it is a consolingthought that life-boatmen, inspired by aconstant sense of duty, are always ready togo to the help of vessels in distress, irrespec-tive of the flag under which "they sail.(Applause.)

The help which these brave volunteers areprepared to give at any time and in any placeis an imperishable example of human com-radeship. This is why I ask you to pass aunanimous vote of admiration and gratitudefor the untiring gallantry of the masters andcrews of the life-boats and for fhe greatservices rendered by the local committees,and honorary secretaries and treasurers, whowork for the Royal National Life-boatInstitution. (Applause.)

The resolution was carried unanimously.

Presentations to Honorary Workers.THE SECRETARY : Since the last annual

meeting two honorary workers have beenappointed honorary life-governors of theInstitution. This is the highest honourwhich it can confer on an honorary worker,and the appointment is accompanied by avellum signed by the President of theInstitution.

One of the new honorary life-governors ispresent this afternoon to receive his vellum :

PAIGNTON : DR. R. JULYAN GEORGE.H.R.H. the Duke of Kent, K.G., presented

the vellum.THE SECRETARY : Since the last annual

meeting ten gold badges, which are givenonly for distinguished honorary services,have been awarded. Eight of the recipientsare present this afternoon to receive them :

LONDON, WEST NORWOOD : MR. G. W.BUGG.

ANGLESEY : CAPTAIN R. R. DAVIES,BELFAST : LADY CLARE.


KESSINGLAND : MR. E. WOOLFIELD.LIMERICK : LADY NASH.NOTTINGHAM : MRS. L. M. SMITH.SUFFOLK : MAJOR E. R. COOPER, F.S.A.

(Major Cooper, unfortunately, has beenprevented by illness from coming, buthis daughter is here to receive his badge.)

WlTHKRNSEA t MRS. HILDA BROWN.H.R.H. the Duke of Kent, K.G., presented

the badges.

The Right Hon. Lord Stanley, M.C., M.P.THE RIGHT HON. LORD STANLEY, M.C.,

M.P., Parliamentary and Financial Secretaryto the Admiralty: Your Royal Highness,your Excellencies, my Lords, Ladies andGentlemen : I have very great pleasure inmoving the following resolution :

That this Meeting desires to record its senseof the deep obligation of the Institution to theLadies' Life-boat Guild and its many hundredsof voluntary members for the work which theyhave done in raising funds for the Life-boatService.

We have all listened with great interest thisafternoon to the account of the work of thisInstitution, and there is none of us who hasheard without pride and admiration thewonderful records of heroism of the men whocame to receive their rewards. But we mustnot forget that there is a more prosaic side tothe work of the Institution, and that is theprovision of money, which alone makes ourwork possible. Here, may I remind you thatwe are entirely dependent upon voluntaryefforts. It is in this respect that I would likethe meeting this afternoon to place on recordits sense of the deep obligation of the Institu-tion to the Ladies' Life-boat Guild and itsmany hundreds of voluntary members, forthe work which they have done in raisingfunds for the life-boat service. (Applause.)The work of the ladies is so well known toyou that it requires very few words of minein explanation, but I think it is only fair thatyou should know that out of the contributionsof £103,972 made to the Institution's revenueslast year by its over 1,000 branches, thegreater part is the result of the work of thewomen. (Applause.) The sum of £42,340which was collected on flag days was almostentirely the work of the ladies. (Applause.)

I am sure that none of the ladies presenthere this afternoon will take it as an offenceif, in expressing to them our most gratefulthanks for the work which they have done,I say that when we give them any moneyto spend they can spend it like greasedlightning, but equally they are wizards incollecting money for a good cause. All ofus here this afternoon are agreed that thereis no better cause in the world than the RoyalNational Life-boat Institution. (Applause.)We also agree that no Institution is betterserved by its voluntary workers and collectorsthan we are ourselves. We warmly thankthe ladies of the Guild and all our ladyvoluntary workers for the wonderful workwhich they have done during the past year.We congratulate them most heartily on thesuccess of their efforts, and we hope that theywill do even better during the next twelvemonths. (Applause.)

Lieut.-Commander R. Fletcher, R.N. (Ret.),M.P.

LlEUT.-COMMANDER R. FLETCHEB, R.N.(Ret.), M.P. : Your Royal Highness, yourExcellencies, my Lords, Ladies and Gentle-men : It is a great privilege to second theresolution which has just been proposed byLord Stanley. Lord Stanley and myself arerather prone to differ upon nautical matters,but I would defy anybody's ingenuity todiffer from him this afternoon, and I am veryglad indeed to find myself double-banking hisoar. This resolution is no mere matter ofform. The committee of management andall connected with the Institution have everyreason to feel grateful to the members of theLadies' Life-boat Guild. It is very often saidthat nobody is indispensable, but these ladiesare indispensable to the Institution, for with-out them we could not raise our funds. Wethank them for what they have done, and asis always the case with those who do well, weask them to redouble their efforts.

Our income from subscriptions and fromdonations is still below the 1930 level, thehighest which it has reached, while at thesame time we are faced in the future with yetheavier expenses connected with the mech-anization of the life-boat fleet and replace-ments. So I suggest to the members of theLadies' Life-boat Guild that they shoulddecide this afternoon to make the Coronationyear a record year in their work for the RoyalNational Life-boat Institution, and put usabove the 1930 level.

The work of collecting subscriptions anddonations is always arduous, and very oftentiresome ; but I think all members of theGuild who are here this afternoon must hayefelt very well rewarded indeed for their workwhen they watched those brave men comeup on to this platform to receive their medalsand awards. (Applause.) Without the workof the members of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild,it would not be possible for those thingsto happen, and it is no exaggeration to saythat the members of the Ladies' Life-boatGuild do indeed assist at every launch andat every wreck service. History shows thatladies have always loved brave men and moreespecially when the brave men happen to besailors. These ladies may fairly feel thatthey do a great thing for these particularsailors, because, thanks to the funds whichthey raise for us, the committee of manage-ment are able to be extravagant in onedirection—if indeed it is an extravagance:They are able to give the men who go out inthe life-boats the very best boats that moneycan buy. (Applause.) When a boat islaunched for a. wreck service, it is an anxioustime for the wives who are left behind, butat any rate those wives can feel that the menwho are away are out in a boat which is thevery best boat that money can buy or humaningenuity can devise, and it is because themembers of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild helpus to do this great service for our life-boatcrews that I warmly recommend this resolu-tion of thanks to this meeting. (Applause.)

The resolution was carried unanimously.


Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.SIR GODFREY BARING : Your Royal

Highness, your Excellencies, my Lords,Ladies and Gentlemen : All the resolutionswhich have been passed at this most success-ful meeting have been adopted with greatcordiality, and absolutely unanimously, asone would expect; but I venture to thinkthat the resolution of thanks which I nowhave the honour and privilege of moving toHis Royal Highness will be adopted by thegovernors with very special enthusiasm. Infact, if I may be allowed to use a phrasewhich, as far as I know, has never been usedin a speech before, " very few words of mineare necessary to submit this resolution foryour acceptance." It is :

That the hearty and respectful thanks of thisMeeting be given to His Royal Highness theDuke of Kent, K.G., for presiding over this,the Hundred and Thirteenth Annual GeneralMeeting of the Royal National Life-boatInstitution.

His. Royal Highness has, for a considerablenumber of years now, shown the greatest andthe most deeply appreciated interest in ourwork. He has most kindly performed thenaming ceremony of new boats on no fewerthan nine occasions. He began his much-appreciated services to the life-boat cause bytravelling all the way to the Orkney Islandsto perform two ceremonies there. (Applause.)We recognize that His Royal Highness'sattendances at these naming ceremonies haveinvolved him in long journeys and, I amafraid, serious inconvenience. Last year, weare so glad to think that His Royal Highness,before he became our president, was the chiefspeaker at our meeting and presented theawards. Therefore, we have to thank himnot only for his presence in the chair to-day,and for the speech which he has delivered,but for many past services. May I be allowedvery respectfully, on behalf of the Institution,to express the hope that it may be possiblefor His Royal Highness, in spite of bis many

engagements, frequently to preside at O\Hannual meetings in the future. (Applause.)

' His presence in the chair secures two mostdesirable objects. First of all, it gives thebrave men who receive medals and awardsfor bravery enormous pleasure to receive thosemedals and awards at His Royal Highness'shands. (Applause.) Secondly, His RoyalHighness's presence in the chair secures theutmost measure of publicity for these pro-ceedings. With all our hearts, Your RoyalHighness, we pray that you may be longspared to preside over the destinies of thisgreat Institution. We confidently trust thatunder your auspices the gallant and braveservices of our life-boatmen may continue tobe performed in the years to come with ever-growing efficiency and success. I beg tomove. (Applause.)

The Hon. George Colville.THE HON. GEORGE COLVIIXE (Deputy

Chairman of the Institution): Your RoyalHighness, your Excellencies, my Lords,Ladies and Gentlemen: I have very muchpleasure in seconding the resolution that hasbeen proposed by the chairman of ourInstitution, and I should like to say that thisInstitution is very proud to have a sailorPrince at the helm. (Applause.)

The resolution teas carried with acclamation.

Entertainment of Life-boatmen.After the meeting the ten men who had

received medals and other awards were takento tea at the House of Commons by Rear-Admiral T. P. H. Beamish, C.B., M.P., amember of the committee of management ofthe Institution. In the evening they werethe guests of Sir Oswald Stoll at the Coliseum,where they saw a performance of " TheVagabond King." During the interval theywere taken behind the scenes and werepresented by Mr. George Graves, thecomedian, with signed photographs ofhimself.

The Southport and St. Anne's Disaster.

DECEMBER 9th of last year was thefiftieth anniversary of the great disasteron the Lancashire coast when thelife-boats at Southport and St. Anne'swere both capsized, with the loss of27 lives, in an attempt to rescue thecrew of the barque Mexico. In memoryof these men the Mayor and Mayoressof Southport both placed wreaths onthe memorial which stands on thepromenade. At Lytham-St. Anne'sthe Mayor gave an informal party, atwhich the principal guests were Mr.

Edward Parkinson (aged 84) and Mr.John William Parkinson (aged 74) twoof the three men still alive of theLytham crew which also went out andrescued the crew of the Mexico. Thethird survivor, Mr. Thomas Hardman(aged 79), was prevented by illness frombeing present. He died a few monthslater. Many articles in the LancashirePress recalled that day of disaster.An article on it was published inthe issue of The Life-boat for lastDecember.


The Institution's Expenditure at a Glance.

How each £100 of the Institution's Expenditure was laid out in 1936.

£ s. d.64 12 0 _MHK_M^^_M_^_M_M_K Construction, Re-

pairs, Upkeepand Inspectionof Life-boats andLife-boat Sta-tions.

17 10 0 ̂ ^___i Payments to Life-boat Crews.

14 10 0 mmtm^^mmtm Propaganda and Publicity at Headquarters and 1,071Branches.

3 8 0 ._ Administration.

£100 0 0

(Forjull Statement of Expenditure see pages 316 and 318.)

The Institution's Income at a Glance.

How each £100 of the Institution's Income was obtained in 1936.

£ s. d.40 12 0 JZHMBH^^^H^^^M^MBH, S ubscriptions, Donations, and Life-

boat Days.

33 16 0 mmmm^^^mmtmm^m^^^^ Legacies.

15 18 0 ^^B^^^M Income from Investments.

7 18 0 ̂ ^ Special Gifts.

1 16 0 M Other Sources.

£100 0 0

(Forfull Statement of Income, seepaggt 317 and 819.)


Life-boat Museum at Eastbourne.ON the 22nd March this year a life-boatmuseum was opened at Eastbourne.The Institution has, at its head-quarters in London, a collection oflife-boat pictures and models, andthere have been at various timesshort life-boat exhibitions in differentparts of the country, but this is thefirst, permanent life-boat museum.

It was decided to place this museumat Eastbourne for several reasons.Visitors come there from all overGreat Britain; Eastbourne has hada life-boat station for 115 years; ithas, in the work of raising funds forthe service, one of the most activeand successful branches and ladies'life-boat guilds in the country; andit has, in its old lifeboat-house atthe Wish Tower in the middle of thefront, a building admirably situatedfor the purpose of a museum.

In Memory of William Terries.

The life-boathouse commemoratesa man who was famous in his day, andhis death in tragic circumstances. Theolder generation will remember WilliamTerriss as one of the handsomest andmost popular actors of his time, andhis death in 1897, when he was stabbedby a brother actor outside the stage-door of the Adelphi Theatre in London.A year later the " William TerrissMemorial Life-boathouse " was erectedin Eastbourne near the Wish Tower,out of a fund raised by the LondonDaily Telegraph " From those," as isrecorded on the memorial tablet, " wholoved and admired him."

