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

VOL. XXV.—No. 282.] NOVEMBER, 1924. [PRICE

Our Centenary Year.By GEORGE F. SHEE, M.A., Secretary of the Institution.

A VISITOR who called at Life-boat Housethis autumn made the remark that henever opened a newspaper withoutseeing in it something about the Life-boat Service. Allowing for the exaggera-tion of a friendly critic, we may hopethat his observation fairly describesthe facts of the case. If so, it is agratifying sign that our aim in this Cen-tenary Year has been to some extentachieved.

We have not aimed at raising a specialCentenary Fund, although in manyways it would have been fitting enoughthat the Institution should ask thepeople of these islands to present it witha fund of, say, an additional £100,000or £200,000, to enable it to deal aspromptly as possible with the com-pletion of the programme of Motor Life-boat construction which was announcedin 1917, initiated in 1918, and has beensteadily pushed forward ever since. Itwould, as I say, have been a natural andproper suggestion that such a fundshould have formed the central aim ofour Centenary Year ; and it Would havebeen much easier to raise such a fundby a central effort, organized from Head-quarters, than it has been to initiateand develop the several funds whichhave been started by different cities andcounties, in order to present Life-boatsbearing their respective names, thuslinking their civic and county pride withone of the noblest and most character-istic of our national achievements, andone in which the Institution has beenthe acknowledged pioneer and leaderamong the maritime nations of theworld.

But the Committee of Managementdecided, after mature consideration, not;

to aim at this object, mainly becauseits achievement might well have had abad effect upon our position in thefollowing years. People might havebeen disposed to say : " You raised aspecial fund in your Centenary Year;we contributed generously to that fund,and you ought not to ask us to do any-thing more—at any rate, for some yearsto come." Now such an attitude wouldbe very harmful in the case of aninstitution whose task is as permanentas the sea and as vital as the fives of thehundreds of thousands of seafarers ofall nations who ply their arduous tradein the waters that encompass us. Thecharacter of our work and its intimaterelationship to the element by which wehave developed our wealth and strengthand world-wide dominion make it amatter of the utmost importance thatthe support we receive should come notmerely, or even mainly, from thewealthy, that is, the few, but shouldrepresent the deep-felt interest of themillions of all classes who rightly regardthe Life-boat Service as their own. TheCommittee have felt, too, that there wasa distinct advantage in offering to thegreat cities and to the counties anopportunity of marking their associationwith our maritime interests by namingone of our Motor Life-boats after them.

And so it is that our aim in thisCentenary Year has been rather toimpress upon the British people themain facts about the history, develop-ment, and present position of theirvoluntary Life-boat Service, being surethat such knowledge, sufficiently wide-spread, is the best guarantee of thatbroad and steady support from men andwomen of all classes which is required

170 THE LIFEBOAT. [NOVEMBER, 1924_

to maintain it as a living, efficient, andtruly national organization.

We have carried out this aim bywidespread organization, both centraland general. This has embraced bigundertakings, such as the publicationof the history of the Institution, underthe title "Britain's Life-boats," byMajor A. J. Dawson, with an Introduc-tion by the Prince of-Wales and a Fore-word by the late Joseph Conrad; thebuilding of a special pavilion at theBritish Empire Exhibition, to house oneof our most up-to-date Motor Life-boats, and a series of models showingthe developement of the service; andthe holding of an International Con-ference on the Life-boat Services of theworld, as well as hundreds of Centenarymeetings, Thanksgiving Services, specialFetes and Bazaars, the revival of theLife-boat Essay Competition in theelementary schools, etc. In all theseundertakings we have received, asalways, the loyal and enthusiastic assist-ance of hundreds of Hon. Secretariesand thousands of voluntary workers, towhom our heartfelt gratitude is due,and is hereby conveyed. The presentissue of The Lifeboat must be regardedmainly as a permanent record of what hasbeen done at Headquarters and through-out the country in this Centenary Year.

The Centenary Meeting, at the MansionHouse on 4th March, has already beenreported (The Lifeboat for June, 1924),and two of the principal Centenaryfunctions in London still remain to beheld—a London Thanksgiving Meeting,at the Central Hall, Westminster, on14th December, and the London Bazaar,which is to take place at the Hyde ParkHotel on the 3rd and 4th of nextMarch (the 4th March being the dateof the foundation of the Institution).For the rest, this account will show thevariety and extent of the celebrations,the enthusiasm of our workers and theinterest of the public: above all, thetruly national character of the celebra-tions. From the Bang, who personallydecorated the Institution's Gold Medal-lists with the British Empire Medal forgallantry, and the Prince of Wales, whopresided both at the Centenary Meetingand the Centenary Dinner, and who hasissued a personal appeal to the Empire,*

down to the humblest of those who werepresent at a Thanksgiving Service, orcontributed on a Century Life-boatDay, all classes of the people of GreatBritain and Ireland have joined withthe Institution in celebrating this greatevent. The King's action in conferringpersonal distinction on the Gold Medal-lists of the Life-boat Service markedonce more—and in a signal manner—that close association of the reigningmonarch with the Life-boat Servicewhich has been a feature of its historysince the date of its foundation, andprobably few marks of royal favour havehad a more far-reaching influence andhave given profounder satisfaction toa magnificent body of men than thisgracious act by which our Royal Patronshowed his appreciation of the thousandsof humble fishermen who, around ourcoasts, form the crews of our Life-boats.Nor is it the British people only whohave thus paid their tribute to theInstitution's work. Eight foreign coun-tries were represented at the Inter-national Conference, and nothing in thisyear of celebration has given theInstitution greater pleasure than thetributes which they paid to the BritishLife-boat Service,f and the visit to theThames of six foreign Life-boats inhonour of our Centenary.'

Since the work of the Life-boatService knows no distinction of race orcreed, it has always been our aim toremain in close and friendly touch withthe Life-boat Services of other countries,exchanging with them ideas and puttingat their disposal our own experience anddevelopments. The International Con-ference, held in July last, the first in thehistory of the world, has done much to

I increase that friendly co-operation, andj we hope that it will bear permanentfruit in the establishment, as suggestedby Count Yoshii, President of theImperial Japanese Life-boat Institution,

•of an international Life-boat organiza-tion, of which all the national Life-boatServices will be members. Such a result

' would in itself repay all the effort whichbrought the Conference together, andmight thus well prove to be one of those

* This appeal appears in facsmile in the June issue,and is reprinted in this issue on page 187.

t See p. 174.

NOVEMBER, 1924.] THE LIFEBOAT. 171

steps which are of lasting benefit tohumanity; for if such an organization isset up, it should not only be a great helpto the Life-boat Services which alreadyexist, but should lead to the establish-ment of services in those countries, someof them with long and dangerous coastswhich still have no organized means o:succouring the shipwrecked. It ifinteresting to note in this connexionthat since the Conference the Institu-tion has been approached by the Life-boat Society of Latvia with a requesifor its assistance in the reorganizationof the service on that coast, which wasformerly under the direction of theImperial Eussia Life-boat Service.

By the visit of the Life-boats toLondon, the trip of a Motor Life-boatup the Thames, the land-tour of a Life-boat in the Midlands, and the presenceof a Motor Life-boat at the BritishEmpire Exhibition, hundreds of thou-sands of people of our own and othercountries have seen a Life-boat for thefirst time, have been aboard her, andnow will have a memory of their own tohelp them realize what lies behind thosebrief words: " Last night theLife-boat went out, and rescued so manylives," often the only record which thepublic see of some of the most heroicwork carried out by our crews.

As already indicated, although wehave made no effort to raise a CentenaryFund, several towns and counties opened£10,000 funds of their own, with the ideaof presenting the Institution with MotorLife-boats to bear their names. Brad-ford had already completed last yearits fund for the Life-boat now stationedat Spurn Point, Humber, and hadstarted a second fund for the BoatHouse and Slipway. Manchester raisedover £10,000 in three days by means ofa bazaar. Birmingham, Leicestershire,Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshirehave all started funds. A special appealwas also made to regular subscribers todouble their subscriptions as a Cen-tenary Gift. In a large number of casesthis appeal has been answered.

Apart from these appeals, the Cen-tenary has been celebrated chiefly as anoccasion for thanksgiving. But we aresure that those who have joined with theInstitution in giving thanks for a cen-

tury of achievement, for the heroic ser-vices of the Crews, for the devotion ofLife-boat workers, for fche generosity ofthe public, for the rescue of nearly 60,000lives, will not fail of their material sup-port as we set out on our second century.

The resolution which was passed atall the Centenary Meetings was not onlyan expression of gratitude for the past,but a promise for the future :

" That those present at this Cen-tenary Meeting, recognising the im-portant services which the Institutionhas rendered to the seafarers of allnations during a century of life saving,desire to record their hearty appre-ciation of the gallantry of its Cox-swains and Crews, to pay a tribute ofrespect and admiration to those whohave sacrificed their lives in theattempt to save others, gratefully toacknowledge the invaluable help ren-dered to the Life-boat cause by theLocal Committees, Honorary Secre-taries and Honorary Treasurers, andmany thousands of self-sacrificingmen and women who have helped tomaintain that cause in the hearts ofthe British people, and to pledgethemselves to do all in their power tosecure a widening and increasingmeasure of support for the Life-boatService."

No one who has been present at anyof the Centenary Meetings at which thisresolution was passed can fail to havebeen stirred by its reference to thosewho have lived—and died *—in and for;he Life-boat Service. The mind goesjack to some of the days of mingled;ragedy and glory, in which whole crewslave lost their lives in the heroic effortiO bring succour to their fellow-men.Such scenes occur to the mind as that atSouth Shields on 4th December, 1849,when the Life-boat put out to a vesselwhich had been driven aground on thelerd Sand, and, in a heavy easterly sea,

was capsized, with the loss of twenty out)f her crew of twenty-four ; or that>ther episode when, on the 9th February,861, the whole crew, except one, of the

- After a careful study of the records I have come toie conclusion that some 500 life-boat men have lostheir lives in the service.—EDITOR, " THE LIFEBOAT."

172 THE LIFEBOAT. [NOVEMBER, 1924.

Whitby Life-boat were drowned, in thesight of many thousands of spectators,in going to the rescue of the seventhship wrecked that day, and when, hot-foot on that disaster, a group of seamenand landsmen nevertheless launched asecond and inefficient Life-boat withina few hours in order to rescue the crewsfrom yet other vessels driven ashore onthat tragic day. Nor will the oldergeneration among us forget the South-port disaster of 1886, in which thirteenof the crew of that Boat and the wholeof the crew of the St. Anne's Boat weredrowned in the efforts to rescue the crewof the German barque Mexico.

Too often in the history of the Insti-tution have the mighty forces of Naturefinally prevailed over man's courage,endurance, and humane effort. But thespirit of the Life-boat Service has re-mained undimmed, and burns to-daywith the same steady flame which has

inspired the splendid men who haveillustrated the annals of Life- boat storyduring the last century. That spirit isthe proudest possession of our people,and would be very precious even if, undersome mighty cataclysm, the seas aroundBritain were to dry up, and this countrywere to cease to be an island. As it is,that spirit is beyond price, and will con-tinue to inspire the men of our Serviceand, in a different degree, the thousandsof our voluntary workers " so long," toquote Sir William Hillary, " as menshall continue to navigate the ocean andthe tempests shall hold their course overits surface." For, so long,too, shall therebe a British Life-boat Service for thesuccour of the seafarers of all nations,an example to all other seafaringpeoples, a promise of closer unionamong the nations in the work of peaceand progress, and an honour to theBritish race.

The Centenary : In London.Gold Medallists Decorated by the King.

DURING its first century the Institutionawarded its Gold Medal for gallantry andconspicuous service in saving life fromshipwreck, ninety-five times. FourteenGold Medals were also awarded for otherforms of service to the Institution, butthe last of these was given nearly fiftyyears ago. Since that time the awardhas been strictly confined to gallantry inthe actual endeavour to save life.

The first Gold Medal was awarded toCaptain Charles Howe Fremantle, R.N.,for swimming out to a Swedish brigwrecked off Christchurch, Hampshire,on 10th July, 1824.* The last GoldMedals of the century were won byCoxswain Fleming, of Gorleston, andCoxswain Swan, of Lowestoft, for therescue of the crew of the Hopelyn inOctober, 1922. Six men have won theMedal twice for gallantry, and theInstitution's founder, Sir William Hil-lary, who took part in the rescue of 305lives, won it three times. Thus, in thecourse of a century, only eight-seven

* See the issue of THE LIFEBOAT for June,1924.

men have won this, the Victoria Cross ofthe Life-boat Service.

Of these eighty-seven, only eight arealive to-day—five of them being English,two Irish and one Welsh. The eightwere invited to attend the CentenaryDinner and other celebrations inLondon, as the guests of the Institu-tion. Seven of the eight were able tocome :

Captain Thomas McCombie, of King-stown, Ireland.

Major H. E. Burton, R.E., HonorarySuperintendent of the Tynemouth MotorLife-boat.

Ex-Coxswain Robert Smith, of Tyne-mouth.

Coxswain H. T. Blogg, of Cromer.Ex-Coxswain John Howells, of Fish-

guard.Coxswain William G. Fleming, of

Gorleston.Ex-Coxswain John T. Swan, of Lowe-

stoft.The eighth, the Rev. John N. O'Shea,

of County Waterford, was preventedfrom coming by illness.


The seven were received at Bucking-ham Palace by the King on the morningof June 30th, being accompanied bySir- Godfrey Baring, Bt. (Chairman ofthe Committee of Management), theHon. George Colville (Deputy-Chairman),Mr. George F. Shee, M.A. (Secretary),and Captain Howard F. J. Rowley,C.B.E., R.N. (Chief Inspector of Life-boats) ; and were decorated by hisMajesty with the Medal of the MostExcellent Order of the British Empire.

s.s. Tearaght, of which he was Master,and in two trips saving, at very greatrisk, the Master, his wife and child, andthe crew of the barque Palme, of Fin-land, on the 26th December, 1895. Thevessel was wrecked two days previously,and the Kingstown No. 2 Life-boat wastotally wrecked while trying to effect arescue, the whole of her gallant crew,fifteen in number, being drowned.

" Captain McCombie also holds theSilver Medal of the Institution for a

Photograph by} [Sport and General.

GOLD MEDALLISTS LEAVING BUCKINGHAM PALACE, AFTER BEINGDECORATED BY THE KING.

Left to right.—Ex-Coxswain Swan, Coxswain Blogg. Coxswain Fleming;, Ex-Coxswain Smith, Ex-Coxswain Howells,Major Burton.

Each of the seven was presentedseparately to the King, who recognizedin Coxswain Howells, an old shipmatewith whom he had served in the Teme-raire in 1888.

The record of each man was read outto his Majesty, and *as published infull, next day, in the " Court Gazette."

Captain THOMAS McCoMBiE, Kings-town. 1895.

" For gallantly putting off in the boatwith other members of the crew of the

life-saving service in April, 1874, when,as Second Officer of the s.s. PrincessAlice, he put of! with other members ofher crew in the steamer's gig and cutter,and saved three of the crew of the brigHampton, of Dublin,which was wreckedin Dublin Bay during a heavy W.S.W.gale.Major H. E. BURTON, R.E., Honorary

Superintendent of the TynemouthMotor Life-boat. 1914.

" For his gallant conduct and fineseamanship in bringing the Tynemouth


Motor Life-boat forty-four miles throughthe night and storm, unaided by coastlights, to Whitby and, after all otherefforts had failed, rescuing on 1st Novem-ber, fifty persons from the GovernmentHospital Steamer Rohilla, wrecked atWhitby, on 30th October, 1914.

" Awarded Silver Medal for puttingofi with a reduced crew to the assistanceof the s.s. Dunelm, which was wreckedclose to Blyth Pier, during a whole S.E.gale with a very heavy sea, on thellth January, 1913.

ROBERT SMITH, Ex-Coxswain, Tyne-mouth Motor Life-boat. 1914.

" For his intrepid conduct and fineseamanship, in conjunction with MajorBurton, when the Life-boat under hiscommand proceeded to Whitby and, on1st November, 1914, saved fifty personsfrom the Government Hospital SteamerRohilla, wrecked at Whitby, as statedabove.

" Awarded Silver Medal for puttingoff with Major Burton and a reducedcrew to the help of the Dunelm, asstated above.

" Also awarded Silver Second ServiceClasp for rescuing on 21st November,1916, sixteen of the crew of s.s. Muristan,of Swansea, which was wrecked inBlyth Bay, during a strong E. gale witha very heavy sea."

HENRY G. BLOGG, Coxswain, CromerLife-boat. 1917.

" For conspicuous gallantry, tenacityand skilful seamanship in rescuing elevenof the crew of the s.s. Fernebo, ofChristinehamn, which was wrecked offCromer on the 9th January, 1917, duringa strong N.N.E. gale and a very heavysea.

" The work of rescue involved threetrips to the wreck and occupied overnine hours."

JOHN HOWELLS, Ex-Coxswain, Fish-guard Motor Life-boat. 1920.

" For rescuing in circumstances ofgreat peril seven of the crew of the motorschooner Hermina, of Rotterdam, whichwas wrecked in a N.W. gale on NeedleRock, off Fishguard, on the night of the3rd December, 1920. To effect therescue involved taking the Life-boat intoa position of great danger among rocks.

WILLIAM G. FLEMING, Coxswain, Gorle-ston No. 1 Life-boat. 1922.

" For his intrepid conduct and skilfulseamanship in endeavouring to save thecrew of twenty-four of the s.s. Hopelyn.After nearly twenty-four hours' effortsin the Gorleston Life-boat, he put off inthe Lowestoft Life-boat, and assisted tosave the men in circumstances of greatperil, on 21st October, 1922.

JOHN T. SWAN, ex-Coxswain, LowestoftMotor Life-Boat. 1922.

" For. his intrepid conduct and skilfulseamanship in rescuing the crew oftwenty-four of the s.s. Hopelyn in cir-cumstances of great peril. The vesselwas wrecked on the Scroby Sands duringa strong N.E. gale on 19th October, 1922,and the rescue was effected on 21st, afterthe Gorleston Life-boat had made un-availing efforts to save the men.

" Awarded Silver Medal for rescuingthe crew of nine hands of the mine-sweeper Condor, which was wrecked onNewcombe Sands, in a very heavy sea,on 22nd November, 1914.

" Also awarded Silver Second ServiceClasp for rescuing nine of the crew ofH.M. Sloop Pomona, which was totally

I wrecked five miles south of Southwold| on the 30th September, 1918, during awhole N.E. gale with a very heavy sea.

" This wartime Life-boat crew wascomposed of fourteen men over sixtyyears of age and four over fifty."

The King expressed his great regretthat Father O'Shea was prevented by

| illness from being present, and handedhis Medal to Sir Godfrey Baring. Thisis the record of Ms gallantry :

Rev. JOHN M. O'SHEA, Ardmore, Co.| Waterford, 1911.

" For his example and initiative in! leading very gallant attempts, by meansof a small boat, to save the lives of thecrew of the schooner Teaser, which waslost, with her crew of three in ArdmoreBay on the 18th March, 1911, during awhole S.E. gale with a very heavy sea.

After the ceremony some of the mengave their impressions of meeting theKing. Coxswain Swan, of Lowestoft,said :

" We all liked the friendly way inwhich the King shook hands with us.


We found the King a very nice gentle-man to speak to, and very homely. Ihad been given a little hint before we gotthere by someone who knew. He said,' Do you go to him in your ordinaryway, and he will think more of you. Ifyou don't he will come round on youfor it.' ... Of course, Mr. Smith gotmost of the talk, being the oldest, andhaving the most medals. The Bangtalked to him quite a time."

Coxswain Robert Smith, who is nowseventy-five years old, with failing sight,said : " The King wanted to know all

about my medals, and the presentationgold watch, and what they were givenfor. I told him all about them, and Itold him how one was for saving the lifeof a bed-ridden old man from fire, andhow I went in and carried him out in myarms. Then he wanted to know aboutthis one, and I told him it was given forlife-saving out of a fund started by anAmerican gentleman. And I told himabout the silver cup what the King ofNorway gave me and this watch givenby the people of Tynemouth ' forlife-boat services.'"

International Conference on the World'sLife-boat Service.

The Presentation of Gold Medals and Addresses ofCongratulation to the Institution.

AN International Conference on theWorld's Life-boat Service was held, inconnexion with the Centenary of theInstitution, on 1st and 2nd July, in theCouncil Chamber of the Westminster jCity Hall, which had been kindly lent jto the Institution by the Worshipful ithe Mayor of Westminster. j

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairmanof the Committee of Management, pre-sided, supported by the Hon. GeorgeColville, the Deputy-Chairman, andother members of the Committee ofManagement. The Institution was alsorepresented by Mr. George P. Shee,M.A. (Secretary), Captain H. F. J.Eowley, C.B.E., E.N. (Chief Inspectorof Life-boats), Commander ThomasHolmes, R.N. (late Chief Inspector andActing Deputy-Inspector of Life-boats),Mr. J. R. Barnett, O.B.E., M.I.N.A.(Consulting Naval Architect), Mr. FelixRubie, M.I.N.A. (Surveyor of Life-boats), Mr. Arthur F. Evans (Surveyorof Machinery) and the District In-spectors of Life-boats.

The Board of Trade was represented byCaptain H. F. Aplin, R.N., and CaptainRundle, R.N., of the Mercantile MarineDepartment.

The delegates from the foreign Life-boat Societies were :—

HOLLAND.

Noord-en-Zuid Hollandsche Redding-Maatschappij. (The North and SouthHolland Life-saving Society. Founded1824.)

Mr. P. E. Tegelberg, President.Mr. H. de Booy, Secretary.Captain D. H. Doeksen.

Zuid-Hollandsche Maatschappij tot Red-ding van Schipbreukelingen. (TheSouth Holland Society for the Savingof the Shipwrecked. Founded 1824.)

The Right Hon. A. A. Baron Sweerts deLandas Wyborgh, Vice-President.

Mr. C. D. Julius, Secretary.

UNITED STATES.United States Coast Guard. (Life-boat

Service, established 1848.)Commander Harold D. Hinckley.

DENMARK.The Royal Danish Government Life-boat

Service, established 1852.Captain Jorgen Frederick Saxild,

Ministry of Marine.


NORWAY.Norsk Selskab Til skibbrudnes Redning.

(Norwegian Society for the Saving ofthe Shipwrecked. Stations establishedby the State 1854. Society founded1891.)

Captain Klaus Eeimers.Captain Ottar Vogt, Secretary.

SWEDEN.The Royal Swedish Government. (Life-

boat Service, established 1855.)Mr. Edvard Lithander, Member of the

FRANCE.

La Societe Centrale de Sauvetage desNaufrages. (The Central Society forthe Saving of the Shipwrecked. Founded1865.)

M. le Vice-Admiral Le Bris, G.C.V.O.,K.C.B., Member of the Committee.

M- Granjon de Lepiney, Secretary.

M. le Commandant Le Verger, ChiefInspector of Life-boats.

Photograph by\THE INTERNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT CONFERENCE.

[Swaine.

Back Row, from left to light: — Mr. Henry Fargus, Mr. J. J. Crosfield, Engineer Rear-Admiral Charles Rudd, TheHon. George Colville. Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.. The Worshipful the Mayor of Westminster, Mr. George F. Shee.Brig.-GeneraI Noel M. Lake, Major Sir Maurice Cameron, Commander F. F. Tower. Below Major Sir MauriceCameron and Commander Tower are : — Vice-Admiral Le Bris and M. Granjon de Lepiney. Front Row : — Vice-Admiral The Marques de Casinas, Commander Harold D. Hinckley, Captain Feliz Bastarreche, Mr. Albert Isakson,Mr. Edvard Lithander, Commander Otto Stenberg. Count Kozo Yoshii, Mr. P. E. Tegeloer?. The Right Hon.A. A. Baron Sweerts de Landos Wyborgh, Captain Jorgen F. Saxild, Mr. H. de Bopy Mr. C. D. Julius, M. leCommandant Le Verger,. Captain D. H. Doeksen. (Captain Sten Isherg, Captain_Reimers, jand Captain Ottar Vogt

are not in the Photograph.)

Riksdag, and Vice-President of theSwedish Society for the Saving of theShipwrecked.

Mr. Albert Isakson, M.I.N.A., Chairmanof the Life-boat Committee of theSwedish Shipping League.

Svenska sallskapet for raddning ofskeppsbrutne. (Swedish Society for theSaving of the Shipwrecked. Founded1904.)

Commander Otto Stenberg, President.Captain Sten Isberg^ Secretary.

SPAIN.Sociedad Espanola de Salvamento de

Naufragos. (Spanish Society for theSaving of the Shipwrecked. Founded1880.)

Vice-Admiral the Marques de Casinas.Captain Felix Bastarreche.

JAPAN.Teikoku Suinan Kinsaikai. (The

Imperial Japanese Life-boat Institu-tion. Founded 1889.)

Count Kozo Yoshii, President.


The Life-boat Societies of German(founded 1865) and Portugal (founde1892) were unable to send representatives, and the Breton Life-saving Societ(founded 1873) and the Humane Societof the Commonwealth of Massachusett(founded 1785) had both appointed representatives who, at the last momenlwere unfortunately prevented from coming to England.*

Of these Life-boat Services, all artmaintained by voluntary organization(in some cases with a grant from theState), except those of the United Stateand Dsnmark, where the Life-boats area State Service, while in Sweden thereis both a State Service and a VoluntaryService.