There was, at that time, one life-boatstation at Eastbourne. In 1903 a secondwas established at the Fishing Station.A motor life-boat was placed at thesecond station in 1921, and in 1924 thefirst station was closed. The WilliamTerriss Memorial Life-boat House hadthen housed an active life-boat fortwenty-six years. Since 1924 it hascontinued to house a life-boat, but fordemonstration only. As such it musthave been inspected by thousands ofvisitors, and now, as the only life-boatmuseum in the British Isles, it should

attract many thousands more and re-main as a permanent feature of thelife-boat service on our coasts. By astrange coincidence the tragic end ofthe man whom the house commemo-rates was recalled to the public, onlya few weeks before the museum wasopened, by the death of his murdererin Broadmoor Asylum.

The Exhibits.

The museum shows the developmentin the work of life-saving from seasince the first life-boat was built atSouth Shields in 1789. Thirteenmodels show the changes in thelife-boat itself from the Original tothe latest types of motor life-boat.Five of those thirteen models werespecially made for the museum bymotor mechanics of the Institutionwho are expert model-makers. Thereis also a model, made by one of theInstitution's surveyors of life-boats,of the motor caterpillar launchingtractor.

A number of exhibits contrast theold method and the new. Life-sizefigures show the nineteenth and thetwentieth-century life-boatmen in theiroilskins, one wearing the old corklife-belt, and the other the modernkapok belt. The old powder signalgun for summoning the life-boat crewis contrasted with the modem mortarand maroon; the old leaded canewhich was thrown by hand to thewreck, carrying a line, with the modernline-throwing gun and line-throwingpistol. Among the actual parts andequipment of a modern life-boat whichare in the exhibition are air-eases,relieving-valves and scuppers, pro-pellers, engine switch and capsizingswitch, drogue, searchlight, anchor,masthead flashing-lamp, fuse and coilboxes, and first aid outfit.

Pictures.

On the walls are a portrait of WilliamTerriss, presented to the museum byhis daughter Lady Hicks, and portraitsof Sir William Hillary, the institution'sfounder, and. famous coxswains of

JUNE, 1987.] THE LIFE-BOAT.

EASTBOURNE LIFE-BOAT MUSEUM.

WILLIAM TERRISS, ACTOR,1847 TO 1897.

From the painting presented to the Museumby his daughter, Lady Hicks.

(See opposite page.)

By courtesy of] [Eastbourne Gazette

LADY HICKS.Speaking at the opening ceremony. (BehindLady Hicks is Mrs Astley Roberts, Presi-dent of the Eastbourne Ladies' Life-boat

Guild.)

INTERIOR OF THE MUSEUM.


England, Scotland, Ireland andWales—men who represent the finestcourage and skill of the life-boatservice.

There are photographs also oflife-boats in action, a cut-out chartof the British Isles with the life-boatstations, a picture showing the useof the drogue, and a model of a sectionof a motor life-boat, showing itsinterior.

There is an Eastbourne section tothe museum, with the service boardsof the station, and portraits of theEastbourne coxswains since 1853.Besides these models for the publicto see, there are other models for themto work—a self-righting life-boat ina tank which they are invited tocapsize, and two models in which,by putting a coin in the slot, theyare able to launch the life-boat tothe rescue and save the shipwreckedcrew.

The Opening Ceremony.

The Mayor of Eastbourne presidedat the opening of the museum,supported by Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.,chairman of the Institution, Lady(Seymour) Hicks (daughter of WilliamTerriss), Mr. Ernest Armstrong, chair-man of the branch, Mrs. Astley Roberts,president of the Eastbourne Ladies'Life-boat Guild, Lieut.-Col. C. R.Satterthwaite, O.B.E., secretary ofthe Institution, Councillor AlexanderRobertson, honorary secretary of thebranch, Lieut.-Commander A.'- O.Bradford, R.N.V.R., V.D., assistanthonorary secretary, and Mr. H. W.Fovargue, the town clerk.

The Mayor spoke of the great pridewhich Eastbourne took in its life-boatstation, and of the station's long record.He congratulated the Institution onhaving chosen Eastbourne as the placefor its national museum, and; recallingthe history of the boat-house, WelcomedLady Hicks, herself a distinguishedactress and the daughter £nd the wifeof famous actors. He hoped it wouldbe a pride and a pleasure to her thatthis memorial to her father was toremain as the permanent home of anational life-boat museum.

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., spoke inparticular of the Institution's debt to

Mr. Ernest Armstrong, chairman ofthe Eastbourne branch, and a memberof the committee of management ofthe Institution, for it was his ideathat the life-boathouse should beconverted into a museum, and he hadpersonally superintended the arrange-ment of the exhibits. He also spokeof the Institution's debt to CouncillorAlexander Robertson, the honorarysecretary of the station for fourteenyears, in whose personal care themuseum would be.

Mr. Ernest Armstrong, in proposinga vote of thanks to the Mayor and SirGodfrey Baring, Bt., announced thatMrs. Astley Roberts, president of theLadies' Life-boat Guild, had decidedto use at once a legacy which she hadleft the Institution in her will, and toprovide with it an illuminated three-faced clock to place on the top of themuseum, where it would be of thegreatest use to the public. In-dependently of Mrs. Astley Roberts,Councillor Alexander Robertson had

Eresented an electric clock whichad already been placed inside the

museum.Mrs. Astley Roberts seconded the

vote of thanks, and said that, withthe help of the museum, the Ladies'Life-boat Guild hoped to be able todo still more in the future for thelife-boat service than it had done inthe past.

Lady Hicks, addressing the audienceas " my very old friends," said : " Iam truly touched to be allowed to takepart in the opening of this museum.Although it is a very happy day, thereis a touch of sadness abouOb, becauseI cannot help looking back ro the dayswhen this life-boathouse was built,soon after my father's death. I amproud and happy to think that he isconnected with anything concerningthe sea; for he always lov^d the sea.As a boy he was a sailor, and he wasknown to his friends as ' Breezy Bill.'I cannot Taplp feeling that he wouldbe very pr^ud to think that he washelping with this museum. I thankyou aU very much. I am sure hisspirit is with us, and he is thanking 'you all."

Sir Godfrey Baring, t̂., thenunlocked the door and declared themuseum open.


Duke of Northumberland's Life-boat Essay Competition, 1937." Imagine that You have been Shipwrecked and Rescued by a Life-boat.

Describe Your Experiences."

THE Duke of Northumberland's Life-boat Essay Competition for elementaryschools has been held this year for theseventeenth time. The number ofschools which took part was 2,146, adecrease of 29 on last year.

Of this total of 2,146 schools, 1,541were English, 293 Scottish, 186 Irishand 126 Welsh. There was a decreasein England and Wales and an increasein Scotland and Ireland.

The number of essays sent in for theinter-school competition was 1,289, anincrease of five on the previous year,and the number of schools which heldtheir own competitions, but did notsend in for the inter-school competitionwas 857, a decrease of 34.

The Subject.The subject set was different from

any of the previous competitions. In-stead of being asked to write about thelife-boat service or life-boatmen, thechildren were asked to write aboutthemselves, to imagine that they hadbeen shipwrecked and rescued by alife-boat and to describe their ex-periences. The subject proved a greatsuccess, and the judges report a markedimprovement in the essays. One judgewrites : " This is the best set of essaysI have marked during the six years Ihave been a judge. The essays weremost original and showed that many ofthe children had more technical knowl-edge of their subject than I shouldhave thought possible."

Another judge writes : " The accountsof shipwrecks are very vividly por-trayed. The details of atmosphericconditions which precede a storm are,in most cases, thrilling. The actualstorms are—generally speaking—veryclearly and accurately described. It isevident that the children have seen (inthe cinema ?)—or read accounts of—wrecks at sea, and have retained a true

^impression of what takes place on thoseoccasions.

" It is rather amusing to note thatmost candidates are on most familiarterms with the captain, and hold him inconversation even when a storm is at

its height and the vessel is about tobecome a total wreck! ! ! Very fewknow much of boat drill and the effectit has as a disciplinary agency in timeof emergency.

" No one seems to remember that ina liner, or a vessel with berths, the life-belts are in their cabins, and not carriedabout by the captain or the crew at themoment of greatest danger."

From Cabin-boy to Lady Imogen.

It is evident also that the childrenthoroughly enjoyed giving their im-agination full play. Sometimes theyare themselves, sometimes other people.One boy writes as a middle-aged manlooking back on his first experience atsea. Another is a cabin boy on astatesman's yacht.

" The Terrific was a luxury yachtbelonging to a well-known statesman,Mr. X. I was a cabin boy. The airwas very moist when the wife of Mr. Xcalled me. ' Boy ! ' she said, ' bringme a glass of wine.' Then to herhusband : ' Isn't it humid ? ' Henodded the affirmative."

Another boy writes: "I was aprivileged passenger on board this ship,and was enjoying myself under anawning erected for my benefit, poringover an interesting book."

One of the girls is a stewardess on alarger passenger boat. Another is re-turning from a cruise in the Mediter-ranean on board her uncle's yacht.Another girl has a footnote to heressay : " ' I' is intended to representLady Imogen."

Descriptions of the Storm.

The storms are described with agreat wealth of language :

" The wind howled, the lightningflashed, the thunder roared, the mastcracked in half and fell with a splashinto the sea, the captain's hat blew off."

" Screaming, howling, the furiouswind swept around the gallant vessel,gathering in volume and vehemence,until, in a crashing, tumultous tornado,it reached its awful climax. Wild


shrieks of the mad, derisive laughter ofthe Storm Fiends raged across theheavens. A momentary lull, the mar-shalling of their destructive forces—andthen with savage onslaught and in-creasing strength and impetus, theyagain belaboured the puny craft of Man.The waters, churned to a seething,struggling mass, lashed the decks. Themountainous waves, towering, toweringabove their helpless prey, crashed uponthe shuddering, groaning ship."

" Our ship gave a threatening lurch,heeled over, kicked her stern high in theair and slid below the waves, with herboiler exploding as a last salute."

" I rushed on deck and was grievedto see all the ship's provisions on thecrest of the waves, all except somemeal, flour and bread, some butter, jam,and a few other things which had beentied in the hold."

" Only one man was killed ; that wasthe wireless operator, who they saiddied of heart failure. A small prayerwas held for him and hats taken off."

The Moment of the Rescue.

The essayists described their ownfeelings with equal vigour and detail,and while some admit to being afraid,many conduct themselves with magnifi-cent calmness, both at the moment ofperil and in the relief of being rescuedby the life-boat.

" The crew clustered round the bridgerail, pushing and shouting in a frenzy ofexcitement. I pushed with the crowd,the primitive instinct of self-preserva-tion driving all thoughts from my mind,but the sight of the captain and matestanding with folded arms and lookingcontemptuously at the straining sailorsbrought back my reason. I felt sud-denly ashamed, and quietly made myway back to where they stood."

" It would be difficult to describe thescenes of joy awakened on our ship bythe sight of that life-boat. Strong menwept with emotion, and leaped aboutthe deck in a transport of joy. Others,I among them, offered up a silentprayer."

A girl of fourteen wrote : " We couldjust make out the outline of the life-boat, its powerful searchlight cleavingthrough the darkness, until it finallyrested on us. Oh, the relief of that

moment! I could have joined thewomen, who at last had broken downin crying, but I managed to keep myselfin check. After all, I reminded myself,I was sixteen, not six."

On Board the Life-boat.

Some of the essayists are veryentertaining (though not necessarilyaccurate) in their descriptions of thelife-boat and her crew. Some find itso jolly on board her that they do notwant to go ashore, and one or two takeevident pleasure in being a centre ofattention.

" Coming towards us at a terrific ratewas a strong, sturdy life-boat. Thenout of its cabin came men, hardy men(fishermen, I think), women and morewomen, struggling to save us from awatery grave."

" I ran on deck to see the life-boat-men speeding on their errand of mercyas though they were hasting to theirbridal ceremony."

" There we were in a large sinkingship, whose only hope of life dependedon four grim men and a cockle-shellmotor launch, a modern David andGoliath ; and history repeated itself;David won."

" To tell the truth it was so cosy andcomfortable inside the life-boat that Iwas exceedingly sorry when we arrivedsafe and sound at the little fishingvillage."

" We were all rubbed down, andwrapped in thick blankets and put inwater-tight lockers where it was cosyand warm."

" Mother said to the man who wasgiving us food :' Thank you very muchfor rescuing us.' ' Oh,' he replied care-lessly, ' we do this every night almost,'and so ended the conversation."

" The kindly fisherfolk put us up forthe night in their simple but spotlesshouses. We were fed with onion brothand then they thankfully crawled awayto bed."