The Mayor of the City of Westminster(Mr. EDGAR HORNE), by whose courtesythe Council Chamber had been placed aithe disposal of the Conference, greetecthe delegates in the following speech :—

Sir Godfrey Baring and GentlemenI am here as Mayor of the City of West-minster to welcome you to the hall, andto say how delighted we are, the citizensof Westminster, that you should havehonoured us by coming here, and howmuch pleasure it has given us to putour Council Chamber at your disposal.I think all of us in Westminster realizethe wonderful work which is done bythe Life-boat Institution, and many of us,who have travelled thousands of miles bysea, recognize the perils that you struggleto alleviate. I know that you have thesupport and the good wishes of all inthe splendid work which you have donefor so many years. You have a longprogramme to deal with now, 'and I willnot take up more of your time exceptformally to express the delight it hasgiven us to have you here, and our bestwishes for all good fortune in the future.(Cheers.)

Sir GODFEEY BARING, Bt.: I am sureI am expressing the universal feeling ofthe Conference when I say how deeplywe appreciate Your Worship's presencehere at the commencement of our pro-ceedings on this unique occasion. Mr.Mayor, if I may say so very respectfully,you are an old friend of the Life-boatInstitution. You have always afforded

* For particulars of the Belgian Life-boat Service,see page 186.

us the utmost help and support in yourcapacity as Mayor of the City of West-minster, and, indeed, in your privatecapacity as a citizen of this country.We feel that the Conference is openingunder most auspicious circumstanceswhen you have given us a few minutesof your valuable time to welcome thedelegates, and when you have allowedus to meet in this beautiful hall undersuch very pleasant surroundings. Itis my privilege to offer you the mostrespectful and most cordial thanks ofthis Conference for your great kindnessand courtesy to it. (Cheers.)

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman ofthe Royal National Life-boat Institu-tion, then took the chair, and read a«legram which had been received from3.R.H. the Prince of Wales, K.G., theInstitution's President :—

" Please convey to those present atthe International Conference whichopens to-day my best wishes for a verysuccessful meeting.

" EDWARD P."

To this telegram the following replywas sent:—

" The representatives of the Life-boat Services of Great Britain, UnitedStates, France, Spain, Japan, Holland,Denmark, Sweden and Norway mostgratefully and respectfully acknow-ledge the telegram of welcome receivedfrom Your Royal Highness. They re-cognize the deep personal interestwhich Your Royal Highness, as Presi-dent of the Royal National Life-boatInstitution, takes in this great workwhich is done by the Life-boat Ser-vices of the world for humanity and theamity of nations, and we would assureYour Royal Highness that we, in thisConference, encouraged by yourgracious interest, will leave nothingundone, which the exchange of ideascan do, to make the Life-boat Serviceof the world more perfect than it is.

" GODFREY BARING, Chairman."The CHAIRMAN : I should then like

o read a telegram which I propose toend to H.M. the King on behalf of thisonference. It runs as follows :—

" The representatives of the Life-boat Services of Great Britain, United

r l


States, France, Spain, Japan, Holland,Denmark, Sweden and Norway, as-sembled in conference for the further-ance of the efficiency of the Life-saving Service which they carry outfor the seafarers of the world, sendrespectful greeting to H.M. the King,the Patron of the Royal NationalLife-boat Institution/in the knowledgethat the work on which they areengaged has his warm sympathy andsupport."

The delegates unanimously expressedtheir pleasure at this proposal, and thetelegram was despatched. Shortly after-wards the following reply was receivedfrom Buckingham Palace :—

" As Patron of the Royal NationalLife^boat Institution, I have receivedwith much pleasure the message fromthe Chairman and foreign delegatesassembled to celebrate the Centenaryof the Institution.

" It must be a matter of satisfactionto all who are interested in this impor-tant movement that representativesfrom so many countries are meeting inconference to promote the noble workof life-saving at sea.

" I rejoice that the Prince of Walessucceeded me • in the position ofPresident of a Society, of which I amproud to be Patron, and which has,for upwards of one hundred years,provided, through voluntary support,a Service honoured by every maritimepeople and linking all nations in thechivalry of the sea.

" May all success attend yourdeliberations ; and I pray that God'sblessing may be vouchsafed to allbrave men who risk their lives in thehumane and heroic work of the Life-boat Services of the world.

" GEORGE R.I."

The CHAIRMAN : I should wish myfirst words at this very importantConference—I do not propose to detainyou with a long opening speech—to be of the most cordial welcometo those gentlemen whom we areprivileged to see here to-day. Ourcelebrations, and they are very impor-tant as far as we are concerned, woulchave lost half their significance and al]

•heir grace if we had not been privilegedjo welcome the representatives of foreignlife-boat Societies and foreign Govern-

ment Life-boat Services. We, haveooked forward to this week with greatnterest, and the special point of interestlas been that we were going to have;his Conference, and have the greatjenefit of your advice and help andexperience in discussing and determiningmatters which affect the efficiency of;he Life-boat Service. We know, and;his makes our gratitude all the moresincere, that many of you gentlemenlave come here at very great personalnconvenience, and have travelled manymiles to be present. May I just mentionin this connexion that Count Yoshii,representing the Japanese Life-boatService, has travelled 11,000 miles tot>e here with us on this occasion, and weare deeply grateful for this most wonder-ful exhibition of his sympathy, and hisdesire to assist the Life-boat workthroughout the world.

I could not help feeling yesterday,when I had the privilege of going withAdmiral Sturdee round the splendidLife-boats moored on the Thames, whata wonderful display that was of theInternational Life-boat Service. I am,of course, only a humble layman, butto my inexperienced eye it seemed thateach boat was a model of what a Life-boatshould be. Each seemed designed tomake the Life-boat Service in eachparticular country as efficient as itpossibly could be.

During the course of this Conferencethere is to be submitted by Count Yoshiia suggestion that we should do ourutmost at this Conference to impressupon the world the urgent necessity ofproviding Life-boats where there is anyconsiderable traffic on the sea. I thinkour aims, as representing the Life-boatServices of the various countries, oughtto be to secure the establishment of aLife-boat Service at each point of danger,as far as this can be done, in the world,so that under any circumstances sailorsof all countries may take heart from theknowledge that there are in close prox-imity to them Life-boatmen with strongh-.nds and warm hearts who are willingt > risk their own lives to help those indanger on the sea. (Cheers.)

THE LIFEBOAT. 179NOVEMBER, 1924.]

There were received by the King at tions. A ship of country " A " isBuckingham Palace yesterday (June wrecked on the coast of country " B,"30th) seven of our Gold Medallists. All I and very soon the whole countryhad been awarded the medal for parti-1 resounds with what has been done, andcular deeds of valour. This medal is j the gallantry displayed in that savingour supreme decoration, and it is only j of life. The rescued men and theirawarded for conspicuous gallantry. If Imay so express it, it is the Victoria Crossof the Life-boat Service. But whileI dwell with pleasure on the honourdone to these men, I hope, gentle-men, that you will not think that I amclaiming any pre-eminence in gallantryfor our own Life-boatmen. I am surethat in every maritime country in theworld there are a number of men whohave rendered heroic services in savinglife at sea. The whole of our Servicesdepend upon the personnel of our Crews.If we cannot rely upon the bravery andskill of our Life-boatmen, all ourSocieties, Committees, Sub-Committeesand organizations would be a hollowsham. It all comes down to the bedrock

relatives are sure to talk about the workof the Life-boatmen of country " B "who, they will say, " Can't be such abad lot of fellows." Surely this sort ofthing must have a remarkable effect oninternational relations. (Cheers.)

I want now to thank you once againmost warmly for your presence, to wel-come you most sincerely to our country,to solicit your advice and assistancein this Conference which we are nowcommencing, and finally to assure youthat when these celebrations are overwe in this country shall return to ourwork encouraged, inspired andstrengthened by your sympathy, byyour good wishes and by your prayers.(Cheers.)

allow me to read out the text:—To the Royal National Life-boat

fact that we have to rely upon theseamanship, gallantry and devotion of! Mr- EDVARD LITHANDER (Member ofthe Life-boatmen of the world. And that |tlle Riksdag, and Vice-President of thegallantry has never failed. Even we, who j Swedish Society for Saving the Ship-are so closely associated with the Life-1 wrecked) : As a representative at thisboat Service, I wonder if we realize the I Conference of the Royal Swedish Govern-conditions under which its work has to \ ment I nave tne honour and pleasurebe performed, while the public, I think, \to present an Address from the Govern-sometimes loses sight of what is | ment, and, Mr. Chairman, will you kindlydemanded of a Life-boatman. He isasked, perhaps in the middle of thenight, in the face of a frightful gale of Institution.wind or other awful climatic conditions, | « Gentlemen,—On the occasion of theat a moment s notice, to leave every-1 ceiebration this year of the centenarything he holds dear m the world to go of the Ro j National Life-boat Institu-out and rescue those who are in peril; ^onand perhaps lay down his life in thecause of humanity. He is moreover not! THE RoYAL SWEDISH GOVERNMENTasked to save the lives of his relations representing a nation, seafaring as wellor friends, but of absolute strangers, as Great Britain, desires to transmit a(Cheers.) i cordial message of sincere congratula-

I wonder if we ever reflect upon the j tion.remarkable international aspect of the " During the course of time a veryLife-boat Service. Our men have saved large number of Swedish sailors havethe lives of foreign sailors, and foreign j been rescued from mortal danger throughLife-boatmen have many times saved j the intervention of the Institution.English lives. What a remarkable effectthat must have on the relations betweenthe people of the various countries.Suppose, for instance, that country " A "

Profoundly conscious of the indebted-ness in which Sweden remains to allthose Britishers, whose courage and self-sacrifice have saved the lives of Swedish

has had strained relations with country j men, thus preserving them for their" B." Politicians have perhaps been country and their families, the Royalresponsible for international complica- Swedish Government rejoices to seize


the opportunity, which now presentsitseli, of expressing its own and thenation's high appreciation of and grati-tude for the inestimable services ren-dered by the Institution to humanity.

" The Royal Swedish Governmentventures to express the hope that theInstitution will long continue to carryout its humane work for the benefit ofall seafaring nations.

" I have the honour, Gentlemen, tobe your obedient servant,

" NILS WOHLIN,Minister of Commerce."

Will you allow me, Mr. Chairman, toadd to these words an expression of thepleasure and gratitude which I feltyesterday, when as a representative of anation expressing its thanks for theservices rendered, I had the privilege ofmeeting and shaking hands with, the GoldMedallists the Chairman has referred to,and I am sure those feelings are sharedby my colleagues. (Cheers.)

Mr. Lithander then handed the Ad-dress to the Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN : May I say on behalfof the Committee of Management howdeeply we appreciate this presentation,and that we shall ever keep it andcherish it amongst our most valuedpossessions. The presentation hasacquired additional grace by the charm-ing words which have been addressedto us by the Swedish Government. Wethank you most sincerely.

Commander OTTO STENBERG (Presi-dent of the Swedish Society for theSaving of the Shipwrecked) : TheSwedish Life-boat Society presents itscompliments to the Royal National Life-boat Institution, and has the honour ofpresenting an Address in humble recogni-tion of the services rendered to humanityand as an expression of its admirationfor the work done by the Institution.

Commander Stenberg then read thefollowing Address :—•

" Founded by men trained in thestrenuous School of Life, by themgradually developed, and by them main-tained, the Royal National Life-boatInstitution has for a century constituteda sure safeguard for seafarers of all

nations who, in inclement weather, haveapproached the shores of Britain.

" In ever-increasing numbers and inBoats which are constantly being im-proved; the Institution's Life-boatmencarry on their ceaseless struggle with theelements in the service of humanity.

" The energy and determination, thesound judgment and good seamanshipof these Crews have been, in the majorityof instances, crowned with success.

" We gratefully salute your nobleInstitution and your brave Crews.Swedish seamen bear ungrudging wit-ness to' your self-sacrificing efforts, yourinvincible heroism and your beneficentactivities.

" GOTHENBURG, 2(M June, 1924.SVENSKA SALLSKAPET FOR RADDNING

AF SKEPPSBRUTNE" OTTO STENBERG, Chairman." STEN ISBERG, Secretary."

(Cheers.)Commander Stenbeig then handed the

Address to the Chairman.The CHAIRMAN : May I offer the

Swedish Society for the Saving of theShipwrecked also OUT, most sincerethanks for this beautiful presentation.We shall place it amongst our treasures,and we deeply appreciate your kindnessin making it.

Mr. P. B. TEGELBERG (President ofthe North and South Holland Life-saving Society): It is not a veryremarkable coincidence that the samebright idea is borne in the brains ofdifferent minds at the same time. Wein Holland had the same idea.

We have just heard from the Chair-man that your Gold Medal is only givenin cases of very exceptional valour. InHolland we thought that the BritishLife-boat Institution had done suchsplendid work for 100 years, and thatthe deed was so remarkable that wewere entitled to hand to the RoyalNational Life-boat Institution our GoldMedal which we give to people whohave done great service to our country.It is not an easy matter to keep up thestandard of an organization during 100years, always in first-rate condition, andas a token of our admiration of the workdone by the British Life-boat Institution


I herewith present the President of theInstitution with our Gold Medal.(Cheers.)