" On entering the life-boatmen'shouses we were astonished to find thatthey had wives and children. Not onlythese men, but nine out of ten life-savers have married."

" When we reached shore, we werecheered by scores of throats that hadcome out to see us."


" Photographs of all the people con-cerned were inside the papers. I wasvery pleased to see a full photograph ofmyself on my stretcher, shaking handswith the captain of the life-boat."

Several essayists found charmingphrases to show their gratitude.

" Among God's creatures some shouldbe just life-boatmen—just angels inoilskins."

Another concludes his essay: " AsGeordie, my shipmate, says : ' If ithadna been fur them we wid be playin'a harp the noo.' "

The Best Essay.

The best essay in Great Britain andIreland came, as last year, from aScottish school. Last year's essay waswritten by a Dundee girl. This year ithas been written by an Edinburgh boy,Osmond P. H. Robb of the Royal HighSchool, Edinburgh.

In the other eight districts, theBedlington Station Council School,Northumberland, has, for the secondyear running, won the challenge shieldin the North-East of England, and theKingsley Senior Boys' School, Croydon,has for the second year running won itin the South-East of England. If theseschools should be successful in winningthem next year, the shields will becometheir property. In the Midlands theshield goes, as last year, to a Coventryschool. In the seventeen competitionsso far held Coventry schools have wonthe shield five times.

Successful Towns.

This year Portsmouth again takesfirst place for the number of winningschools, It has no fewer than eleven,two more than last year. Next comesCardiff with ten ; Liverpool with seven,one more than last year ; Coventry withfive, including the school which haswon the challenge shield for theMidlands ; Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent andOrkney with four each.

Girls versus Boys

Last year the girls, by a little, beatthe boys. This year the boys have it.A boy has won the prize for the bestessay of all; seven of the nine challenge

shields have been won by boys ; and ofthe total of 315 prizes, boys have won161 and girls 154. The prize for thebest essay has now been won eight tunesby boys and ten times by girls, a boyand a girl tying for it in 1933.

The Awards.

Osmond Robb will receive an in-scribed copy of the edition de luxe ofBritain's Life-boats, by Major A. J.Dawson. Each of the other eightwinners of challenge shields will receivea copy of Launch, by Major-GeneralLord Mottistone (Major-General Seely),ex-coxswain of the Brooke, Isle of Wight,life-boat, inscribed by the author. Theschools will hold the shields for a yearand each school will also receive, as apermanent record of its success, a copyof the certificate awarded to the pupil.The other prize-winners will eachreceive a certificate and a copy ofLaunch.

The 857 schools which did not enterfor the inter-school competition, andthe 974 schools which did not win aprize in it, will each receive a certificatefor presentation to the writer of thebest essay in the school.

The Institution's Thanks.

The Institution again warmly thanksthe Education Authorities for allowingthe competition to be held, andin many cases for bringing it to thenotice of the schools; the teachersfor carrying it out; and the judgesin each of the nine districts. TheInstitution knows how much work thecompetition entails both on teachersand judges and it is most grateful fortheir generous help.

Below will be found the names ofthe nine winners of challenge shieldsand the best essay. The full list ofwinners is printed as a separate leaflet,and will be sent, with a copy of thisjournal, to each of the schools whichentered for the inter-school com-petition.

Winners of the Challenge Shields.

LONDON.—Edward Leonard Cox, TheHither Green Senior Boys' School,Beacon Road, Lewisham, S.E.13.


NORTH-EAST OF ENGLAND.—LilianMood, Bedlington Station CouncilSchool, Northumberland.

NORTH-WEST OF ENGLAND.—BettySelcon, Springfield Senior School,Sale, Manchester.

MIDLANDS.—Leslie Robinson, BroadStreet Senior Boys' School, BroadStreet, Coventry.

SOUTH-EAST OF ENGLAND.—AlbertTurner, Kingsley Senior Boys'School, Kingsley Road, Croydon.

SOUTH-WEST OF ENGLAND.—RonaldLewis, Grove Road Senior Boys'Council School, Gosport.

SCOTLAND.—Osmond P. H. Robb,Royal High School, Edinburgh.

IRELAND.—Patrick Crowley, BehaghNational School, Dunmanway, Co.Cork.

WALES.—John Thomas, Bynea CouncilSchool, Llanelly, Carmarthen-shire.

The Best Essay.By OSMOND PATTISON HANDFORD ROBB (14), Royal High School, Edinburgh.

Imagine that You have been Shipwrecked, and Rescued by a Life-boat. Describe YourExperiences.

THE sea was turbulent; a thick fog hung overthe tossing waves, adding to the terrors ofthat awful night, and I knew instinctivelythat the battered little tramp on which Istood would never outlive the wild storm itrode so bravely. I was right, for at thatmoment a dreadful grinding told us theworst; our Mary Ann had struck the rocks,and water poured in through her sprungplates. " All hands to the pumps ! " was thecry ; and I, a mere supercargo, felt humbledand of little use.

The signal rockets flared up through themist-screen ; there was hope, for we werenear a life-boat station and might save ourlives, although the Mary Ann was doomed.. . . We waited with bated breath ; was itpossible that any vessel could brave the re-lentless sea ? At last our answer came; fitfulred flashes in the murk. We had been seen !

A few minutes only elapsed, but it seemedyears before we saw the yellow eye of asearchlight boring through the fog, and heardthe purr of powerful engines. The heroicfishermen volunteers had manned a boat andcome to our rescue 1 At length the sleek

fifty-foot bulk of our deliverer came to ourview ; we saw the oil-spray smoothing thewaters before it, and breathed a prayer ofthanksgiving. Then—a sudden concussion,muffled but audible, and from the line-throwing gun mounted in the sturdy vessel'sbows whipped a snaking rope which ourseamen caught and immediately made fast.

One by one we abandoned our batteredcraft—swinging hand-over-hand down thetaut line, drenched with spume and spray,and but a few feet above the angry ocean.My next memory is of a warm, brightly litcabin ; I was plied with restoratives, andalready my shivering vigil was a memory—anightmare, seemingly remote. Not a handwas lost ; and we were in comfortable sanc-tuary. Perhaps for the first time I marvelledat this splendid volunteer service, to whichhitherto I had only paid lip-service. Tothese sturdy fellows in gleaming oilskins thiswas a common routine—undertaken fromunselfish motives. . •. . It is an experiencethat will live in my mind, revealing both theferocity of the elements, and the essentialkindliness of Man.

Life-boat Conscious.

A CORRESPONDENT vouches for thetruth of the following dialogue, whichhe overheard between two ladies lookingat a life-boat poster in a Londonsuburb.

" I do not see why this districtshould be interested in life-boats. Weare nowhere near the coast."

" No, but isn't there a canal quitenear ? "


Obituary.Lieut.-Col. H. W. Madoc, Isle of Man.

LiEUT.-CoL. HENRY WILLIAM MADOC,C.B.E., M.V.O., who died on 7thJanuary at the age of sixty-eight, wasfor twenty-three years the honorarysecretary of the life-boat station atDouglas, Isle of Man. It was only inAugust of last year that he gave up thehonorary secretaryship, at the sametime that he retired from the post ofchief constable of the Isle of Man,which he had held for twenty-fiveyears. Colonel Madoc found time,among his many official duties, tocontrol for the Institution a life-boatstation which was also an importantfinancial branch. During the last yearof his honorary secretaryship Douglascontributed over £600. In recognitionof his many services to the Institution,Colonel Madoc was awarded its in-scribed binoculars in 1925 and itsgold badge in 1932. On his retirementhe was awarded the thanks of theInstitution inscribed on vellum.

Mr. John Prior, Deal.Mr. John Prior, of Deal, who died on

14th December last at the age ofeighty-four, was for twenty-five yearsthe secretary of one of the most im-portant life-boat stations on our coasts—the famous station at North Deal.The full title of the branch is theGoodwin Sands and Downs Branch,and it included Walmer and Kingsdownas well as Deal. Mr. Prior was secre-tary of all three stations for five years,and of two of them for fifteen years. In1912 Walmer was closed. Then, in 1927,Kingsdown was closed. In 1932 Walmerwas reopened and North Deal wasclosed, as it had been decided to stationa motor life-boat on this part of thecoast and Walmer was chosen as havingbetter conditions for launching. Inthe same year Mr. Prior retired, amonth before his eighty-first birthday.During the twenty-five years of hissecretaryship the North Deal, Walmerand Kingsdown life-boats were launchedon service 273 times, and rescued 581lives. All his life Mr. Prior had beenassociated with the sea. He was incharge of Lloyd's Station, first at The

Lizard, Cornwall, and then at Deal.Later he was the representative at Dealof Lloyds' agents. He was also secre-tary of the Shipwrecked Mariners'Society at Deal and of the Boatmen'sBenevolent Fund. He was twiceawarded the thanks of the Institutioninscribed on vellum. The first occasionwas in November, 1919, when the NorthDeal life-boat and the North Deal re-serve life-boat went out to the help ofthe schooner Toogo, of Esthonia, andthe ketch Corinthian, of London, bothwrecked on the Goodwin Sands, andMr. Prior was in charge throughoutthe day. Then on his retirement thethanks of the Institution were againpresented to him in recognition of hismany services during twenty-five years.

Coxswain Thomas Bowen, of Cardigan.Coxswain Thomas Bowen, who died

in December last at the age of seventy-seven, was for over twenty-five years anofficer of the Cardigan life-boat, and fornineteen of those years its coxswain.He retired in 1920 on account of ill-health, due to exposure on service, andhe received a weekly allowance fromthe Institution until his death, in addi-tion to the usual coxswain's pensionand certificate of service. During histwenty-five years as an officer of theboat 42 lives were rescued. The chiefservice in which he took part was tothe S.S. Conservator, of London, inMarch, 1919. Her crew were rescuedin a very heavy sea, and for the greatcourage and tenacity which CoxswainBowen and his crew showed in adangerous service he was awarded theInstitution's bronze medal.

A number of other life-boat workersand members of life-boat crews havedied this year; among them : the Rev.Henry Vyvyan, of Cadgwith; Mr.F. Le Boulanger, of The Mumbles;Captain David Rees, of New Quay(Cardigan), Mr. Charles Livingston, ofNew Brighton; Mr. Edward Dean,of Oldham, and Mrs. Robert Carpenterof Brighton. Accounts of their servicesto the Institution will appear in thenext issue.


Summary of the Meetings of the Committee of Management.Thursday, llth February, 1937.

Admiral of the Fleet Sir HENRY F.OLIVER in the chair.

Resolved that the respectful thanks of theInstitution be conveyed to Her Majesty theQueen for her gracious consent to accordher patronage to the Institution.

Reported that H.R.H. the Duke of Kent,K.G., had been graciously pleased to assumethe office of President of the Institutionwhich had been held in succession by H.M.King Kdward VII, H.M. King George V,H.M. King Edward VIII, and H.M. KingGeorge VI when they were heirs to thethrone, and resolved that the hearty andrespectful thanks of the Institution be con-veyed to His Royal Highness.

Received with regret the resignation fromthe committee of management of Mr. F.Cavendish Bentinck.

Reported the receipt of the followingspecial contributions :— £ s. d.Miss Margaret Lithgow . . 8,000 6 0The late Miss Annie Ross, dona-

tion 4,881 14 5Civil Service Life-boat Fund . 2,000 0 0The late Mr. John Milroy,

donation from Executors . 64 8 7Anonymous . . . . 25 0 0The Hon. Clive Pearson . . 25 0 0

Paid £24,566 9s. 2d. for the total chargesof the Institution during the month, includingrewards for services, payments for the con-struction of life-boats, life-boathouses andslipways, and the maintenance of life-boatstations.

Included in the above were :—£33610s. 9d. to pay the rewards for life-boat

services ;£56113s. Sd. to pay the rewards for life-boat

launches ;(Accounts of these services and launches

appear on pages 277-284) ;£17 Is. 6rf. for assemblies of crews, etc.;£27 19s. 4<i. on account of pensions already

granted to the dependent relatives of menwho had lost their lives in the life-boatservice at Caister and Rye Harbour ;

£23 3s. 6<J. to men for injury in the life-boat service at Aldeburgh and Caister.

Voted £40 6s. 6d. on account of additionalrewards to the crews of the Exmouth, Hum-ber, Montrose, Skegness, Thurso and Torbaylife-boats.

(Accounts of these launches appear onpages 277-284.)

Voted £8 2s. Od. to pay the rewards forshoreboat services-at Bridlington, Peterheadand Poolbeg, accounts of which appear onpage 290.

Thursday, llth March, 1937Admiral of the Fleet Sir HENRY F.