Mr. Tegelberg then handed the GoldMedal to the Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN : We are really over-whelmed by the kindness of thesepresentations. We had no idea that weshould be privileged to receive this muchprized Gold Medal. We have our criticsin this country, and I wish that thespeech which has just been made couldbe circulated throughout the country.It would do us more good than anythingthat has been said for many years past.We thank you most cordially.

The Eight Hon. A. A. BARON SWEERTSDE LANDAS WYBORGH (Vice-Presidentof the South Holland Society for theSaving of the Shipwrecked) : Honour-able President, Gentlemen. As repre-sentative of the South Holland Societyfor the Saving of the Shipwrecked it isfor me, as Vice-President, indeed, a greathonour to congratulate your Institutionon the completion of its first century—ahundred years wherein numberless livesof every nation have been saved from acertain death ; wherein men have beengiven back to their wives, children havebeen spared from becoming orphans.As a matter of fact such an extra-ordinary Centenary is worthy to becelebrated.

In the beginning of the marvellous andhighly interesting book by Major A. J.Dawson, " The Story of a Century ofHeroic Service," there is a captain thatsays, " Is there any more" splendidorganization in the world than the RoyalLife-boat Institution ? " and I myself—asbelonging to the Committee of Manage-ment of a foreign Life-boat Society—Iam very pleased to state I fully agreeherewith, not knowing, indeed, anybenevolent society that has done suchwork, has done so much for our fellowcreatures as your Institution.

But, besides this, I wish to point outanother great merit of your Institution,that your Committee of Managementhave always been prepared to assist yoursister societies by placing your greatexperience in saving the shipwrecked attheir disposal.

The South Holland Society was alsofounded in 1824, about nine monthsafter your Institution, and we havealways been in the most friendly contactwith your Institution. Whenever wehave wanted to know what your experi-ence was of a certain class of boats,your Committee have always given usthe most complete information. Whenour Society had decided to build a SteamLife-boat, it was again the Committeeof your Institution who gave us parti-culars, with the result that the boat wasbuilt in England to our perfect satis-faction, and has saved hundreds andhundreds of lives. I profit from thisoccasion to thank your Committee foryour everlasting and cordial friendship.

The South Holland Society has fourmedals to award to those singled out forspecial distinction, one of bronze, one ofsilver, a small golden medal, and thelarge golden medal, which, up to thepresent, has only been awarded twice.

At the last meeting of the Board ofDirectors it was unanimously decidedto offer, on the day of the celebration ofyour Centenary, to your Institution thisgolden medal and diploma, in order topay homage to the brilliant way in whichthe Institution accomplishes the humaneand world-wide task of providing andmaintaining the Life-boat Service for thebenefit of the seafarers of all nations.

Baron Sweerts then read the Diploma." de Zuidhollandsche Maatschappij

Tot Redding VanSCHIPBREUKELINGEN

Rotterdamdeems it an honour to award its

GOLDEN MEDALto the

Royal National Life-boat Institution

on the occasion of the hundredth anni-versary of its foundation, in order to payhomage to the brilliant way in which theInstitution accomplishes the humaneand world-wide task of providing andmaintaining the Life-boat Service forthe benefit of the seafarers of all nations.

" Rotterdam, 2nd July, 1924." SWEERTS, Vice-President."C. D. JULIUS, Secretary."


May I present these in the name of mySociety. (Cheers.)

The CHAIRMAN ; May I most grate-fully accept this beautiful presentation

ing your boats without at once in-forming us. Many a time have we thusbeen enabled todesigns for the

make use of yourimproving of our

on behalf "of the Royal National Life-: own apparatus. Therefore, in a trulyboat Institution. Our Committee Room : brotherly spirit and with the utmostwill be enriched with these presentations, joy, do I convey to the Royal Nationaland I hope they will remain there long Life-boat Institution my most heartfeltafter we have ceased our work, and that homage, wishing a long and prosperousfor many hundreds of years they will be life to the great work of maritime succoTar,regarded with pride and real esteem.We thank you most gratefully.

At the opening of the afternoonsession on the first day Vice-Admiral LE

which you carry on with such magni-ficent success.

On behalf of the Societe Centrale deSauvetage de France and of its President,Vice-Admiral Touchard, who was deeply

BEIS, of La Societe Centrale de Sauvetage j sorry to find himself unable to be heredes Naufrages, made the following to-day among you, and entrusted mespeech: "Whoever deals with life-saving, j with the great honour of representingand wishes to do so to good purpose him, I beg to thank Sir Godfrey Baring,should consider before anything the the Hon. George Colville, the distin-wonderful spectacle offered us by the guished Secretary, George Shee, and thecoasts of Great Britain." Thus spoke, Committee of the Royal National Life-in 1866, one of the founders of the< boat Institution, for calling upon us toSociete Centrale de Sauvetage de France, partake in the celebration of this gloriousI wish to repeat the selfsame words Centenary. (Cheers.)to-day, because they are as true and asmuch to the point as ever.

During the festivities of the Centenaryof your Institution, to which you wereso considerate as to invite us, anotherthan myself must have enlarged uponthe course of your glorious history. Iwish to admire chiefly your steadinessof mind and tenaciousness, both pre-eminently British qualities, which enableyou to pursue your effort in spite of alldrawbacks, until you have reached thegoal you are aiming at. Besides, younever forget that making no headwayis as bad as losing ground; therefore,you never fail to improve your Life-boats, year after year, so as to make themmatchless life-saving engines.

Neither can I help mentioning theindomitable bravery of your Crews underall circumstances. I remember one case,almost as old as your Institution, andyet never forgotten in France, when thecrew of the Life-boat of St. Ives, twicecapsized and yet sticking to their task,managed to save the sailors of a Frenchschooner stranded on Hayle Bar.

I also would wish to praise very highly,as it deserves, the liberal spirit withwhich you deal with associations similarto your own outside Great Britain. Youhave never made any progress in build-

The CHAIEMAN : I am sure my col-eagues on the Committee of Manage-

ment will very much appreciate and bedeeply touched by the kind words whichthe Admiral has used in that addresswhich he has read to us, and in thankinglim for what he has said, I should liketo assure him that the recollectionof French co-operation, which we havereceived in our work, will always be oneof our most precious memories, and Ihope we shall go on co-operating in ourwork of Life-saving for many years tocome.

At the opening of the second day ofthe Conference, Captain JORGEN SAXILD,of the Danish Ministry of Marine, beforereading his paper on the financialarrangements of the Danish Life-boatService, made the following speech:Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, with yourpermission I will take the liberty beforeI commence the reading of my paper tosay a few words only indirectly con-nected with it.

Before leaving Denmark my peopleasked me to present the compliments ofthe Danish Life-boat Service to theBritish Life-boat Service. We arefighting the same enemy, and when weover there stand so well armed for the

NOVEMBER, 1924:] THE LIFEBOAT. 183

struggle it is to our British companions j tion we simply cannot find the words,that we have to address our thanks, not Richer and warmer still are the feelingsonly for what we have learnt, but also in many homes where the activity of thefor the gallant proofs of courage and! British Life-boat Service has meantendurance, which have been shining husband, son or brother saved from aexamples to us in our work. We havealways followed in your track. But wewere slow to start, and not until fiveyears after the day when Sir WilliamH'.llary was brought to his last rest atSt. George's Cemetery, Isle of Man, didwe found our Life-boat Service. Sincethen we have carefully watched yourprogress. That progress has been setout in your history, now published onthe occasion of your Centenary, andfrom this one gets an idea of howenormous has been the development ofyour activities. This splendid book notonly gives you dry facts about every-thing relating to the British Life-boatService. It contains reports moreexciting that you can read in the mostthrilling novel, and also tells abouttragedies that will bring tears to youreyes. Who will ever forget the accountof the disaster at Whitby, on 9th Feb-ruary, 1861, when the crew of the Life-boat, after having saved the men fromsix wrecked ships, found a heroic death,not a ship's length from the quay, whentrying to save life from a seventhschooner. And who will ever forget thesaving of the crew of the Indian Chief, in1881, by the Eamsgate Life-boat 1 Bettermen than these to man the Life-boat donot exist throughout the whole world;and they are the type of the British Life-boatman. But all their courage, effici-ency and readiness for death would havebeen of little use if they had not hadboats they could trust against thepowerful surf. And of what use wouldit all have been if the Service had notbeen properly organized so that men andboats were ready just at the momentthey were needed ? Your Institutionhas performed an enormous task inprocuring this security. It has not onlyset at work this tremendous apparatus,but has kept it working for 100 years.The efficiency and energy that has beenrequired cannot be described, it must beleft to the imagination. I think, gentle-men, we have all admired you in silence,and when we now at last have" anopportunity of expressing this admira-

cruel death. Your Institution has notalways had an easy task. It has haddifficulties to face, but it has neverlacked the right men at the wheel, andthese men have succeeded in carryingthe Institution to such a point ofefficiency that it now stands betterarmed than ever before to serve thenoble task to which it put itself 100years ago. (Cheers.)

During the Conference the followingtelegrams of congratulation were re-ceived from abroad :—

" Sincere congratulations onCentury. Glad express our goodwillon this occasion.—Officials of ImperialJapanese Life-boat Institution."

" The Humane Society of the1 Commonwealth of Massachusetts,| established in 1785, send to the Eoyalj Life-boat Institution their respectful

admiration and congratulations onthis the Life-boat's Centennial celebra-tion." WILLIAM CALEB LOSING, President."

" We beg you to accept our sin-cerest congratulations and best wisheson occasion of your century.—Maat-schappij tot Redding Van Drenke-lingen, founded in 1767.

" Pouw, Chairman." VAN EDEN, Secretary."

" Our heartiest good wishes foryour Centenary. — German Life-boatSociety."

Since the Conference concluded, theInstitution has been presented with theGold Medal of the Spanish Life-boatSociety, accompanied by the followingDiploma:—•

" SPANISH LIFE-BOAT SOCIETY.(Underthe Patronage of H.M.the Queen.)

GOLD MEDAL DIPLOMAawarded to the British Eoya] NationalLife-boat Institution for the rescue ofthe crews of all the Spanish vessels


effected by it during the hundred yearswhich have elapsed since its foundation.

Madrid, July 20th, 1924.

The President:THE DUKE OF T'SEBCLAES.

The General Secretary;PEDRO DE Novo Y COLSON.

Since the Conference, the Institutionhas been approached for help by theLatvian Life-saving Society, with itsheadquarters at Riga. It is a volun-tary organization, and has taken overthe Life-boats of the Imperial EussianSociety. Of nineteen stations whichwere maintained by the Russian Societyon the 200 miles of the Latvian coast,only four now remain, and they are in a

more or less damaged condition. TheImperial Russian Society, which wasfounded in 1874, was also a voluntaryorganization, although it received agrant from the State. In this connexionit is of interest to recall that the CentralLife-saving Base of the Soviet Govern-ment of Russia approached the Institu-tion in 1921, and was supplied withinformation of the developments madein the British Life-boat Service since1914.

The technical papers read at theConference, and the discussions whichtook place on them, are fully reportedin a separate pamphlet entitled, " Inter-national Conference on the World'sLife-boat Service."*

An International Life-boat Organization.AT the International Life-boat Con-ference the proposal was made by CountYoshii, President of the ImperialJapanese Life-boat Society, that stepsshould be taken to form an InternationalLife-boat Organization.

COUNT YOSHII spoke as follows.: Isuggest that the Conference declare :

(1) That it is desirable to have someorganization for saving life from seacasualties in all the maritimecountries of the world.

(2) That, in order further to improvethe means and methods of savinglife from sea casualties, an inter-national association be formed likethe Red Cross Society, with all theLife-boat Institutions or similarorganizations of each country as itsmembers. This international co-operation, in this great humaneundertaking, will foster better feel-ing and goodwill all over the world,and bring peace and happiness tomankind.

(3) That the declarations, resolutions,etc., of the Conference be sent tothe League of Nations at Geneva,the League of Nations Unions of allcountries, and the Governmentsand the Press Associations, etc., ofall countries.

With regard to the first point I thinkit is most desirable that every maritimecountry in the world should have anorganization similar to those repre-sented by the members at this Confer-ence. Sea casualties occur on the coastsof every maritime country, and we coulddo much to bring home to those countrieswhich have not a Life-boat Service thenecessity of immediately taking up thematter. The very nature of our workis international, and if this Conferencedeclares its opinion that all maritimecountries should have a Life-savingAssociation, and sends that declarationto the countries concerned, I think thepeople of those countries would at onceorganize such an Institution.

Then as regards the second point,this Conference is already an inter-national one. We have such a uniqueoccasion given to us by the BritishInstitution. This is the first, and wecan all see how instructive and howuseful, and almost how necessary, it isthat we should meet now and then todiscuss the questions affecting this Life-saving Service. So with that purpose itwould be very important to have some

* Obtainable at Life-boat House, 22, Charing CrossBoad, W.C.2. Price 18.