OLIVER in the chair.Co-opted Sir Charles C. Barrie, K.B.E.,

D.L., J.P., M.P., and Vice-Admiral J. C. W.Henley, C.B., members of the committee ofmanagement.

Appointed Mr. S. C. Dickinson to the newly

created post of Assistant Inspector of Life-boats.

Reported the receipt of the following specialcontributions :— £ s. d.Miss E. S. Paterson . . 3,000 0 0The Rev. A. C. Dyer, M.A. . 200 0 0

Paid £20,690 Is. Sd. for the total charges ofthe Institution during the month, includingrewards for services, payments for the con-struction of life-boats, life-boathouses andslipways, and the maintenance of life-boatstations.

Included in the above were :—£297 11s. 6<J. to pay the rewards for life-

boat services ;£32616s. 9d. topaythe rewards for life-boat

launches(Accounts of these services and launches

appear on pages 284-289) ;£69 6s. 6d. for assemblies of crews, etc. ;£322 7s. 6rf. on account of pensions already

granted to the dependent relatives of menwho had lost their lives in the life-boat serviceat Aldeburgh, Caister, Fethaid, Filey,Fraserburgh, Holyhead, Johnshaven, TheMumbles, New Brighton, Newhaven, Pad-stow, Port St. Mary, Rhoscolyn, Runswick,Rye Harbour, St. Andrews, Troon, Whitbyand Wells ;

£58 18s. Od. to men for injury in the life-boat service at Blackpool, Broughty Ferry,Buckie, Caister, Moelfre, Newhaven, Walmer,and Walton and Frinton.

Voted £62 15s. on account of additionalrewards to the crews of the Flamboroxigh,Hartlepool, Holy Island, New Brighton,and Sennen Cove life-boats.

(Accounts of these launches appear onpages 285-289.)

Decided that the weekly allowance of 10s.granted to the widow of ex-Second CoxswainHaylett, of Caister, at the January meeting,be increased to 15s.

Decided that £115 15s. compensation bepaid in respect of the sinking of the Ashingsmack Isabella, after she had been taken intow by the Cloughey life-boat on the 16thAugust, 1936.

Reported that the Belgian Government hadsent letters of thanks for the rescue of thecrew of a trawler by the North Sunderlandlife-boat on the 28th December last, and forthe services rendered by the Penlee life-boatto another trawler on the llth January.

(Accounts of these services appear respec-tively on page 237 of The Life-boot for March,and on page 277 of the current issue.)

Reported that in recognition of the effortsmade when the s.s. Esbo was wrecked inOctober, 1935, the Finnish Governmenthave awarded silver Life-Saving Medals toCoxswain E. Charnley, of Barrow, CoxswainT. Q. Reay, of Maryport, and Coxswain J. T.Lord, of Ramsey, and Bronze Medals (Orderof the " White Rose," Second Class) to thecrews of the three life-boats.

Voted £1 15s. to pay the rewards forshoreboat services at Boulmer and Jaywick,accounts of which appear on page 290.


News from the Branches.1st February to 30th April, 1937.

Greater London.BARNEHURST.—Bridge and whist drive.

Address by the district organising secretary.BEXLEY HEATH.—Whist drive.BURNT OAK, EDGWARE.—Shrove

Tuesday gala dance. Address to Conser-vative Association by the district organisingsecretary.

CHELSEA.—Annual meeting on 16thFebruary, General Sir Walter Braithwaite,G.C.B., patron, in the chair. Speaker:Colonel the Lord Sempill, a member of thecommittee of management of the Institution.Efforts of the past year: Life-boat day.Amount collected in 1936, £310.

Lectures to St. Peter's Women's Fellow-ship.

CLAPHAM.—Whist drives.CROYDON.—Lantern lecture by Mr.

Ashby. Address by the district organisingsecretary to the Primrose League.

HAMMERSMITH.—Annual meeting on12th April, the Mayor, president, supportedby Councillor Sir Marshall Hays, J.P., chair-man, presiding. Speaker: Sir GodfreyBaring, Bt., chairman of the Institution.Efforts of the past year: Life-boat day,swimming gala. Amount collected in 1936,£68.

Lecture at Wormwood Scrubbs prison.HAREFIELD.—Entertainment by the

"Dainty Dots." Address by the districtorganizing secretary.

HAYES.—Special meeting. Speaker :The district organising secretary. Mrs.Murray appointed honorary secretary inplace of Mrs. Lawson, and Mrs. Potterappointed honorary assistant secretary.

Rummage sale.HORNSEY.—Annual meeting on 25th,

February the Mayor, president, in the chair.Speakers : Colonel the Lord Sempill, a memberof the committee of management of the In-stitution,and the district organising secretary.Efforts of the past year: Life-boat day,whist drive and dance. Amount collectedin 1936, £276.

Lantern lecture by Mr. Stevens, chairmanof the branch.

HOUNSLOW.—Whist drive. Address bythe district organising secretary.

ILFORD.—Life-boat day worker's meet-ing, Alderman Shipman, chairman of thebranch, presiding, Speaker: The districtorganising secretary. Cinema collection withspecial, display.

LEWISHAM.—Bridge afternoon.MALDEN AND COOMBE.—Whist drive.

Address by the district organising secretary.MITCHAM.—Whist drives.ST. ALBANS.—Presentation by Admiral

Sir Lionel Halsey, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O.,K.C.I.E., C.B., a member of the committeeof management of the Institution, of the

statuette of a life-boatman awarded to LadyPeake, president of the Ladies' Life-boatGuild. Speakers : The Mayor, chairmanof the branch, Miss Silvester, honorarysecretary, and the district organisingsecretary.

ST. PANCRAS.—Lectures by Mr. AlfredLeckie and Mr. Mapleton.

WOODFORD AND DISTRICT.—Meet-ing at the Grove, Chigwell Row, by the kind-ness of Mrs. Cable, honorary secretary.Speaker : The district organising secretary.Chigwell Branch of Ladies' Life-boat Guildformed. Lantern lecture at Chigwell Row.

Visit of Author's Club to the Institution'sStoreyard.

Lectures at Dagenham, East Ham, Enfieldand Wimbledon.

North-West of England.

ABRAM AND BICKERSHAW.—Life-boat day.

ACCRINGTON.—Annual collections incinemas. Life-boat day at Church, Clayton-le-Moors and Oswaldtwistle.

ADLINGTON.—Life-boat day.ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE.—American tea.BACUP, BAMBER BRIDGE AND

WALTON-LE-DALE.—Life-boat days.BARROW-IN-FURNESS. — Presentation

by the Mayor of medals awarded by theFinnish Government to members of theBarrow life-boat crew for services in con-nection with the rescue of the Esbo. (Seespecial report on page 306.) Whist drives,jumble sale arranged by the Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

BILLINGE.—Life-boat day.BLACKBURN.—Life-boat day. Lecture

by the district organizing secretary to theRotary Club.

BLACKPOOL.—Annual meeting on 19thFebruary, the Mayor, president, in the chair.Speaker : The district organizing secretary.Efforts of the past year : Life-boat day, life-boat launches with collections, collections inboarding-houses and hotels, life-boat Sundayservice. Amount collected in 1936, £780, anincrease of £118 on 1935.

Fifth annual life-boat Sunday service atSt. Stephen-on-the-Cliffs Church. Preacher :Rev. F. B. Freshwater, chaplain of thebranch, the lessons being read by CoxswainW. R. Parr and ex-Coxswain Harry Parr.The Mayor and Mayoress, members of thetown council, the Blackpool life-boat crewand officials and workers of the Blackpoolbranch attended. The Blackpool life-boatband accompanied the hymns, conducted byMr. J. Brier.

BLACKROD.—Life-boat day.BOLTON.—Annual meeting on llth

March, the Mayor, president of the branch,in the chair. Speaker: The district or-


ganizing secretary. Efforts of the past year :Life-boat day, whist drives, bowling tourna-ment. Amount collected in 1936, £318.

Life-boat day.BREDBURY.—Life-boat day. Lantern

lecture by the Rev. E. D. Reeman, B.A.,Vicar of Bredbury.

BRIERFIELD.—-Life-boat day.BURY.—Annual meeting on 9th March,

the Mayor, president, in the chair. Speaker :The district organizing secretary. Efforts ofthe past year : Life-boat day, American tea,cinema display, bridge drive. Amount col-lected in 1936, £158. Presentation of thestatuette of a life-boatman awarded by theInstitution to Mrs. Wolstenholme, jointhonorary treasurer of the branch.

Life-boat day. Special benefit performanceorganized by Odeon Theatres, Ltd.

CARLISLE.—Annual meeting on 26thFebruary, the Mayor, president, in the chair.Speaker : The district organizing secretary.Efforts of the past year : Life-boat day atSilloth, sale of work, whist drives. Amountcollected in 1936, £160.

Whist drive and dance.CARNFORTH.—Life-boat day.CHESTER.—Annual meeting on 2nd

February, the Mayor, president, in the chair.Speaker : The district organizing secretary.Mr. G. B. Elphick elected honorary secretary,and Mr. R. Allwood, honorary treasurer.Efforts of the past year : Life-boat day, appealfor subscriptions by the Mayor, bridge drive.Amount collected in 1936, £133.

Life-boat day.CHORLEY AND CLITHEROE.—Life-

boat days.COCKERMOUTH.—Special meeting, the

chairman of the Urban District Council inthe chair. Speaker : The district organizingsecretary. Ladies' Life-boat Guild formed.Mrs. P. S. Winn elected chairman ; Mrs.Porter, honorary secretary ; Mr. P. S. Winn,honorary treasurer.

COLNE.—Life-boat day.CREWE.—Annual meeting on 27th April,

Mrs. G. Christie-Miller in the chair. Speaker :The district organizing secretary. Mrs. B.Rowe elected honorary treasurer and Mrs.McWilliams honorary secretary. Amountcollected in 1936, £51, an increase of £32on 1935.

CROMPTON AND SHAW.—Specialmeeting, Councillor F. Wolfenden, J.P.,chairman of the Urban District Council,presiding. Speaker : The district organizingsecretary. Branch formed. The Rev. DavidWilliams elected president; Mr. Eric Milne,honorary treasurer; Miss M. Illingworth,honorary secretary.

Life-boat day.CULCHETH - WITH - KENYON. — Pre-

sentation to Mrs. Paul Peters, honorarysecretary, of the statuette of a life-boatmanawarded to her by the Institution. Life-boat day.

DARWEN,—Life-boat day.

DOUGLAS.—Annual meeting on 12thJanuary, Sir Montagu Butler, K.C.S.I.,C.B., C.I.E., C.V.O., C.B'.E., the Lieut.-Governor, in the chair. Efforts of the pastyear: Life-boat day, collections at boat-house, collections in hotels and boarding-houses. Amount collected in 1936, £714, anincrease of £105 on 1935.

DUKINFIELD.—Annual whist drive.FARNWORTH.—Life-boat day. Ameri-

can tea at house of the president, Mrs. J.Johnson.

GOLBORNE.—Life-boat day.GRANGE-OVER-SANDS.—Annual meet-

ing on 2nd April. Speaker: The districtorganizing secretary. Amount collected in1936, £33, an increase of £1 on 1935.

GREAT HARWOOD. — House-to-housecollection.

HASLINGDEN, HAYDOCK, AND HEY-WOOD.—Life-boat days.

HINDLEY.—Annual meeting and whistdrive on 3rd February. Speaker : The districtorganizing secretary. Mrs. Hope Johnsonelected president in succession to Mrs. Rhys.Efforts of the past year : Whist drive anddance, life-boat day. Amount collected in1936, £62. Presentation to Miss South-worth, honorary secretary, of the statuetteof a life-boatman awarded to her by theInstitution.

Life-boat day.HOLLINGWORTH.—Annual whist drive

and dance.HOLMES CHAPEL.—Presentation to Mrs.

B. Russell, honorary secretary, of the recordof thanks awarded to her by the Institution.Collection at smoking concert by the VictoriaSocial Club.

HORWICH.—Annual house-to-house col-lection. Life-boat films shown.

HYDE.—Annual meeting on 4th March,the Mayor, president, in the chair. Speaker :The district organizing secretary. Efforts ofthe past year : Life-boat day, whist drives.Amount collected in 1936, £98, an increaseof £6 on 1935.

Life-boat days. Whist drive.IRLAM AND CADISHEAD.—Life-boat

day.KENDAL.—Presentation by the Mayor

to Mrs. C. H. Whitaker, president, of thestatuette of a life-boatman awarded to herby the Institution. Performances of " TheirBusiness in Great Waters " by the Strickland-gate Players. Bridge and whist drire.Life-boat day.

KESWICK.—Life-boat days.LAKE DISTRICT.—Annual meeting on

12th March, followed by an illustrated lectureby Dr. G. A. Johnston, J.P., of Ambleside.Speaker : The district organizing secretary.Amount collected in 1936, £111.

LANCASTER.—Cinema collections. Foot-ball collections.

LEIGH.—Life-boat day.


LITTLE HULTON.—Annual meeting on20th April. Speaker: Miss C. E. Dunn.Mrs. Bruce elected president in successionto Mrs. John Seddon, resigned. Amountcollected in 1936, £24.

Life-boat day.LITTLE LEVER.—House-to-house col-

lection.LIVERPOOL, PORT OF. — Annual

meeting on 10th March, the Lord Mayor,president, in the chair. Speaker: Lieut.-Col. C. R. Satterthwaite, O.B.E., thesecretary of the Institution. Efforts of thepast year: House-to-house collections bythe Ladies' Life-boat Guild, shipping appeal,masonic appeal. Amount collected in 1936,£2,374.

LYMM AND HEATLEY.—Life-boat day.MACCLESFIELD.—Annual meeting on

8th March, the Mayor, president, in thechair. Speaker: The district organizingsecretary. Amount collected in 1936, £127.

Life-boat days.MANCHESTER, SALFORD AND

DISTRICT :CHORLTON - CUM - HARDY.—Bring -

and-buy sale, opened by Mr. and Mrs.L. F. Behrens.

HTJLME.—Special meeting, CouncillorD. Gosling in the chair. Guild formed.Colonel Sir Joseph Nail, D.S.O., M.P., andLady Nail elected presidents ; Councillorand Mrs. D. Gosling, Councillor and Mrs.H. Quinney and Councillor and Mrs. H.Ramsden, vice-presidents ; chairman, Mrs.Swann; honorary treasurer, Mrs. Hors-field ; honorary secretary, Mrs. Cowley.

ECCLES.—Annual meeting on llth Feb-ruary, the Mayor, president, in the chair.Life-boat films shown.

MANCHESTER.—Annual dinner on 9thMarch, Alderman Joseph Crookes Grime,O.B.E., J.P., chairman, presiding, in theabsence of the Lord Mayor, supported bythe Lady Mayoress and the Mayor ofSalford. Speakers: Lieut.-Col. C. R.Satterthwaite, O.B.E., secretary of theInstitution, Mr. P. M. Oliver, C.B.E.,honorary secretary of the Manchester,Salford and district branch, and the DeputyMayoress of Middleton.

Mannequin parade by Messrs. Pauldens,Alderman Joseph Crookes Grime, O.B.E.,in the chair. Speakers: Lady Nail, sup-ported by Colonel Sir Joseph Nail, D.S.O.,M.P. Concert given by the ManchesterJewish Working Men's Club AmateurMinstrels Troupe.

Life-boat days. Bebe Daniels and BenLyon, the variety and film artistes visitedthe depots. Lei-tures to the Claremont,Langworthy, Ladybarn and Kersalbranches of the Women's Citizens Asso-ciation. Collections at the DeansgateCinema with life-boat films shown.

PRESTWICH.—Special meeting.RUSHOLME.—Special meetings.SALFORD.—Special meeting, Alderman

J. Hardy presiding. Supper and ball

attended by the Mayor and Mayoress.Lecture to the members of the Girls'Friendly Society at Weaste Parish ChurchHall.

STRETFORD.—Annual meeting on 9thApril, Lady Robinson, president andchairman, in the chair. Mrs. J. Gloverand Mrs. Waters elected joint honorarysecretaries.

WALKDEN.—Annual meeting on 16thMarch.

WHITWORTH PARK AND CHORL-TON-ON-MEDLOCK.—Special meeting.MARYPORT.—Presentation on 19th April

by Colonel G. J. Pocklington-Senhouse, J.P.,president, of medals and diplomas awarded bythe Finnish Government to the life-boatcrew for services in connexion with the wreckof the s.s. Esbo on 19th October, 1935. (Seespecial report on page 306.)

Whist drive, arranged by the Ladies'Life-boat Guild.

MIDDLETON.—Annual meeting andwhist drive on 6th April, the Mayor, pre-sident, in the chair. Speaker : The districtorganizing secretary. Mrs. Kay elected vice-president. Amount collected in 1936, £72,an increase of £17 on 1935.

Life-boat day.MIDDLEWICH.—Annual meeting on 19th

March. Speaker: The district organizingsecretary. Amount collected in 1936, £21.Presentation to Mrs. Dunningham, honorarysecretary, of the framed record of thanksawarded to her by the Institution.

Life-boat day.MILLOM.—Annual house-to-house col-

lection.MILNTHORPE AND MOSSLEY.—Life-

boat days.NANTWICH.—Annual meeting on 17th

February, Mrs. C. A. Codrington, president,in the chair. Speaker: The district or-ganizing secretary. Amount collected in1936, £75, an increase of £6 on 1935.

NELSON.—Special meeting at the houseof Mrs. Rex Mayall. Speaker: The districtorganizing secretary.

NEW BRIGHTON.—Annual supper andentertainment to the life-boat crew.

NEWTON - IN - MAKERFIELD. — Life-boat day.

OLDHAM.—Annual meeting on 18thFebruary, the Mayor, president, in the chair.Speaker : The district organizing secretary.Efforts of the past year : Annual whist driveand dance. Amount collected in 1936, £245.

Life-boat days.ORRELL AND PADIHAM.—Life-boat

days.POYNTON.—Life-boat day. Whist drive

and dance.PRESTON.—Annual meeting on llth

February. Speaker : The district organizingsecretary. Efforts of the past year : Life-boat day, bazaar and jumble sale, arranged byMiss Gardiner. Amount collected in 1936,£290, an increase of £110 on 1935.

Life-boat day in surrounding villages.


RAINFORD.—Life-boat day.RAMSEY.—Presentation by Mr. T. J.

Reubens, chairman of the Town Commis-sioners, of medals awarded by the FinnishGovernment to members of the Ramsey life-boat crew for services in connexion with thewreck of the Esbo on 19th October, 1935.

RISHTON.—Annual meeting on 1st April.Amount collected in 1936, £13.

Life-boat day.ROCHDALE.—Annual meeting on 18th

February, Councillor G. J. Parker, J.P.,

Presiding in the absence of the Mayor.peaker : The district organizing secretary.

Amount collected in 1936, £170.ROMILEY.—Life-boat day.

1 SABDEN.—House-to-house collection.SADDLEWORTH.—Annual meeting on

16th March. Speaker: The district or-ganizing secretary. Mrs. K. C. Wilby electedhonorary secretary and Mrs. Eastwood electedhonorary treasurer. Amount collected in1936, £48, an increase of £44 on 1935.

Life-boat day.STOCKPORT.—Life-boat days. Annual

whist drive and dance.TARPORLEY.—Special meeting at the

house of Mr. Marshall Brooks. Speaker : Thedistrict organizing secretary. Collectionmade. Lecture to members of the TarporleyWomen's Institute. Life-boat day.

TURTON, UPHOLLAND, AND WAR-RINGTON.—Life-boat days.

WESTHOUGHTON. — Life-boat day.Whist drive.

WHALEY BRIDGE. — Life-boat day.WIDNES.—Special meeting at the house

of Mrs. G. Williams. Speaker : The districtorganizing secretary. The Mayoress electedpresident and chairman ; Mrs. Riding andMrs. McDonnell, joint honorary secretaries ;Mrs. Ashton, honorary treasurer.

Life-boat day.WIGAN.—Life-boat day.WORKINGTON.—Annual meeting on

24th February. Speaker : The district or-ganizing secretary. Mrs. J. A. Ellis electedpresident and Miss M. Dawson honorarysecretary. Amount collected in 1936, £80,an increase of £5 on 1935.

North-East of England.ABERFORD.—Life-boat day.BAWTRY.—House-to-house collection.BENTLEY AND ARKSEY.—Life-boat

day.BEVERLEY.—Whist drive.BINGLEY.—Annual meeting on llth

February. Mrs. W. O. Roff, president, in thechair.

BLYTH.—Annual meeting on 18th March,the Mayor, president, in the chair. Efforts ofthe past year : Annual supper to life-boatcrew, whist-drive and dance. Amount col-lected in 1936, £331, an increase of £14 on1935.

BRIDLINGTON.—Annual meeting on25th March, Captain T. L. Wickham-BoyntonJ.P., president, in the chair. Efforts of thepast year : Whist drives, concert, life-boatday. Amount collected in 1936, £248.

BRIGHOUSE.—Life-boat day.BRODSWORTH.—Whist drive.CAMPSALL.—House-to-house collection.COLLINGHAM.—Life-boat day.CONISBOROUGH—Whist drive.CONSETT.—Bridge drive.CULLERCOATS.—Whist and bridge

drive.DARFIELD.—Whist drive.DARLINGTON.—Annual meeting on 18th

March, the Mayor, president, in the chair.Efforts of the past year : Bridge and whistdrives, garden party, life-boat day. Amountcollected in 1936, £246, an increase of £44on 1935.

Bridge drive and egg week.DARRINGTON. — House-to-house col-

lection.DONCASTER.—Annual meeting on 8th

February, the Mayor presiding. Efforts ofthe past year : Jumble sale, whist drive, life-boat day. Amount collected in 1936, £219,an increase of £32 on 1935.

FLAMBOROUGH.—Annual meeting on17th February, Dr. R. C. Field, chairman,presiding. Efforts of the past year : Life-boat day and special effort. Amount col-lected in 1936, £203.

GATESHEAD.—Bridge drives and life-boat day.

GOLDTHORPE.—Whist drive and dance.HALIFAX.—Annual meeting on 26th

February, the Mayor, president, in the chair.Efforts of the past year : Bring-and-buy sale,bridge drives, dance, collections. Amountcollected in 1936, £207.

Life-boat day.HARROGATE.—Whist drive and dance,

solo whist drive.HEADINGLEY.—Whist drive and dance.HECKMONDWIKE.—Bridge drive.HEPWORTH AND SCHOLES.—House-

to-house collection.HULL.—Collection in cinemas.KEIGHLEY.—Life-boat day.KIRKBURTON.—Bridge and whist drive.LEEDS.—Dance, golf-club competition.MIRFIELD.—Bridge drive.MORPETH.—Life-boat day.NEWCASTLE.—Bridge drives, life-boat

day.POCKLINGTON.—Life-boat day, bridge

drive.REDCAR AND TEESMOUTH.—Dinner

to crew.ROSSINGTON.—Dance.RUNSWICK AND STAITHES.—Dance.


SHEFFIELD.—Annual meeting on 8thApril, the Lord Mayor, president,. in thechair. Speaker: The Bishop of Sheffield.Efforts of the past year : Life-boat day, col-lection in churches, dance, American tea.Amount collected in 1936, £421, an increaseof £75 on 1935.

Ball, concert.SKELLOW AND CARCROFT.—Life-boat

day.SKELMANTHORPE.—House> to - house,

whist drive and dance.SKIPTON.—Life-boat day.SOUTH KIRKBY.—Whist drive and

dance.SOUTH SHIELDS.—Dinner and whist

drive.SPENBOROUGH.—Social.SPROTBOROUGH AND STAINFORTH.

—Life-boat days.SUNDERLAND.—Bridge and whist drive.THURNSCOE.—Whist drive.TICKHILL.—House-to-house collection.TYNEMOUTH.—Whist drive.WAKEFIELD.—Collection in Playhouse,

whist drive.WITHERNSEA.—Operas.WOODLANDS.—Life-boat day.YORK.—Special meeting on 22nd March

in Mansion House, the Lady Mayoress pre-siding. Mrs. Gibson elected honorary sec-retary.

Midlands.BADSEY.—Whist drive.BELPER AND HEAGE.—Life-boat day.BIRMINGHAM.—Exhibition of life-boat

photographs (a special report will appearin the next issue of The Life-boat). Jumblesale, organized by the Ladies' Life-boatGuild. House-to-house collections at Yard-ley, Erdington, Hall Green, Harborne,Moseley and Weoley Castle. Whist drivearranged by Mrs. Penny, Quinton.

BLACKHEATH.—Life-boat day.BLOCKLEY.—Whist drive.BOURNE AND BRIGG.—Life-boat days.BRISTOL.—Life-boat day. Lantern talk

on life-boat work, by Mr. G. F. Igglesden,honorary treasurer, to British Legion atWestbury-on-Trym.

BROWNHILLS AND CIRENCESTER.—Life-boat days.

COVENTRY.—Annual meeting, theMayor, president, in the chair. Speaker :The district organizing secretary. Amountcollected in 1936, £154. Presentation bythe Mayor of the life-boat picture awardedby the Institution to Mr. Orr at the RialtoTheatre.