NOVEMBER, 1924.] THE LIFEBOAT: 185

international association. It would helpto unify the Service in some ways by adiscussion of the system and the methodsof work of all countries. If even incertain points we could unify the workit would be most valuable. It wouldalso be helpful in many other ways.For instance, if any association discoversor invents new means and methods theycould be made known to the societiesof other countries. In this kind of work,if we had a central bureau somewhere,I think it would be very useful and verygood for the progress of life-saving. Iinclude in those to be communicatedwith the League of Nations because thiswork is essentially a humane work.The League of Nations is the greatesthumane-work bureau of the world, and itwould attract]the attention of the world.

These are my reasons for submittingto the Conference the formation of suchan association, and if the Conferenceapproves it would, I think, be best toappoint a committee or ask someorganization to take up the question,and to report in, say, one month or sixmonths' time. It is, however, only asuggestion.

SIE GODFREY BARING, Bt., the Chair-man, said : We have listened with theutmost interest to the speech of CountYoshii, and it has raised a matter offirst-class international importance. Wehave ventured to draw up a resolutionin the hope that it will commend itselfto the Conference, and I should like toread it, and then to move it,

" That this International Confer-ence on the saving of life-from ship-wreck, representing the Life-boatServices of Great Britain, Holland,the United States, Denmark, Norway,Sweden, France, Spain, and Japan,desires to urge upon all maritimecountries which have no organizedLife-boat Service, the importance offorming such a Service, both becauseof the need for protecting the sea-farers and ships which visit or passtheir shores, and because the countrieswhich already possess such Serviceshave found in this common task forhumanity an enduring link of good-will and friendship ; that an inter-national Life-boat organization be

formed on the lines of the Red CrossSociety, with all the National Life-boat Societies as its members, andthat copies of this resolution be sentto all maritime countries, the headrquarters of the League of Nations atGeneva, and the League of NaiiousUnions of all countries."

(The names of the countries in thisresolution are in the order in which they,respectively, established a Life-boatService.)

MR. EDVARD LJTHANDER, representingthe Swedish Government, seconded theresolution in the following speech :There lies a lot in the proposal made byCount Yoshii. I agree with his desireto unify—I would not say make uniformbecause it is most necessary that theindividuality of each country and ofeach Society should be guided by thoseconditions under which each one hasbeen built up and found suitable to thatparticular country. I should not likeit to be aimed at as being uniform inthis respect all the world over. But itis undoubtedly most desirable that theexperiences which have been gained bythose who are devoting their life tosolving these problems, and that whathas been found to be best in one country,should be handed on as knowledge tothe other countries. There are sand-banks alike, rocks and heavy seas alike,all round the world. What is found inone country to be the means of over-coming these dangers is bound to beuseful to other countries.

There is one point in the proposalwhich makes a special appeal, and thatis that the work done by the nationswhich already have a system shall becommunicated to those countries whichhave not. Personally I believe thatthis proposal for an International Life-boat Service is a matter on which a realLeague of Nations could be formed witha practical purpose to the benefit of thewhole world, and on which, apart fromall differences and points of view inpolitics, mankind for once could unite.

I beg, Mr. Chairman, to be allowed tosecond the resolution.

The resolution was carried unani-mously, and copies of it have been sent,to the Ambassador, Minister, or other

F 2


chief representative in this country ofthe following States with a request thathe should forward it to his Government:Albania, Argentine, Austria, Belgium,Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, CostaRica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador,Esthonia, Finland, France, Germany,Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy,Japan, Latvia, Mexico, The Netherlands,Nicaragua, Norway, Persia, Peru, Por-tugal, Rumania, Russia, Salvador,Siam, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, TheUnited States of America, Uruguay,Venezuela, Yugo-Slavia,

Copies of the resolution were also sentto the High Commissioners of the BritishDominions, to the League of NationsUnion at Geneva, to the InternationalFederation of League of Nations Societiesat Brussels, with a request that theFederation would forward it to theindividual societies, and to the UnderSecretary of State for Foreign Affairswith a request that it might be broughtofficially to the notice of the Leagueof Nations Council by the British Govern-ment, in order to ensure its fullestpossible consideration.

The Belgian Life-boat Society.No invitation had been sent to the

Belgian Life-boat Service to attend theInternational Conference, because recentpersonal inquiries in Belgium hadunfortunately failed to discover theexistence of such an organisation, andbecause no trace could be found in therecords of the Institution (or in TheLifeboat, which has been published since1852) that we had ever been in com-munication with it, while, on the otherhand, the correspondence and inter-change of information and officialreports with other countries has beencarried on almost from the date of theestablishment of their respective Life-boat Services. As a result of the Con-ference, and the reports of it whichappeared in the Press, the Institution isnow in friendly touch with the BelgianMinistry of Marine, by which the Life-boat Service in Belgium is maintained.Like the American and Danish, it is aState Service. Its fleet consists of nineLife-boats of British pattern, two steamtugs, and two motor tugs. In addition,it is provided with rocket apparatus andother life-saving appliances. It has116 Life-boatmen.

We hope, in a later number of TheLifeboat, to publish a full account of theService, which has, with great courtesy,

been written for us by the BelgianMinistry of Marine. Meanwhile, we arevery glad to be able to give the. aboveparticulars, and to add to the othertributes which the Institution has re-ceived the following, addressed tothe Secretary of the Institution by theDirector-General of the Belgian Service:

" I would ask you to believe that Ishall always feel the liveliest satisfactionin collaborating with those bodies which,like the Royal National Life-boatInstitution, devote their ceaseless effortsto the generous work of saving humanlife. It would have been a specialpleasure to me to express to you, onthe recent occasion of the Centenaryof your noble work, the gratitude andadmiration of my fellow-countrymenin general, and of the Belgian sailors inparticular, for the valiant Life-boatmenof the British coasts, and of the generousfounders and supporters of the RoyalNational Life-boat Institution. Theexpression of these feelings, althoughdelayed by the want of contact betweenour two Services in the past—a contactwhich, like yourself, I should have beendelighted to maintain, for the mutualbenefit of our common work—is not,believe me, for that reason any lessdeep and sincere."


The Prince of Wales's Centenary Appeal to the Empire.ST. JAMES'S PALACE, S.W.

May 10th, 1924." THERE is not a country with a sea-board whose vessels have not, at sometime during the past century, beenrescued from shipwreck by the BritishLife-boat Service. I would appeal toall, to whatever country they belong, toremember with gratitude what seafarersof their own race owe to British Life-boatmen.

" There is nothing in our long andsplendid history as a seafaring race of

which we have more right to be proud.We are proud that it was the first in theworld, and has been the example andmodel for all other countries. Most ofall we are proud that it is a voluntaryservice, provided and maintained, not bythe State, but by the people themselves.

" I appeal to the men and women ofour Empire, and, indeed, to all thosewho value the practical example ofheroism and humanity, to give gene-rously in support of this great service."

EDWARD P., President.

Life-boats of Six Countries on the Thames.LIFE-BOATS have already been seen onthe Thames. In the Pageant of theSea Services of the War, which was heldon the Thames, in 1919, with the Kingin his Royal Barge at the head, twoLife-boats took part, the steam Life-boatJames Stevens No. 3, which is now atHolyhead, and the Watson MotorLife-boat Shamrock, which had just beenbuilt for Baltimore. Last summer theTenby Motor Life-boat John R. Webb, thefirst of the new Watson cabin type, visited

i the Thames, was inspected by Membersof Parliament off the Terrace of the

i House of Commons, and took part in themeeting of the British Motor-boat Club.

': But this year London had such anopportunity as it never had before ofseeing what an intricate and marvellouspiece of work a Life-boat is, for six of

' the nine countries taking part in thei International Conference had Life-boats] stationed on the Thames. There were

eight Boats in all. Two were British,two were Dutch—one from each of theLife-boat Societies of Holland, while

i France, Denmark, Sweden and Norwayeach sent one. The greater distance

i prevented Spain, the United States, andJapan from sending Life-boats, althoughthey sent delegates to the Conference.

: These were the Boats:—GREAT BRITAIN.

; The Barnett Twin-screw Motor Life-I boat William & Kate Johnston, of New

Brighton, 60 feet by 15 feet by 4 feetf 7 inches with two 80 h.p. engines, and

a crew of six.The Watson (Cabin) Motor Life-boat,

J. W. Archer, of Teesmouth, 45 feet by

one12 feet 6 inches by 4 feet, with80 h.p. engine, and a crew of four.

HOLLAND.The North and South Holland Life-

saving Society: The Twin-screw MotorLife-boat Brandaris, 60 feet 2 inches by15 feet 7 inches by 4 feet 7 inches, withtwo 45 h.p. engines, and a crew of four.

The South Holland Society for Savingthe Shipwrecked. The Steam Life-boatPrins der Nederlanden, 55 feet by 16 feetby 3 feet 3 inches, with a 250 h.p. engineand a crew of four.

DENMARK.The Auxiliary Motor Life-boat Anholt

Havn, 34 feet by 9 feet 4 inches by 1 foot6 inches, with a 12 h.p. engine, and acrew of three.

NORWAY.The Sailing Life-boat, Christian Bb'rs,

46 feet 9 inches by 15 feet 10 inches by7 feet 6 inches, with a crew of four.

SWEDEN.The Full-sail and Motor Life-boat

Justus A. Waller, 62 feet by 18 feet by8 feet, with a 90 h.p. engine, and a crewof four. _

FRANCE.The Twin-screw Motor Life-boat

stationed at Calais, 36 feet by 9 feet 5inches by 3 feet, with two 10-12 h.p.engines, and a crew of five.

The numbers of the crews as given isfor the visit to London only, and not forservice.

Great Britain, as will have been seen,was represented by its two latest typesof Motor Life-boats; Holland by itslatest and most powerful type of MotorLife-boat, and by one of the steam Life-


boats from the Hook of Holland, built| \ by the South Holland Society for Saving

the Shipwrecked, on the fines of thei Institution's first Steam Life-boat, Duke• of Northumberland ; France by one of its• latest types of Motor Life-boat, stationed

at Calais in 1922; Denmark by one of' its light Motor Life-boats, specially built

to be transportable on carriages, and'. Sweden and Norway by large cruising

Life-boats which patrol the coast to warnships of their danger, and accompanythe fishing fleets.

The New Brighton Boat came round; from her station, calling at Fishguard,

Falmouth, Plymouth, Cowes, and Kams-gate on the way, and the TeesmouthBoat came from Cowes, where she hadjust finished her trials. All the foreignLife-boats, except the Danish, came ontheir own bottoms across the sea.

The Boats were berthed at East IndiaDock, and then came up the Thames totheir moorings by the Training ShipPresident, off the Temple Steps. Herethey took up their position in two linesand dressed over all, rainbow fashion, on

; the morning of 30th June. In theafternoon, Admiral of the Fleet SirDoveton Sturdee, Bt., inspected them.

; He was received on the Embankment, atthe landing stage of the President, by

I Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt. (Chairman), thei Hon. George Colville (Deputy Chairman)j Members of the Committee of Manage-| ment, Mr. George F. Shee, M.A.

(Secretary), and Captain Rowley, C.B.E.,R.N. (Chief Inspector of Life-boats).There was a crowd of many hundredsalong the Embankment, watching theceremony.

Admiral Sturdee went round the" Fleet" in a launch, going on boardeach Life-boat, on which both the crewsand the foreign delegates were waitingto receive him. With him were theChairman and Deputy Chairman, theSecretary and the Chief InspectorMembers of the Women's Committeeand representatives of the Press thenvisited the Life-boats, after which theywere open to the public, their crewsremaining on board while the delegateswere taken to see the Institution'sStoreyard at Poplar.

We cannot do better than quote thedescription of the Boats and the inspec

ion which appeared next day in TheManchester Cfuardian:—

" The little international fleet ofLife-boats anchored in the river offTemple Steps made a gay picture to-dayon the dull water and against the heavylurtain of cloud. They rode the riverike gulls come in from stormy watersto rest in harbour, but daintier andbrighter than any gulls in their holidayrig of flying streamers and new paint.The Life-boats had a false air of neverlaving done a day's work in their lives,as they danced, all bright and shining,against-the background of barges andWarehouses and all the romantic uglinessof the south shore.

" There are all types of Life-boats,irom Denmark's crimson Motor-boat,little bigger than a ship's Life-boat, tothe 60 foot long William & KateJohnston, of New Brighton, the verylatest thing in the British fleet. Thereare two of our best boats, a couple fromHolland, and one each from Denmark,Sweden, France, and Norway. Life-boats have never been seen moored atLondon's back door before, within afew yards of the indifferent trams, andthere was a great crowd on the Embank-ment to watch the Admiral paying acall from Life-boat to Life-boat.