CRADLEY HEATH AND OLD HILL.—Whist drive, arranged by Miss E. Doris Pugh.

DESBOROUGH, EARL SHILTON, ANDFAIRFORD AND LECHLADE.—Life-boatdays.

GRIMSBY.—Life-boat day at Barton-on-Humber.

HEANOR.—Life-boat day.KENIL WORTH. — House-to-house col-

lection.KIDDERMINSTER. — House - to - house

collection at Bewdley.LEAMINGTON.—Annual house-to-house

week, organized by Mrs. B. A. Holding,honorary secretary of the branch.

LOUGHBOROUGH AND MELTONMOWBRAY.—Life-boat days.

NOTTINGHAM.—Annual dancing display,under direction of Miss Allen.

NUNEATON.—Dance, organized by MissM. Bostock.

OLDBURY AND LANGLEY.—Annualmeeting, Mrs. M. R. Growcott, chairman,presiding. Speaker : The district organizingsecretary. Amount collected in 1936, £46,an increase of £10 on 1935.

PETERBOROUGH. •— Annual meeting,Lady Winfrey, president, in the chair.Speaker : Lieut.-Col. A. D. Burnett Brown,M.C., T.D., deputy secretary of the Institu-tion. Resignation of Miss L. M. Gray ashonorary secretary and appointment of MissW. Neave. Amount collected in 1936, £216.

Whist drive at Clinton arranged by Mr.A. T. Dickinson.

SHIPSTON-ON-STOUR.—Entertainment,arranged by Women's Institute.

SMETHWICK.—Annual meeting, Mr.Samuel Smith, J.P., Deputy-Mayor, in thechair. Speaker: The district organizingsecretary.

SOLIHULL. — House-to-house collectionand subscription appeal.

SPALDING.—Life-boat day. Dance.STAFFORD, STOW - IN - THE - WOLD,

STROUD, TETBURY AND WARWICK.—Life-boat days.

WELLINGBOROUGH. — Life-boat day.Two lantern talks by the district organizingsecretary. Whist drive.

WOLVERHAMPTON. — Life-boat day.Lantern talk to the Codsall and firewoodWomen's Institutes by the district organizingsecretary.

WORKSOP.—Life-boat day and house-to-house collection.

South-East of England.ASHFORD.—House-to-house collection at

Kennington.AYLESBURY.—Life-boat day.BECCLES.—Life-boat days at Beccles,

Bungay and Halesworth.BIGGLESWADE.—Bridge drive.BISHOP'S STORTFORD.—" Riders of

the Storm " film shown with collections.CAISTER.—Whist drive.CANTERBURY. — Annual meeting,

Captain W. Vansittart Howard, D.S.O., R.N.,chairman, presiding. Speaker: Surgeon-Captain K. H. Jones, R.N., M.B., F.Z.S.,


vice-chairman of the branch. Efforts of thepast year : Life-boat day, church and house-to-house collections. Amount collected in1936, £116, an increase of £7 on 1935.

Whist drive.CATERHAM.—Bridge drive.CHESHAM AND AMERSHAM.—Life-

boat day at Amersham.CHICHESTER.—Address to the Rotary

Club, by Mr. J. E. Francis, late honorarytreasurer of the Selsey branch.

CLACTON-ON-SEA. — Annual meeting,Mr. H. J. Grant, president, in the chair.Efforts of the past year : Life-boat Sundayand boat-house collections, and life-boat day,dancing display and whist drive arranged bythe Ladies' Life-boat Guild. Amountcollected in 1936, £599, an increase of £148on 1935.

Supper to the life-boat crew. The recordof thanks awarded by the Institution to thechairman, Dr. J. Coxhead Cook, on his retire-ment, presented to him by the president,Mr. H. J. Grant. Half proceeds of a saleof work.

CRAWLEY, WORTH, AND THREEBRIDGES.—Life-boat days. Lectures to theIfleld and Three Bridges and Worth Women'sInstitutes.

DARTFORD AND DISTRICT, ANDDOWNHAM MARKET.—Life-boat days.

EASTBOURNE.-rOpening of life-boatmuseum. (See special report on page 298.)

Life-boat day at Heathfield. Lectures atBurwash, Chiddingly, Heathfield Tower andWaldron Women's Institutes.

EAST DEREHAM, ELY, AND GER-HARD'S CROSS.—Life-boat days.

HASTINGS,—Theatre collection. Lec-tures at Battle and Guestling Women'sInstitutes.

MARLOW.—Life-boat day.MIDHURST.—" Heroes of the Sea " film

shown with collections. Lecture at Ease-bourne Women's Institute.

RAMSGATE. — The life-boat pictureawarded by the Institution to Mrs. Dutton,honorary secretary of the Ladies' Life-boatGuild, presented to her by the Mayor at theRoyal Temple Yacht Club. Captain J.Houghton, honorary secretary of the branch,presiding.

SEAFORD.—American tea, with addressby the assistant district secretary.

SELSEY.—Whist drive.SITTINGBOURNE. — Football match

(Messrs. E. Lloyd's v. London Fire Brigade).SLOUGH.—Life-boat day.SWAFFHAM.—House-to-house collection.THETFORD AND TONBRLDGE.—Life-

boat days.TUNBRIDGE WELLS.—Competition at

Nevill Golf Club.UCKFIELD AND DISTRICT.—Life-boat

day.

WALTON AND FRINTON.—Officers andcrew of. the life-boat entertained to supper bythe Yacht Club. Annual dinner to the life-boat crew, Colonel A. S. Marriott, C.B.E.,honorary secretary for Frinton, presiding.

Certificates of service awarded by theInstitution to ex-Coxswain J. C. Byford, andto two members of the life-boat crew, ontheir retirement, presented by ColonelMarriott.

WELWYN.—House-to-house collection.WESTERHAM.—Bridge evening.WHITSTABLE AND WINSLOW. —

Life-boat days.WITHAM.—" Heroes of the Sea" film

shown with collections.WOKINGHAM.—Golf competition at East

Berks Club, Crowthorne.WOLVERTON AND DISTRICT.—Life-

boat day.WORTHING.—Annual meeting, the

Mayor presiding. Speaker : Lieut.-Col. A. D.Burnett Brown, M.C., T.D., deputy secretaryof the Institution. Efforts of the past year :Life-boat day, church collections, collectionsat boat-house. Amount collected in 1936,£481, an increase of £74 on 1935.

GREAT YARMOUTH AND GORLE-STON.—Badminton tournament, arrangedby the Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

Life-boat officers and crew entertained todinner by Mr. E. A. Oakes, vice-chairmanof the branch. The presentation barometerawarded by the Institution to Mr. ElleryHarris, a member of the crew, for saving thelife of a fellow life-boatman when they wereboth washed overboard on service on 18thNovember last, was presented to him byLady Vincent.

Lectures were also given at St. Michael'sSchool, Otford, at Pluckley Women's In-stitute by Colonel A. C. Barnby, O.B.E.,honorary secretary of the Rochester branch,at Brill and Brockham Warren, at Cobham,by Miss Margaret Power, honorary secretaryof the branch, and at the Women's Institutesat Boxted, Downham (Essex), Eaton Socon,Great Horkesley, Hartfield, Jarvis Brook,Kingscote, Lambourne, Plumpton, Portslade,Rotherfield, Southover, South Woodham,Wethersfield and Worplesdon.

South-West of England.ABINGDON.—Life-boat day.AXMINSTER.—Life-boat days at Ax-

minster and Honiton.BARNSTAPLE.—Life-boat days at Barn-

staple and South Molton.BATH.—Annual meeting, Sir Bertram

Cubitt, K.C.B., D.L., J.P., chairman, pre-siding, supported by the Mayoress. Speaker :The district organizing secretary. Amountcollected in 1936, £348, an increase of £18on 1935.

Life-boat day.BRIDPORT.—Annual meeting, Rear-

Adiniral C. H. Fox, C.B., president, in thechair. Speaker: The district organizingsecretary. Amount collected in 1936, £89,an increase of £4 on 1935.


CHIPPENHAM, CHIPPING NORTONAND CREDITON.—Life-boat days.

CLOVELLY.—The station has lost aformer coxswain by the death of Mr. AlfredBraund, who was an officer of the life-boatfor 30 years.

DAWLISH.—Life-boat day in Dawlishand district.

EXETER.—Annual meeting, the Mayor inthe chair. Speaker : Commander H. Strong,R.D., R.N.R. (ret.), a member of the com-mittee of management of the Institution.Mr. H. M. Smardon, honorary secretary of theTorbay station, attended with the coxswainof the Torbay motor life-boat, and gave anaccount of the service to the steamer EnglishTrader. Efforts of past year : Life-boat day,whist drives and jumble sale. Amount col-lected in 1936, £277, an increase of £11 on1935.

Whist drive, prizes presented by theMayoress. Life-boat day.

FALMOUTH.—Life-boat day in Falmouthand villages.

FAREHAM.—Life-boat day in Farehamand villages.

HELSTON.—Whist drive.HENLEY.—Life-boat day.ILFRACOMBE.—American tea, organized

by the Ladies' Life-boat Guild. Address byMr. T. R. L. Green, the honorary secretaryof the branch.

NEWQUAY.—Special meeting, Lieut.-Col.Sir Hugh Protheroe-Smith, O.B.E., presiding.Speaker: Colonel the Lord Sempill, amember of the committee of managementof the Institution. Presentation to Mrs.Rickard of the framed life-boat pictureawarded to her by the Institution.

OXFORD.—Annual meeting, the Rev.W. M. Merry, M.A., vice-president, in thechair. Speaker : Lieut.-Commander R.Fletcher, R.N. (ret.), M.P., a member of thecommittee of management of the Institution.Efforts of past year : Life-boat day andhouse-to-house collections. Amount col-lected in 1936, £619.

Presentation to Miss Hobbs of framedrecord of thanks awarded to her by theInstitution.

PA1GNTON.—Whist drives.PLYMOUTH.—Presentation by the Vis-

countess Astor, M.P., president of the Ladies'Life-boat Guild, to Mrs. Charles, Mrs. Gaydonand Mrs. Scantlebury, members of the Guild,of statuettes of a life-boatman awarded tothem by the Institution. Physical trainingdisplay in the Guildhall, arranged by Mr. andMrs. G. Scantlebury, the Lord Mayor pre-siding, supported by the Lady Mayoress andthe Hon. Lady Drax.

POOLE.—Annual meeting, the Mayorin the chair. Speaker: Lieut.-Col. A. D.Burnett Brown, M.C., T.D., deputy-secretaryof the Institution. Efforts of past year:Life-boat day, collections at opening ofgardens. Amount collected in 1936, £283.

PORTSMOUTH.—Annual meeting of thebranch and Ladies' Life-boat Guild, AldermanSir Harold Pink, J.P., chairman, presiding.

Speaker : The district organizing secretary.Efforts of past year : Life-boat day, includingHavant, bridge and whist drives. Amountcollected in 1936, £583, an increase of £79on 1935.

Presentation by the Commander-in-Chief,Admiral Sir William Fisher, G.C.B., G.C.V.O.,of prizes won in the life-boat essay com-petition. Annual bridge and whist tourna-ment, Portsdown ; prizes presented by LadyFisher.

READING.—Special meeting of theLadies' Life-boat Guild, Lady Abram, M.B.E.,J.P., president, in the chair. Speaker : Thedistrict organizing secretary. Life-boat day.

SALCOMBE.—The station has lost an oldmember of its crew by the death of Mr.James Distin, who was coxswain for 26 yearsuntil 1911. From 1911 until his retirementin 1930 he was head launcher.

SALISBURY.—Life-boat day. Annualwhist drive at Bemerton.

SHEPTON MALLET.—Life-boat day atBruton.

SOUTHAMPTON.—Annual meeting, theMayor, president, in the chair. Speaker:Lieut.-Col. C. R. Satterthwaite, O.B.E.,secretary of the Institution. Efforts of pastyear : Life-boat day, shipping, works andtheatre collections, dramatic performances,whist drives. Amount collected in 1936,£741, Presentation to Mr. J. E. Mouland ofthe framed life-boat picture awarded to himby the Institution, and of a clock and silverpencil from the Ladies' Life-boat Guild.Prizes presented to winners in the life-boatessay competition.

Whist drive, organized by the Ladies' Life-boat Guild. Collection at Grand Theatre.Dramatic performances by the BlenheimPlayers.

ST. IVES.—Annual meeting of the Ladies'Life-boat Guild.

SWANAGE.—Social, arranged by theLadies' Life-boat Guild. Special meeting ofthe Ladies' Life-boat Guild. Speaker : Thedistrict organizing secretary.

TAVISTOCK AND THAME.—Life-boatdays.

TORBAY.—Officials of the branch and thecrew of the motor life-boat entertained todinner by Captain Howe, of the steamerEnglish Trader, from which the life-boat hadrescued 52 lives on 24th January.

TORQUAY.—Annual meeting of theLadies' Life-boat Guild, Mrs. Callard, chair-man, presiding. Speaker : The district or-ganizing secretary. Annual whist and'bridgedrive.

TROWBRIDGE.—Life-boat day.WARMINSTER.—Life-boat day in War-

minster and district, and life-boat filmshown at the cinema.

WELLS AND WESTBURY.—Life-boatdays.

WINCHESTER.—Life-boat days at Aires-ford, Ropley and Four Marks.

YEOVIL.—Life-boat day at Crewkerne.Lectures at Newbury and Woolton Hill.


Scotland.

Meeting of the Scottish Life-boat Council inEdinburgh' on 30th April, the Duke of Mont-rose, C.B., C.V.O., V.D., LL.D., chairman ofthe council, and a vice-president of theinstitution, in the chair. Vice-Admiral theHon. W. S. Leveson Gower, C.B., D.S.O., wasappointed vice-chairman and awards werepresented to honorary workers. Speakers:The Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Harriet,Lady Findlay, D.B.E., honorary secretary ofthe Council, Rear-Admiral R. C. Davenport,C.B., and Lieut.-Col. A. D. Burnett Brown,M.C., T.D., deputy-secretary of the Insti-tution.

ABERDEEN.—Annual meeting on 26thFebruary, the Lord Provost presiding.Speaker : Commander Henry Strong, R.D.,R.N.R. (ret.), a member of the committeeof management of the Institution. Presenta-tion to Coxswain Sinclair of the thanks ofthe Institution inscribed on vellum, whichaccompanied the bronze medal awarded tohim for the service to the George Stroud onChristmas Day, 1935. Efforts of the pastyear: Life-boat day and house-to-housewllection. Amount collected in 1936, £983.

Lantern lecture.ABERLOUR.—Life-boat day.ALLOA.—Life-boat day at Dollar.ARBROATH.—Special meeting of the

Ladies' Life-boat Guild. Speaker: Com-mander Henry Strong, R.D., R.N.R. (ret.), amember of the committee of management ofthe Institution. Address by CommanderStrong to the Rotary Club.

Cinema entertainment organized by theLadies' Life-boat Guild, Provost Sir WilliamChapel presiding.. ARDRISHAIG.—Special meeting, ColonelHume Greenfield of Fascadale presiding, atwhich the branch was reconstituted.Speakers : Mr, Alexander Blue, Dr. Mathesonaftd the Scottish organizing secretary.

AUCHTERMUCHTY.—Life-boat day.AYTON AND BURNMOUTH.—Military

whist drive.BANFF.—Dancing display by the pupils

of the Alexandria School of Dancing, or-ganized by Miss Lexy Wilson.

BARRHEAD AND BO'NESS.—Life-boatdays.

BRIDGE OF ALLAN.—Drawing-roommeeting, with lantern lecture by CaptainRobert Mends, R.N.

CAMPBELTOWN.—The branch hassuffered a severe loss through the death of Mr.Charles MacGrory, J.P., who had been jointhonorary secretary since 1931.

CARNWATH.—Life-boat day.DENNY.—Whist drive and dance, Provost

Loney presiding. Address by the Scottishorganizing secretary.

DINGWALL.—Life-boat day.DUNBAR.—Fancy dress ball at Inner-

wick, organized by the Women's RuralInstitute.

DUNDEE.—Annual meeting on 24thFebruary, Mr. Ralph C. Cowper, J.P., pre-sident, in the chair. Speaker : CommanderHenry Strong, R.D., R.N.R. (ret.), a memberof the committee of management of theInstitution. Presentation to Mrs. W. P.Laird, and to Mrs. Lawson for the late Mrs.Soutar, of the records of thanks awarded tothem by the Institution. Efforts of the pastyear : Life-boat day and house-to-housecollection. Amount collected in 1936, £1,042.

DUNFERMLINE AND ROSYTH.—Con-cert and dancing display at Rosyth. House-to-house collection at Rosyth.

DUNOON.—Special meeting, ProvostMcPherson presiding, at which the Ladies'Life-boat Guild was reconstituted. Speakers :Lieut.-Commander J. Jamieson, R.N. (ret.),and the Scottish organizing secretary.

EDINBURGH.—Address to the Sorop-timist Club by Commander Henry Strong,R.D., R.N.R. (ret.), a member of the com-mittee of management of the Institution.Bridge and whist drive, organized by theLadies' Life-boat Guild, the prizes distributedby Harriet, Lady Findlay, D.B.E., presidentof the Guild, who also gave an address. Per-formance of " Their Business in GreatWaters " by Buccleuch Church LiterarySociety. Performance of " Their Business inGreat Waters " by the Scottish Co-operativeWholesale Society Amateur Dramatic Club.Address to the Rotary Club by Rear-AdmiralR. C. Davenport, C.B., Commanding Officer,Coast of Scotland. Life-boat day. Lanternlectures.

EYEMOUTH.—Song recital and lanternlecture, organized by the Townswoman'sGuild.

FALKIRK.—Life-boat day at Falkirk andPolmont.

FORRES.—Life-boat day.FRASERBURGH.—Special meeting, Pro-

vost Walker presiding, at which a branch ofthe Ladies' Life-boat Guild was formed.Speakers : Lady Saltoun, ex-Provost A. G.Brown and the Scottish organizing secretary.Badges were presented to Guild members byLady Saltoun. Lantern lecture.

GALASHIELS.—Annual meeting on 9thMarch, Mrs. Macpherson Brown presiding.Speaker : Mr. William Bertram, J.P.,honorary secretary of the Dunbar andSkateraw branch. Efforts of the past year :Daffodil day. Amount collected in 1936, £55.

GLASGOW.—Mannequin parade, withspeeches by Harriet, Lady Findlay, D.B.E.honorary secretary, Scottish Life-boatCouncil, and Mrs. John J. D. Hourston,O.B.E., J.P., president, Ladies' Life-boatGuild.

Lantern lecture.KEITH.—House-to-house collection.KELSO.—Jumble sale.KILMARNOCK.—Annual meeting of the

Ladies' Life-boat Guild on 7th April, LadyRowallan, president, in the chair. Speaker :The Scottish organizing secretary. Efforts ofthe past year : Life-boat day, dancing display


and church service. Amount collected in1936, £182, an increase of £24 on 1935.

KILSYTH.—Life-boat day.KIRKCUDBRIGHT.—Special meeting at

which the life-boatman's certificate was pre-sented to Mr. William Robson in recognitionof twenty years' service as a member of thecrew. Mr. Alexander Allan, honorary sec-retary, presided, and ex-Provost Mackenzieand Coxswain George Parkhill took part.

LAMINGTON.—Life-boat day.LERWICK.—Cake-and-candy sale.METHIL.—Concert.NAIRN.—Bridge drive.NEWBURGH.—Military whist drive and

dance, organized by the Ladies' Life-boatGuild.

PAISLEY.—Life-boat day. Bridge drive,organized by the Ladies' Life-boat Guild,with address by the Scottish organizingsecretary.

SALTCOATS.—Special meeting, ProvostGaul presiding, at which a branch of theLadies' Life-boat Guild was formed.Speakers : Captain Cunningham and theScottish organizing secretary. Badges werepresented to Guild members by Provost Gaul.

STIRLING.—Special meeting, the Vis-countess Younger of Leckie presiding.Speaker : Commander Henry Strong, R.D.,R.N.R. (ret.), a member of the committee ofmanagement of the Institution.

TROON.—Joint service in St. Meddan'sChurch, conducted by the Rev. ThomasFitch, B.D.

VALE OF LEVEN.—Whist drive anddance.

WEST KILBRIDE.—Golf tournament.WHITBURN.—Life-boat day.WICK.—Whist drive.Lantern lectures at Bannockburn and

Coatbridge.

Ireland.

BALL YCOTTON.—Presentation of servicecertificates by Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., chair-man of the Institution, to retired members ofthe life-boat crew. Meeting of committeeand supporters. Speaker: Sir GodfreyBaring, Bt.

BALLYDEHOB.—Life-boat day.BANGOR.—Annual meeting, the Mayor

presiding. Amount collected in 1936, £171,an increase of £10 on 1935.

BELFAST.—Annual meeting, the RightHon. H. M. Pollock, D.L., M.P., in the chair.Speakers : Mr. R. E. Workman, chairman ofthe branch, Commander Oscar Henderson,C.V.O., C.B.E., D.S.O., R.N. (ret.), Mr.H. H. Stewart, Col. Thomas Sinclair, M.D.,and the district organizing secretary. Amountcollected in 1936, £1,296, an increase of £259on 1935.

Dinner-dance in honour of the visit of SirGodfrey Baring, Bt., chairman of the In-stitution, the Lord Mayor presiding.

Proceeds from the sale of programmes atthe Ulster schools cup final benefit matchkindly given by the Ulster branch of theIrish Rugby Football Union.

CORK.—Special meeting, Coroner J. J.Horgan, chairman, presiding. Speaker : SirGodfrey Baring, Bt., chairman of the In-stitution.

DUBLIN.—Combined annual meeting ofbranch and Ladies' Life-boat Guild, the RightHon. Andrew Jameson, P.C., presiding.Speakers : Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., chairmanof the Institution, Mr. and Mrs. David Barry,Major Arthur Whewell, chairman of thespecial effort committee, Mr. W. McA.McCracken, Mrs. Crampton Walker, Mrs.Garrett Hardman, Mr. J. F. Boydell, Captainde Lacy, Mr. B. J. Newcombe, assistantsecretary, and the district organizing sec-retary. Amount collected in 1936, £1,188,an increase of £53 on 1935.

Annual life-boat ball.LARNE.—Annual meeting, Mrs. T. K.

Johnston, president, in the chair. Amountcollected in 1936, £75.

LONDONDERRY.—Annual meeting, theMayor in the chair. Speaker : Sir GodfreyBaring, Bt., chairman of the Institution.Amount collected in 1936, £28, not includingLife-boat day held after the 30th September.

PORTRUSH.—Special meeting, SirFrancis Macnaghten, Bt., president, in thechair. Speaker : Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.,chairman of the Institution.

WICKLOW.—Special meeting, Mr. A. W.Irwin, chairman, presiding. Speakers : Mr.R. Lees, late honorary secretary, the districtinspector and the district organizing secretary.Mr. Lees elected president following hisresignation after serving for over thirty-sevenyears as honorary secretary. The Rev. J. F.Doyle, C.C., appointed honorary secretary.

Wales.

(Including Herefordshire, Monmouthshire,and Shropshire.)

ABERTILLERY.—Annual meeting on18th March. Mrs. A. H. Dolman, president,in the chair. Speaker : The district organ-izing secretary. Efforts of the past year:Life-boat day. Amount collected in 1936,£14, an increase of £5 on 1935.

BARRY.—Whist and bridge drive, or-ganized by the Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

BEAUMARIS. — Annual meeting onMonday, 8th March, Mrs. J. H. Burton,president, in the chair. Miss J. Clegg electedhonorary secretary in place of Miss Briercliffe,resigned. Amount collected in 1936, £50.

BEDWAS.—Life-boat dance, organized bythe Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

(Continued on page 320.)

316 THE LIFE-BOAT [JUNE, 1937.

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR 1936.

Expenditure.Life-boats :— £ s. d. £ s. d.