"He boarded the sturdy-looking twinmotor-boat from Calais, and chattedwith its well-seasoned skipper, whosejersey was plastered with medals. TheScandinavian boats, both wooden sailingships, the Swedish one with auxiliarymotor, were the beauties of the show.The. snow-white Christian Bars, fromthe Norwegian fjords, cruises in Nor-wegian fishing fields for weeks at a time,and the light-blue Swedish boat, paintedthe blue of the sky, also leads a rovinglife instead of the normal peaceful shoreexistence varied by violent excitement.

" The Dutch steam Life-boat, thefamous Prins der Nederland, has savedmany an English sailor from the roughseas round the Hook of Holland. Theother Dutch boat, the Brandaris, has atablet on board recording the gratitudeof the German Government.

" Nothing could be farther from theold-fashioned Life-boat picture than thetwo brand-new British boats with theirup-to-date devices. The boat which


has come up from the Mersey stationhas two 90 h.p. engines and has riggedupon deck a net like the nets which areput under acrobats at the theatre, anarrangement copied from the Dutch, soas to enable sailors on a wreck to jumpstraight into the Life-boat. It has anew B.S.A. Gun which fires a lineinstead of a rocket, and many otheringenious gadgets, such as a ' wavesubduer,' which will squirt twentygallons of oil from the valves on thetroubled sea, and a powerful search-light. The J. W. Archer, of Teesmouth,is the well-equipped infant amongBritish Life-boats, and she and theWilliam & Kate Johnston form anepitome of Life-boat science."

During that evening, the followingday, and the morning of the next, theBoats remained open to the public.Crowds lined the Embankment watch-ing them, and many went on board.

On the Wednesday afternoon all theBoats went up the Thames in processionto Fulham, with the exception of theSwedish and the Norwegian, the mastsof which would have had to be un-stepped to get under the bridges. Allthe delegates were on board, and withthem were the Deputy Chairman andother members of the Committee ofManagement, the Secretary, the ChiefInspector, and the District Inspectors.The Norwegian and Swedish crews weretaken on board the J. W. Archer.

The Boats went as far as Bishop's

Entertainment of Gold Medallists and Crews.APART from the inspection of theLife-boats on the Thames and the visitto Fulham, everything was done by theInstitution, with much generous helpfrom others, to give the British andforeign Life-boatmen a good time whilethey were in London. On the firstnight, the seven Gold Medallists attendedthe performance at the Coliseum, wherethey were the guests of the management.They sat in the Royal Box, and duringthe interval were given refreshments inthe Royal Ante-room. A notice wasalso thrown on the screen, telling theaudience who they were, and asking itto welcome them, which the audience

did by loudly cheering them. In enter-taining the Gold Medallists in this waythe Coliseum was following its verypleasant and generous practice eachyear of inviting to a performance thoseLifeboatmen who come up to theAnnual Meeting to receive their decora-tions.

On the following day the GoldMedallists and the crews of the Britishand foreign Life-boats were taken in themorning to the Houses of Parliament,and were shown over them by Captain theViscount Curzon, C.B.E., R.N.V.R., M.P.(a member of the Committee of Manage-ment).

Park Steps, where the delegates andcrews landed, and were received by theMayor and Mayoress of Fulham (Mr. andMrs. W. J. Waldron), with whom were

| the Bishop of London, Sir HenryI Jackson (Mayor of Wandsworth), Colonel! K. P. Vaughan Morgan, M.P. for Fulham[East, the Archbishop of Eeginai (Canada), and the Bishop of Rangoon.j The Mayor of Fulham made a speech

I of welcome to the delegates and crews,! and the Bishop of London spoke of theLife-boat Services of the world as apractical example of the spirit of theLeague of Nations. The Hon. GeorgeColville replied on behalf of the Institu-tion and the delegates. After theceremony, which was witnessed by :several thousands of people along the ;

I riverside and on the bridge, the crews ;! of the Life-boats were entertained to 'tea by the Mayor. The Life-boats then |returned to their moorings off the Temple ;Steps. i

On the following day, the Life-boat ij Fleet dispersed, but the William &Kate Johnston and the Brandaris, thetwo largest Motor Life-boats in theworld, went up first to the House of '•

! Commons, where Captain the Viscount i[Curzon, E.N.V.R., M.P. (a member ofjthe Committee of Management) had] arranged for them to be inspected by iI Members of Parliament. The Boats |Jwere moored alongside the Speaker'si Steps, and a number of Members of[Parliament, including members of the ;• Government, went on board them. ;


From Westminster, the whole party,of nearly forty, was taken in a 'bus to theBritish Empire Exhibition, where theyspent the rest of the day, Messrs. Lyonsentertaining them at both lunch andtea.

On the following evening the GoldMedallists were the guests of theInstitution at the Life-boat CentenaryDinner, and the crews of the British andforeign Life-boats went "to the Hippo-drome as the guests of the management.

We take this opportunity of express-ing the sincere thanks of the Committeeof Management to Sir Oswald Stoll,Managing Director of the ColiseumSyndicate, and Mr. Arthur Croxton,Manager of the Coliseum; Major IsidoreSalmon, C.B.E., M.P., Chairman ofMessrs. Lyons; and Mr. R. H. Gillespie,Managing Director of Messrs. MossEmpires; and Mr. Frank Beer, Managerof the Hippodrome, for the generoushelp thus given.

The Centenary Dinner.A DINNER in celebration of the Institu-tion's Centenary was held at the HotelCecil, on 2nd July, 1924. H.R.H. thePrince of Wales, K.G. (the Institution'sPresident) presided, and those presentnumbered 478, among them beingLife-boat workers and supporters fromall over the country. A list of theprincipal guests is given after thereport of the speeches. They includedthe Prime Minister, the Ambassadors ofSpain, Japan and France, the Ministersfor Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden,and Denmark, the representatives of theLife-boat Services of eight foreigncountries, and the seven Gold Medallists.

The toast list was as follows :—•" The King." H.R.H. the Prince of

Wales, K.G., the President of theInstitution.

" The Foreign Life-boat Societies,their Life-boatmen, and their Dele-gates." The Prime Minister.

Reply by His Excellency the SpanishAmbassador (Senor Don A. Merry DelVal).

"The Royal National Life-boat In-stitution and the Life-boatmen of GreatBritain." The Right Hon. WinstonSpencer Churchill, C.H.

Reply by Major H. E. Burton, R.E,Hon. Superintendent of the MotorLife-boat at Tynemouth.

"The President of the Institution."The Minister for the Netherlands(JonkheerR.de Marees van Swinderen).

Reply by the President.The Prime Minister.

The PWME MINISTER : Your Royal Highness,Your Excellencies, my Lords, ladies andgentlemen, we have met to-night to celebratethe centenary of THE EOYAL NATIONAL LIFE-

BOAT INSTITUTION. I am not quite sure whyI have been selected to speak to-night. Atfirst I confess I thought that there might havebeen in the minds of those who were good enoughto invite me some sort of idea of the politicalsymbolism; I am so often " In distress."There is, for instance, on my right, an oldfriend of mine (Mr. Winston Churchill) whosefunction seems to be that of attempting toraise the sea against me, and it sometimesappears to me as though the best thing I coulddo would be to become a great expert in" getting off the rocks " and in " saving thecrew." (Laughter.) But, Your Royal Highness,there is perhaps a more serious and a more realreason for my being invited to speak, and it isthis : I was born and brought up on the shoresof a firth which is frequently lashed into thewildest furies by north-easterly gales. I haveseen again and again the gallant men of theLife-boats in action. In the churchyard whereour people lie there are long lines of graves,where men lie from all parts of the earth,whose bodies have been washed up on thatshore, and near by them are the bodies ofLife-boatmen who, in the course of theirglorious work, have lost their lives. Thechurchyard, the seashore, the rocks in theoffing, all rise up in my mind to-night, and theyare associated with the magnificent work ofTHE ROYAL NATIONAL LITE-BOAT INSTITUTION.I never think of those seas without somememory of that extraordinarily romantic blueand white boat, with the red stripe on it,surrounded by men in oilskins and life-belts.(Cheers.) I have seen them battling withand battled by the waves. I have seen themgo out tossing and rolling, and bringing backmen, and not only men, but women, whom theyhave rescued from a stricken ship. To-nightin these circumstances, in this hall, my mindwanders back to those sandy shores, to thosewild waves, and to those treacherous rocksjust out in the offing.

The founder of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION said in 1823 that he proposedto found an institution which " contemplatesthe rescue of thousands of human beings nowin existence and an incalculable number yetunborn from one of the most tremendous of allperils. It is a cause which extends from thepalace to the cottage, in which politics and party


cannot have any share, and which addressesitself with equal force to all the best feelingsof every class in the State." Those are veryfine words, and those words were a wonderfulprophecy. Your Royal Highness knows howamply that prophecy has been fulfilled duringthe past century. It has always been a sourceof great satisfaction to me to feel that GreatBritain pioneered the Life-boat movement;it would be a great disgrace to this country i)we had not done so. We are the leadingmaritime power of the world; our history isthe history of ocean adventure; our positionis in the seas and on the seas. The sea is inour blood. The waves belong to us, not in thenarrow and small-minded sense, but in thatmysterious spiritual way—those wild, restless,dashing waves, sometimes sleeping like a child,presently raving like a wild, untomeable beast,belong to us, in a sense. We share in theirrestlessness, and we belong to them in theiradventure. Ill enough would it become us ifwe had not pioneered in this movement.(Cheers.)

During the last day or two the Life-boatInstitution has been celebrating its Centenary ;has gathered together representatives of allthe nations, with two or three exceptions, wheresimilar institutions exist. We welcome hereto-night the representatives of the UnitedStates of America, Japan, Prance, Spain,Holland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.(Cheers.) We regret most sincerely that thatold-fashioned and much experienced reason inthese days, financial difficulties, has kept awayPortugal and Germany; and I venture to hopethat before long, as I understand these inter-national conferences are to be continued, othercountries will both have established institutionssuch as this, and be able to send theirrepresentatives to London.

Your Royal Highness, I add most sincerelymy appeal to the public to respond, with thegenerosity that the Institution deserves, to itsappeals. (Loud cheers.) It is a great comfortto feel that when those storms come there arevigilant eyes, there are strong and skilledhands, and there are brave hearts watchingfor the storm-stressed mariner to aid him andto succour him in his need. Indeed, it is anepic, it is one of those great romances ofhumanity struggling with the wild elements ofnature. I never think of those seas, I neverthink of the little bodies of fishermen standingin the sheltered corners of houses watchingthe waves, waiting for orders, without some-thing stirring in my heart that makes me feelakin to the elements of nature themselves.And the men who man the Life-boats, the menwho go out, the men who with alacrity launchthem, as I have seen them, run into the seaafter them, jump on board and out over thetossing waves —who are they ? Men who livein little, whitewashed, thatched cottages, whogo to sea day by day with their lines and withtheir nets, earning by the sweat of their browa small pittance in order to keep body and soultogether, and to keep a watch over the sea.Out at night, in with the dawning. Those mencatch from the circumstances of their lives astrangely powerful personality and a wonder-

fully fascinating character. How well I knowthem, and how much I love them 1 Those arethe men who rescue.

I beg of you all to remember this, thatwhilst our sympathies go out to the broken,to the old, to the wretched, whilst we arewilling to help to establish institutions ofcharity in order that their declining yearsmay be passed in peace, how much moreimportant it is that the strong men, menin the prime of their life, men still vigorous,in the midst of danger, should be rescuedby the heroic efforts of the Life-boatmen!The sailor has to be rescued, the head ofthe family, the bread winner, the man towhom the wife and child look for assistance.So that by rescuing those men we do not rescueonly individuals, we rescue homes, and it isof infinite importance that every care shouldbe taken that that should be done. (Cheers.)

I am never quite certain that we imaginewith sufficient accuracy the extraordinarywork the mariner does in the life of the world.There he is, going or coming, from land toland, across sea after sea, binding us alltogether, exchanging the products of thetemperate climes for those of the tropicalclimes, helping us in a thousand and one waysto enjoy standards of life and comfort thatnever could be ours but for the dangers whichhe is willing to face. The obligations underwhich he puts us by his services can neverbe adequately recognized, and there is notetter way of recognizing those services thanby supporting this Institution. (Cheers.)

There is one thing especially that I shouldike to refer to, and that is the internationalcharacter of it all. It is a very providentialarrangement that the men who face dangers,ndependent of language, independent oflistory, independent of race, are always drawn;ogether by the common danger. The Life-boatman on shore never asks what flag the shipin distress is flying; it is enough for him thatshe is in distress; it is enough for him thatlis fellow-mariners are in jeopardy; he goeswillingly to their rescue. I venture to hope;hat as these Institutions increase in number,as these conferences become more common,.hey in their turn will contribute somethingsubstantial to that great international under-standing which all true men and women aredoing their best to create at the presentmoment. (Cheers.)

Your Royal Highness, I have the greatestpleasure in giving the toast of the "ForeignLife-boat Societies, their Life-boatmen, and;heir delegates," and I couple that toast withthe name of His Excellency the SpanishAmbassador. (Loud applause.)

The Spanish Ambassador.His EXCELLENCY THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR:

Your Royal Highness, Your Excellencies, Mr.Prime Minister, my Lords, ladies and gentle-

men, whether we row stroke, whether we rowlow, whether we are the cox standing in thestern sheets and bossing the whole show, orwhether we are just one of a bunch tugging atan oar, we all have our work cut out; we alllave our part in the boat of life, and although

192" THE LIFEBOAT. [NOVEMBER, 1924.

it is not the same thing as a Life-boat, still inboth cases the whole crew, every man jack ofthem, must pull his weight and somethingmore, that is to say, he must do his level best.Every one must row in time ; he must put thegeneral interest before his own, and all mustkeep their weather eye on the coxswain, blowhigh, blow low, ready to carry out his behestin the snuffing of a candle. In other words,discipline must be observed, whatever occurs,otherwise sooner or later over the gunwale wego, and unless there is some friendly hand togive us board and lodging for three days andthree nights, we sink " full fathom five," downinto Davy Jones' bottomless locker, there tolie and drown. (Laughter and cheers.) I donot know whether it is this similarity betweenthe adventure of every man on the surf of lifeand the fortunes of the Life-boat, or whetherit is the compelling spectacle of human pluckand endurance in one of its highest and mostsplendid forms, that makes the saving of lifeat sea dear to every man and every womantoo, who has his or her heart in the right place.We have the greatest respect, sympathy andadmiration for the Life-boat, for the Life-boat's crew, and for their parent, THE ROYALNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. All of ushere to-night, I make bold to say, from HisRoyal Highness downwards (and the Princehas shown us time and again where his heart is)—(cheers)—are delighted to find ourselves hereat the table of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. I, for my part, deem itone of the greatest honours of my life to respondto the toast which has been so eloquentlyproposed by the Prime Minister. (Cheers.)

When we stop and think that 1824 years ofChristianity rolled over the world before anobscure Englishman, obscure no longer, andnot a very successful one at that•, had the mindto visualize the idea, and the courage to carryit out—although perhaps it had been practisedindividually and spasmodically before ; whenwe remember that before that day ship-wrecked fishermen, sailors and passengers,were left to their own resources, that is to say,to chance, and that the ghoulish practices ofthe wrecker were almost a recognized trade,then must we marvel indeed that the establish-ment of Life-saving Apparatus and Life-boats,in some form or other, was not considered aparamount duty from the moment that theCross was first planted on the shore of any land.To his imperishable glory an Englishman itwas, Hillary, who first saw this, one of thebrightest, one of the most beautiful and oneof the purest jewels in Britannia's crown;honour to the mother, honour to the son.(Loud cheers.) But hardly had he given thislead than it was taken up the world over,so that to-day states and peoples vie in theestablishment of Life-boat stations, in thelaunching of craft, in the recruiting and drillingof crews, and a thousand hands stretch forthnot only to give without stint, but, better still,to grasp an oar ; and this we owe first and lastto Sir William Hillary. (Cheers.)

So loaded are our rolls of honour withnames that there are enough to man thebright, white, shining fleet which certainly

sails in heaven, for what can a man domore than lay down his life for his brother ?Here again Britain, the land of GraceDarling, leads the van, but not alone. FromSpain and Britannia's iron-bound shores,from the fog-enshrouded cliffs and sand dunesand sand spits of the north, from where theAtlantic rollers crash on the coast year in andyear out, from the surf-ridden shores of Africa,of South America, of Asia, of Oceania, theycome at Hillary's call, an ever swelling host.(Cheers.) I know a little port on the northerncoast of Spain, nestling at the foot of an elm-covered hill, where lie a few English graveslooking out towards the bay. There, as inLongfellow's smithy, year in and year outyou can hear the clang of the riveter's hammer,the thud, of the caulker's mallet. There theboats, like greyhounds in a line, dance on everyripple of the waves. There the fishwives'wares are garnered from the sea at the price—how often—of men's lives and women's tears.Above them, ensconced in the sea-wall, standsthe bronze bust of a rude fisherman in hissimple local seafaring dress, and underneathis this inscription: "To Father Mari," theman who spent his life saving the lives ofothers, until one day, when the Bay of Biscaytook its revenge, there was one life he couldnot save, and that was his own. Again, asthis scene fades before my eyes, I see in thedistance the statue which Spain reared to oneof her noblest sons, a negro, whose soul waswhiter than the whitest, Victor Rojas, the manwho saved two hundred lives.* (Cheers.)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have mentionedthese Spanish names because I am a Spaniard.I am happy to see that my country appreciates,as it deserves to be appreciated, THE ROYALNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, by sendinghere two distinguished officers of our RoyalNavy, a Navy, which I may say in passing,does much in Spain for the Life-boat Service.Still, every country, whether represented hereor not, could say the same, because in thiswork of rescuing life at sea all the world overwe are but one. Thus is expressed in one of itshighest and noblest forms the brotherhood ofhumanity by the brotherhood of the sea.(Cheers.) I trust that this may be the meansof restoring man again to his natural state, thestate of peace, the peace of a contented world,the peace of action, and the gratitude of onepeople towards another, the peace and good-will of the heart. Even if we are disarmedsomething will always be left to fight; weshall always have to fight the elements, weshall always have to fight the sea. (Cheers.)

The foreign Life-boat Societies are proud tosee themselves here in England to-day. Theyrecognize that Britain went before and gavethe example ; she was the model; she was thefirst to tread the path when, on 4th March,1824, in the London Tavern, the first Life-boatSociety was modestly founded by Sir WilliamHillary. We recognize in THE ROYALNATIONAL LITE-BOAT INSTITUTION not onlythe model, but also the helper, the adviser,

* For an account of the life of Victor Rojas, seeTHE LIFEBOAT for June, 192 J.


which, by its help and advice, has saved manthousands of lives beyond the shores oBritain. We recognize in the Institution onof Britain's noblest glories, and we turntowards that Institution as the object of ougreatest admiration, our deepest sympathyand our warmest affection. (Loud cheers.)

Mr. Prime Minister, I thank you for thwords you have so kindly addressed to thforeign Life-boat Societies. You may bcertain that your friendly sentiments arreciprocated by one and all, with the samsincerity and the same kindness with whiclyou spoke to us just now. (Applause.)

Mr. Winston Churchill.Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL : Your Roya

Highness, Your Excellencies, my Lords, ladiesand gentlemen, I have been entrusted with theduty of proposing the toast of " THE ROYALNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and theLife-boatmen of Great Britain," but when '.survey the situation at the present momentit seems to me that the Prime Minister has saicalmost all that could be said upon the subjectand that his great and eloquent address hasbeen reinforced by the marvellous exhibitionof mastery of the English language (louccheers) for which we are indebted to theSpanish Ambassador. There are, nevertheless,a few gleanings from this wide field. Onelooks back to Sir William Hillary. He was asoldier—like General Seely, who has the GoldMedal of the French Republic for saving lifeat sea. (Cheers.) Sir William Hillary was asoldier—like Major Burton, who responds tothis toast. (Cheers.) He preached a gospelwhich is preached to-day; he practised agospel which is practised to-day. All his lifehe was a Life-boatman. At the age of sixty hestill went out in the Life-boat. Three hundredand five persons were saved in Life-boatefforts in which he took a personal part, andthree times he received the Gold Medal of theInstitution. (Cheers.)

It is a remarkable fact that this greatInstitution has subsisted for 100 years withoutthe slightest financial assistance from theState. (Cheers.) All the enthusiasm of myright honourable friend (the Prime Minister),all the vivid and intimate knowledge whichhe at this day possesses of the conditions oflife, may be enlisted by me in further eulogyof the self-reliant spirit of this great Institution.It has never taken a penny from public funds,this Institution whose brave volunteers earntheir living in their own way, and only comeout when they are called, whose funds aremaintained entirely by subscriptions, andwhose administration is conducted by Com-mittees and Honorary Secretaries who work:or nothing. Is it not a marvellous achieve-ment ? (Loud cheers.)

When Sir William Hillary started the Life-joat Service a Life-boat cost £149, it now costsilO.OOO. The Motor Life-boat, fitted with allthe apparatus that is necessary, with all thatmodern science can bestow on the structure,costs £10,000, and the slipway and the shedind appliances which are required for runningler, I am credibly informed, are matters of

almost equal expense. Whereas the Life-boatInstitution started with thirty-nine boats, illequipped, ill organized, it now has 230—including forty-four of these great and costlyMotor Life-boats—which have been over-whelmingly proved to be the most effectivemeans of saving life. It is certainly one ofthe glories of our nation that we have beenable to achieve the whole of this immensedevelopment, and that there are to-day 4,000trained Life-boatmen standing ready roundthe coasts of this Island to go at any momenton their errand of duty—simply by the exerciseof voluntary efforts and goodwill. That is agreat achievement. The Prime Minister haspointed out that as the leading maritimepower, as an island people, this was a matterin which we should have taken the lead, andI join myself with him in a tribute to thespontanity and the gallantry with which thisidea, of which we are entitled to claim theauthorship, has been sustained and respondedto and developed by the great seaboard nationsof the world. (Cheers.)

The achievements of the Institution havebeen remarkable. In 100 years 60,000 livesiave been saved from the seas. (Cheers.) Iam told (though I have not made the calcula-tion, but I am assured on credible authority)that that works out at eleven lives a-week.Cn the War 5,300 people were saved by theBritish Life-boats. Friend or foe were broughtx> shore and relieved, and delivered fromdanger. No call has been unanswered, and noservice has been unnoticed by the Life-boatInstitution; rewards and recognition haveighted upon those who have done worthy andcourageous service, but a great distinction hasseen observed. The highest reward of the'nstitution has only been given in 95 cases

during the whole century—only 87 personalave received the Gold Medal. Of those 87jersons, only eight are alive, and of those eight,even have accepted the invitation to our>anquet to-night, and of those seven, one,ilajor Burton, is to reply to the toast I havehe honour to propose. He earned his Goldtfedal in the rescue of a third—for the rest>erished—of the survivors of the hospital shiptohitta, which in October, 1914, was cast away.le voyaged in his Life-boat through the stormor fifty miles before he could reach the wreck,le pushed out again when he reached the port

which was in the neighbourhood; for hoursand hours they were at sea, and again andagain they were nearly capsized by thenonnous waves which broke over the wreck

and broke over the Life-boat. Fifty survivorswere brought safely to shore by him and hisCoxswain, Robert Smith, and Major Burton isttingly chosen to reply to the toast of thejfe-boatmen. (Cheers.)We live in a valiant age, an age which,

Ithough peculiarly a nervous age, neverthelessas proved capacities of daring, of self-abne-ation, self-sacrifice, dauntless defiance to therute powers of nature and of death, which noormer age has excelled, which we may perhapseasonably contend no former age has equalled;ut there is something about the work of savingfe which raises it, in certain aspects, above

F3


aii^ form of peril and <x ii-sacritice which ision bined wnh taking life. It is a greatproblem to balance the self-sacrifice of thesoldier and the self-sacrifice of the Life-boat-man. Mill, one feels that the Life-boatmanmay plead that he represents the cause ofhumanity, and not that of any single nationor any single cause which may in the march ofevents from time to time arrive. (Cheers.)

" Man the Life-boat!"—it is an inspiringcall. It may, as the Spanish Ambassador hassuggested to us, have other applications indaily life. When a friend is in trouble or insickness " Man the Life-boat!" If a class issubmerged, ill-treated or exploited, " Man theLife-boat 1" If a small nation is fighting forits life, " Man the Life-boat!" All these areapplications of the same idea, but the finestof all is the simple actual sphere by the sea-shore. There is the glorious sphere of heroismand chivalry in human nature. The wrecklies on the reef, great waves are breaking overit, the timbers are going to pieces, the platesare buckling every hour, the crew and thepassengers, women and children, are lashedto the rigging, clinging on to any coign ofvantage which gives them shelter, or huddledin some structure which has survived the furyof the elements. There they are, out in thenight, in the sea, in the tempest. They haveno hope in this world except the Life-boat,but their signals have not been unperceived.The order has gone forth " Man the Life-boat!"—an order which is never disobeyed. Greatwaves may thunder on the shore, winds maydrive and beat with their utmost fury, theboat goes out, thrusts its way ahead to thewreck, it is twisted and turned by the con-vulsions of the sea, it is swamped with water,it is driven back, again and again it returns, itpursues and perseveres on its mission of rescue,of salvation, to those who are in peril, it driveson with a courage which is stronger than thestorm, it drives on with a mercy which doesnot quail in the presence of death, it drives onas a proof, a symbol, a testimony, that manis created in the image of Qod, and that valourand virtue have not perished in the Britishrace. (Loud cheers.)

Your Royal Highness, Your Excellencies,my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, I give youthe toast of "THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and the Life-boatmen ofGreat Britain." (Loud applause.)