New life-boats for the following stations :—On account—Blackpool, Boulmer, Cloughey, Cullercoats, Eyemouth,Fraserburgh, Gourdon, Howth, Hythe, Kilmore, NorthSunderland, Peel (I. of M.), Port Patrick, Port St. Mary,St. Abb's, St. David's, St. Heller, Seaham, Sheringham,Sunderland, Wells, Yarmouth (I. of W.) - 62,377 19 10

Provision and Upkeep of Cowes Office and Store - - 063 6 7Alterations and Repairs to Life-boats - 20,019 12 6Consulting Naval Architect - - - - - - 370 19 2Salaries of Superintendent, Engineer, Surveyors, Assistant

Surveyors of Life-boats and Machinery, Draughtsmen,a n d Clerical Staff _ _ _ _ _ _ _ n,454 1 3 8

Travelling Expenses _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4,051 1 1 1 0Pensions under the Pension Scheme — — — — 459 17 —Contributions to Superannuation and Provident Fund - 282 16

Life-boat Carriages and Tractors :—N e w Carriages _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3,185 1 9 1 1Alterations and Repairs to Life-boat Carriages - - 431 18 4New Tractors - - - - - - - - 1,200 - -Repairs t o Tractors _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 8 3 6 6Salaries of Assistant Surveyor of Carriages, and Tractor

Engineer - - - - - - - - - 696 - -Travelling Expenses _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 7 1 _ 2Contributions to Superannuation and Provident Fund - 34 10 -

99,980 10 7

7,102 14 11

Llfe-boathouses and Slipways —New Construction and Adaptation -Repairs and Maintenance - -

Life-boat Stores -

- 21,132 11- 7,272 17 10

28,40515,552

Life-boat Storeyard at Poplar, including Taxes, Insurancea n d Repairs - _ - - _ - - - 4,206 1 2 -

Salaries of Superintendent of Stores, Storekeeper andClerical Staff and Wages of Manual Workers - - 17,697 14 -

Pensions under the Pension Scheme - - - - 281 - -Contributions to Superannuation and Provident Fund - 114 19 11Storeyard Extension Work - - - - - - 39 15 -

22,340 - 11

Payments in connexion with Life-boat Stations, such asRepainting and other Small Repairs to Life-boats, Life-boat Carriages, and Life-boathouses, done locally ; Con-veyance of Boats, Carriages and Stores ; Postages, etc. - 12,058 13

Salaries of Assistant Secretaries, etc., of Stations - - 340 212,398 15 »

Wages, Rewards and other payments to Coxswains,Motor Mechanics and Crews :—

Cost of Wreck Services, including Rewards to Life-boatCrews and others, Special Rewards and Recognitions,Medals and Vellums - - - - - - - 7,832 19 9

Grants to men iiijured in the Life-boat Service - - 312 12 4Fees of Coxswalps, Bowmen and Signalmen, Wages of

Motor Mechanics, etc. _ _ _ _ _ _ 32,910 2 4Payments to Life-boat Crews and Launchers for exercises 6,189 3 8Pensions and Retiring Allowances to Coxswains, Bowmen

and Signalmen - - - - - - - - 3,602 ] 3 5Pensions and Grants to Relatives of deceased Life-boatmen

a n d others - - _ _ « - _ _ 1,C25 1 3 -Pensions under the Pension Scheme to ex-Permanent

Crews of old Steam Life-boats, etc. • _ _ - _ _ 6C2 11 11

Carried forward -

53,195 16 5

238,975 18 -

JOKE, 1937.] THE LIFE-BOAT. 317

Income.Subscriptions, Donations, etc. —

General Subscriptions to Headquarters — - - —,, „ through Station Branches — -„ ,, through Financial Branches - -„ Donations to Headquarters - - - -„ „ through Station Branches -„ „ through Financial Branches — —

Contributions from Harbour Authorities towards upkeepo f Life-boat Stations _ _ _ _ _ _

Contribution Boxes (Headquarters) -„ „ (Station Branches) -„ „ (Financial Branches) -

Life-boat Funds : — -

Civil Service Life-boat Fund, per H. A. Clark, Esq., I.S.O.,in respect of the following Life-boat Establishments —Donaghadee, Margate, Southend-on-Sea, Walmer andWhitehills _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Hollon Life-boat Fund (per the Charity Commissioners) -Bevan Reward Fund (per the Charity Commissioners)

Income from Investments : —

Dividends and Interest on Investments - - - -Less Income Tax deducted -

Special Purposes Trust Fund Income £ s. d.Account _ _ _ _ _ _ 1,781 7 4

Less Transfer to Special Purposes andMaintenance Fund - - - - 247 15 7

1,533 11 9

Less Transfer to General Subscriptions,Station Branch Contributions, andFinancial Branch Contributions - - 476 5 7

Income Tax recovered -

Carried forward -

£ s. d. £ *. d.

6,396 16 56,693 6 1

18,154 2 56,742 15 9

20,304 1 951,388 1 C

1,836 8 9196 2 5

6,521 9 2913 11 3

119 146 15 0

1,401 7 5

25 5 -208 5 -

1 fi*M 17 1

45,154 2 9

5,573 2 6

39,581 - 3

1,057 6 2

6,105 5 2

46 743 11 7

167,525 4 6


Expenditure.

Brought forwards. d. £ s. d.

238,975 18 -

Life-boat Inspectors :—Salaries of Chief Inspector, Deputy Chief Inspector,

Inspectors of Life-boats and Clerical Staff - 7,390 11 3Travelling Expenses - - - - - - - 2 , 1 2 2 66Pensions under the Pension Scheme - - - - 749 17 —Contributions to Superannuation and Provident Fund — 198 1 4

10,460 16 1

Administration :—One-half of Salaries of Secretary, Deputy Secretary,

Assistant Secretary, Principal Clerk, Accountant, andClerical Staff - ' - - - - - - - 4,604 2 9

Rsnt, Leasehold Depreciation, Rates, Taxes, £ s. d.Lighting, Heating, Insurance, etc. — - 2,033 1 4

Insurance under Workmen's Compensation,National Health and UnemploymentInsurance Acts _ _ _ _ _ 8 7 7 1 6

Commissionaires and Watchman — - 497 12 8Telephones, Postages and Parcels - - 1,015 3 6Pensions under the Pension Scheme - - 1,573 2 -Travelling and other Expenses of Chairman

and Committee of Management — — 766 6 1Contributions to Superannuation and Provi-

dent Fund - - - - - - 2 6 7 35

7,029 10 6Less estimated amount chargeable to raising

of funds and publicity - 3,514 15 3

Stationery, Office Expenses, Printing, Books, Circulars,Forms, etc. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Auditors' F e e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _L a w Expenses _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Repairs and Improvements to the House of the Institution

Expenses re the Estate of the late Mrs. F. McLorg - -„ Mr. J. W. Rider

3,514 15 3

1,431 19 9315 - -492 16 848 5 -

10,406 19 550 - -14 11 8

[Expenses connected with raising of funds and publicity :—•One-half of Salaries of Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Assis-

tant Secretary, Principal Clerk, Accountant and ClericalStaff (as above), and Salary of Publicity Secretary, etc. - 5,60612 9

Salaries of District Organizing Secretaries and Clerical Staff 8,006 11 9Travelling Expenses of District Organizing Secretaries - 2,146 8 10Annual General Meeting - - - - - - 181 19 9Advertising a n d Appeals _ _ _ _ _ _ 6,477 1 9 7Stationery, Printing, Books, Circulars, Forms, Badges,

Collecting Boxes, Postages, etc. _ _ _ _ _ 11,024 1 5 3Printing and Binding the Annual Report and The Life-boat

Journal - - - - - - - - - 2,181 1 0 9Pension under the Pension Scheme - - - - 263 10 —Salaries and Commissions of Assistant Secretaries, etc.,

o f Branches _ _ _ - - _ _ - 4,467 7 9Contributions to Superannuation and Provident Fund — 313 11 —Estimated proportion of Administration Expenses as above 3,514 15

44,185 2 8

TOTAL EXPENDITURE - - £304,093 7 10


Income.

Brought forward£ s. d.

167,525 4 6

Sundry Receipts :—

Sale of old Life-boats, Life-boat Carriages, Life-boathouses,Condemned Stores, etc. - - - - - - 2,457 12 5

Sale of The Life-boat Journal, Advertisements, etc. — - 59 19 1Rentals of Freehold and Leasehold Premises less Rates,

Repairs, etc. - - - - - - - - 1,088 11 83,606 3 2

Ordinary Income - - - - -

Legacies for General Purposes - —

Gifts and Legacies for Special Purposes :—Income only available :—

Legacies _ _ _ _ _

Capital available :—Legacies _ _ _ _ _

Special Gifts _ _ _ _ _

TOTAL RECEIPTS - - - - -

Deduct —Transfer to General Endowment Fund

171,131 7 8

79,446 14 7

£ s. d.7,375 13 9

12,584 7 623,376 18 4

7,375 13 9

35,961 5 1043,336 19 7

293,915 1 10

r,375 13 9Transfer to Special Purposes and Maintenance Fund - 35,961 5 10

43,336 19 7

Total Receipts available for General Purposes - - 250,578 2 3Add:—

Transfer from Special Purposes and Maintenance Fund for Life-boats,etc., included in Expenditure, defrayed during the year by SpecialLegacies and Donations - - - - - - - - 32,413 4 2

Balance charged to General Purposes Fund 21,102 1 5

£304,093 7 10

NOTE.—This account comprises the receipts and disbursements of the Headquarters ofthe Institution for the year to 31st December, 1936, and of the Branches for the year to30th September, 1936.


CARDIFF.—Annual meeting on 13thApril, the Lord Mayor, president, in thechair. Speaker: Commander Henry Strong,R.D., R.N.R., a member of the committeeof management of the Institution. Efforts ofthe past year : Life-boat day, dance, gardenfete, ships' collections. Amount collected in1936, excluding the life-boat day held inOctober, 1935, £321.

Lantern lecture at Cardiff prison.LLANDUDNO.—Annual meeting on 3rd

March, the Hon. Mrs. H. Lloyd-Mostyn,president, in the chair. Speaker : The dis-trict organizing secretary. Presentation bypresident of the binoculars awarded by theInstitution to Mr. J. J. Marks, M.A., honorarysecretary of the station, and the life-boatmanstatuettes awarded by the Institution to thefollowing honorary workers : Miss D. J.Adams, honorary secretary of the Ladies'Life-boat Guild, Mrs. McNeil, Miss Bevan,Miss Merry and Miss Owen, collectors.Amount collected in 1936, £298, an increaseof £51 on 1935. The Hon. Mrs. H. Lloyd-Mostyn and Mr. J. J. Marks entertainedthose present to tea.

LLANELLY.—Life-boat day.

LUDLOW.—House-to-house collection.THE MUMBLES.—The station has lost

an old member of its crew by the death ofMr. William Jenkins, who was one of theseven survivors of the Mumbles life-boatdisaster of 1903.

Whist drive and dance organized by theSwansea Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

NEWPORT (MON.).—Annual life-boatdance organized by the Ladies' Life-boatGuild.

PENARTH.—Annual life-boat dance, or-ganized by the Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

PONTYPRIDD.—Annual meeting on 12thMarch, Mrs. Edgar Jenkins, president, in thechair. Speaker: The district organizingsecretary. Efforts of the past year : Life-boat day, house-to-house collections. Amountcollected in 1936, £57.

Life-boat day and house-to-house col-lection.

SHREWSBURY.—Annual meeting on27th April, Captain Sir Edward J. Headlam,C.S.I., C.M.G., D.S.O., president, in the chair.Speaker : The district organizing secretary.Captain C. G. Robinson, R.N., electedpresident in succession to Captain SirEdward Headlam. Efforts of the past year :House-to-house collections. Amount col-lected in 1936, £140, an increase of £3 on 1935.

SWANSEA.—Annual meeting on 14thApril, Mr. C. C. Vivian, J.P., honorarytreasurer, in the chair. Speaker: Com-mander Henry Strong, R.D., R.N.R., amember of the committee of management ofthe Institution. Efforts of the past year :Whist drives and dances, life-boat day, andcinema collections. Amount collected in1936, £214, an increase of £19 on 1935.

Whist drive and dance, organized by theLadies' Life-boat Guild.

TENBY.—Annual meeting on 20th Aprilof the Ladies' Life-boat Guild. The Mayoress,Mrs. H. Allen, in the chair. Speaker : Thedistrict organizing secretary. Efforts of thepast year : Life-boat day, hotel and cinemacollections, whist and bridge drives, dances.Amount collected in 1936, £106.

WREXHAM.—Joint flag day with theBritish Sailors' Society.

Notice.

THE LIFE-BOAT is published quarterly and is sent free to all honorary secretaries ofbranches and the Ladies'1 Life-boat Guild, to coxswains, honorary workers, subscribersof ten shillings and over, libraries, the principal hotels, and the Press,

It is the current record of the work of tht life-boat service, and the chief means bywhich it keeps its workers, subscribers, and the general public informed of its activities.Unless you are keeping a complete set of the journal you will lielp the Institution if,after reading this number, you will pass it on to a friend.

All contributions for the Institution should be sent either to the honorary secretaryof the local branch or guild, or to Lieut.-Col. C. R. Satterthwaite, O.B.E., the Secretary,Royal National Life-boat Institution, 42, Grosvenor Gardens, London, S.W.I.

All enquiries about the rcork of the Institution or about the journal should beaddressed to the secretary.

The next number of THE LIFE-BOAT mil be published in September, 1987.

Documents

THE LIFE-BOAT....JUNE, 1937.] THE LIFE-BOAT. 267 Twelve Day osf Gale ast Aberdeen. Award of th Silvee Medalr . DURING the twelve day fros m th 21se t January to the 1s Februaryt 193