Major H. E. Burton.Major H. E. BUBTON : Your Royal High-

ness, Your Excellencies, the Right Hon. thePrime Minister, the Right Hon. Mr. WinstonChurchill, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen, Ifeel it a very great honour indeed to have beenasked to respond to the toast of " THE ROYALNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and theLife-boatmen of Great Britain," which has beenproposed with such eloquence by Mr. WinstonChurchill, and I feel my inadequacy for thetask. It is not only his speech and the othereloquent speeches to which we have listenedwhich make me feel this. It is rather thethought of those for whom I speak. Thereare seven of us here to-night whose honour it

is to wear the Gold Medal of THE ROYALNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and wehad the honour of being received by HisMajesty on Monday — Captain ThomasMcCombie, of Kingstown, Coxswain RobertSmith, of Tynemouth, Coxswain Henry Blogg,of Cromer, Coxswain John Howells, of Fish-guard, Coxswain William Fleming, of Gorles-ton, and Coxswain John Swan, of Lowestoft.(Cheers.) England, Wales and Ireland are allrepresented, and I am proud to think that fiveof the seven of us here to-night come from theEast Coast. It was on the East Coast, at themouth of the Tyne, that the first Life-boatwas built and the first Life-boat Stationestablished, and the East Coast has a recordsecond to none round all the coasts of GreatBritain and Ireland. But it is not only forthe seven that I speak. There are the membersof our own Crews who shared the dangers withus, and should share the honours also. I wishthat it had been possible for them all to havebeen here to-night. (Cheers.) Then there arenearly 6,000 more round the 5,000 miles ofcoast of these islands, trained and tried Life-boatmen. I know what a great organizationthe service is. I remember how it is main-tained by the help of thousands who volunteerto work for it in raising its funds, and of tensof thousands who subscribe to it. All theseare included in this toast of THE ROYALNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. But surelythe rock on which the Service is built is thesemen who man its boats! Without them nogenerosity of workers or of subscribers wouldbe of any use, and it is in their names that Ifeel I am speaking, for the 4,000 Life-boatmenand the 4,000 more, many of them women,who launch the boats. It is in their namesthat I thank Mr. Churchill for the tributewhich he has paid them ; a splendid tribute—but it is deserved. (Cheers.) No one who hasnot been afloat with them knows what greatseamen and what great-hearted men the Crewsof the Life-boats are. (Loud cheers.)

And how shall I thank you for this tributewhich you have paid them to-night ? I thinkthat all they would wish me to say is this:" We have manned your Life-boats for ahundred years. Go on giving us the boats,the best you can—as always—and we willcarry on." (Loud applause.)

The Minister for the Netherlands.THE MINISTER FOB THE NETHERLANDS :

Your Royal Highness, Your Excellencies, Mr.Prime Minister, my Lords, ladies and gentle-men, the privilege of this toast has been placedin my hands as a recognition of the fact thatmy country was the first one to follow Britain'sguide in establishing and organizing a Life-boatService. A hundred years since have passed.Age is very often only of very problematicalvalue, but when one sees your society and oursociety in the full strength of their youth,with an undiminished enterprising and organiz-ing capacity, ripened only by the vast experiencewhich they have had, then I daresay it is asubject of pride for the Dutch people, whohave always been so intimately associated withthe sea, that they borrowed so closely from


their powerful neighbour—with whom theyhave been competitors so often in the gloriousdays of the past—in establishing the humaneand self-sacrificing principles of a Life-boatService on their coasts. I trust that mycolleagues, the representatives around thishospitable board of the other seafaring nations,will feel no jealousy because I have been in-vited to be the broadcaster of our collective ad-miration for this Institution, and to presentagain our wishes for the prosperity of its work,and the continuance of its work as the pioneer inthis service of humanity. (Cheers.) I trustthat you will admit that if there is anywhere aplace where Holland's voice may be heard inthe concert of nations, it may be on an occasionlike this, where we are celebrating the heroicefforts of men to wrest from the sea what sheso often already has claimed as a victim ofhers. (Cheers.)

In this respect I would like to remind youof what in my youth was a common theory,which we heard in the Sunday Schools, takenfrom a chapter of Genesis: " God has createdthe earth with the exception of Holland,which had to create herself." (Loud laughter.)Century after century the Dutch people havebeen, and year after year they still are,indefatigable in their battle against the sea.They have pushed the waters back until—excuse this expression for alliteration's sake—" Holland is dyked and dammed all round."(Laughter and cheers.) We have had manyglorious pages in common in our history,pages by which we can show how we werefighting, very often side by side, very oftenalso against each other, and though I will notsay that every Dutch boy is enthusiastic aboutthe hours he has to spend at school to learndetails of the admirals' names in English wars,still it is for all of us the most glorious chapterof our history. (Laughter and cheers.)

We are always taught that we have tobe as proud of the battles which we lost asof the battles which we won, and we hadmen in those days a few of the most gallantwe could have met. Allow me to remindyou of a story which is nowadays told inHolland, and I cannot resist the temptationto mention it here, because after all it givesthe greatest credit to the British race. Ayoung Dutchman found himself with anEnglishman, and he was boasting of thoseglorious deeds of his forefathers. He said"Remember how De Reuter came up theMedway to Chatham," and, with his delightfulcalmness and laconic spirit, of which you allpossess the secret in a very high degree, theEnglishman only answered "Try it again!"(Cheers and laughter.) Certainly there is nodanger that we will ever follow up his verysound advice. But what we have followed,and we were proud to do so, was the hint whichwe got from the glorious founder of thisSociety, Sir William Hillary; and, only sixmonths after your Institution was established,we established in Holland a similar society tothis. Therefore it gives me very lively satis-faction to see amongst the honoured guestshere the representatives of the two DutchSocieties, founded in 1824, which now, in the

fullest and most complete co-operation,provide the Life-boat Service along ourdangerous coasts. The cordial welcome withwhich you have greeted us, and the sumptuousbanquet which you have offered us to-nightare very highly appreciated. (Cheers.)

I now have very great pleasure in proposingthe toast of " His Royal Highness," both in hiscapacity as our host and as your President.We are living in these days in an atmosphereof competition in every possible field of humanactivity. We read about competitions : Whois the prettiest woman ? Who is the fattestbaby ? Who is the most popular poet 1 Orthe most advanced author ? (Laughter.) AndI think that if moved by that same spirit wecould submit at this moment to the world inits entirety this simple question : " Who isthe happiest man now living ? " I think thatthe overwhelming majority would answer"The Prince of Wales." (Loud cheers.) You,Sir, though young in years, have seen moreaspects of the activities of life, both in warand in peace, than has come to the lot of anyof your contemporaries. In your knightlyacceptance of your duties as sailor and soldier,and your splendid participation in every kindand form of sport, in your sympathy with thecause of charity and your activity in furtheringthe welfare of ex-Service men, and of theindustrial masses, you have shown yourself aPrince among your people. (Cheers.) Byyour presence to-night you have given againa fresh proof of the keen and personal interestthat you take in the great work of this greatInstitution, a work which I venture to supposeappeals to you more than any other, becauseit shows your people in their noblest aspects.We find here courage at its highest and self-sacrifice of the most generous and unselfishkind, at the call of every seafarer, no matterto what nation he belongs; a body ofthousands of fisherfolk carrying on day byday along the coasts of your island theirglorious work, and representing in themselvesthe very type of Britain's best men. Withyour inspiration and your leadership, YourRoyal Highness cannot fail to prosper in acountry like England. (Loud cheers.)

I have now the honour to propose the toastof the health, long life and happiness of HisRoyal Highness, and I venture to suggest toyou that it should be concentrated in the wordsof that beautiful song, which I think is secondonly to your National Anthem, " God bless thePrince of Wales." (Loud applause.)

The Prince of Wales.H.R.H. THE PBINCB OF WALES : Your

Excellencies, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen,I am very grateful indeed for the kind way inwhich my health has been proposed to-night,and for the very cordial way in which you havedrunk it. I am very proud indeed to be inthe chair this evening, and as Chairman I haveto say that I am grateful to all those eminentspeakers who have come here to-night tosupport me, although, when it falls to the lotof a man to have to make the last speech, heis not always very pleased, for very often thewords have been taken out of his mouth. I


must say that I am very privileged to presideon this memorable occasion, particularlybecause the last dinner held was in the year1899, when King Edward, then Prince of Wales,was in the chair.

THE KOYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITU-TION is celebrating its Centenary Dinner, andI think it is impossible for any one who knowsthe instincts and the ideals of our race, not tobe impressed with the importance of theservice rendered by this Institution, the servicethat it is rendering, and, I venture to say, willcontinue to render, not only to British sea-farers, but to the seafarers of the wholeworld. (Cheers.)

The Institution has held a Centenary Con-ference, which has been sitting for the lasttwo days, in the course of which representativesof no less than nine nations have been takingpart. We welcome those foreign representa-tives most cordially. They have been discuss-ing how best to further the interests of savinglife at sea, and Count Yoshii, the Japaneserepresentative, made the splendid proposalthat all maritime countries should establishand organize a Life-boat Service. I think, infact I am sure, that by this Centenary Con-ference the Life-boat Institution will prove tobe once more the indirect means of providingfor the safety of thousands of people now livingand of an incalculable number yet unborn allthe world over. (Cheers.)

Ladies and gentlemen, the King has beenpleased to mark his appreciation of the import-ance of the service rendered, not only to Britainbut to the whole world, by THE ROYALNATIONAL LITE-BOAT INSTITUTION, by con-ferring on its Gold Medallists, seven of whomare here this evening—and I am going to askthose gentlemen to stand up—(the sevenGold Medallists then stood up and were receivedwith long and loud applause) the King hasconferred on these splendid men the honourof the British Empire Medal for conspicuouspersonal gallantry. (Loud cheers.) Unfortu-nately, one of them, Father O'Shea, fromIreland, has been prevented by illness frombeing with us this evening, but we are veryproud, and I particularly as Chairman, amvery proud, to honour these men to-night.(Cheers.) They are men who have done verybig things, and one cannot help wonderingwhat they must think of all our speechesto-night and of all our conferences. Ourexcuse is that we are doing it on behalf of theLife-boat Service, on behalf of these men andof their mates, and as President 1 should liketo assure you how very keenly I appreciatethe services of all the Coxswains and the Crewsof the Life-boats, and, I must add, of thethousands of men and women who make theirwork possible by presenting the claims of thisInstitution throughout the country, through-out the Empire, and throughout the world.(Cheers.)

We are not, as an Institution, out to makemoney to-night at this banquet, and perhapsthe Committee of Management were wise indeciding not to do so, because it might havefrightened away some timid people who wouldhave lost the opportunity and the pleasure of

greeting these Gold Medallists, and of welcomingour foreign delegates on this most auspiciousoccasion in London ; but I trust that it is notout of place for me, as President of the Institu-tion, at the Centenary Dinner, to make a mostearnest appeal to the British people to supportthis Service in a generous and whole-heartedway. (Loud chefers.) We must not forgetthat the Life-boat Service is always mobilized ;it is mobilized in peace time just as it wasduring the War, mobilized for the greatstruggle with the sea for the lives of those inperil. Another thing that we must remember,and I am rather repeating what Mr. Churchillsaid to-night, is that this Institution is nothelped at all by the State. It is a Service ofwhich we of this great nation may well beproud, and it is a Service which belongs tothe nation in a very intimate way. It is theLife-boat Service, provided by this greatInstitution, which we are honouring to-night,and the centenary of which we are celebrating,and I desire to commend it to everybody.(Loud applause.)

Among those present at the Dinnerwere:—

H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, K.G.;the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. J.Ramsay MacDonald, M.P.); His Excel-lency the Spanish Ambassador (SefiorDon A. Merry del Val); His Excellencythe Japanese Ambassador (Baron G.Hayashi); His Excellency the FrenchAmbassador (Comte de Saint-Aulaire);the Minister for Norway (Mr. M. B.Vogt); the Minister for the Netherlands(Johnkeer Dr. R. de Marees van Swin-deren); the Minister for Sweden (BaronE. K. Palmstierna); the Danish Minister(Count Preben Ahlefeldt Laurvig); theRt. Hon. F. 0. Roberts, M.P. (Ministerof Pensions); Mr. A. V. Alexander,M.P. (Parliamentary Secretary to theBoard of Trade); the Rt. Hon. WinstonS. Churchill, C.H.; the Worshipful theMayor of Westminster (Councillor E.Home); Capitaine de Vaisseau deRuffi de Ponteves (Naval Attache to theFrench Embassy); Captain C. L.Hussey (Naval Attache to the UnitedStates Embassy); Commander Prestrud(Naval Attache to the Norwegian Lega-tion) ; Commander de Bahr (NavalAttache to the Swedish Legation);Commander Evers (Naval Attache to theDanish Legation): the representativesof the foreign Life-boat societies, whosenames have already been given: theseven Gold Medallists, whose nameshave already been given: the followingmembers of the Committee of Manage^


ment: Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt. (Chair-man) ; the Hon. George Colville (DeputyChairman); the Earl of Albemarle ; theEarl of Hardwicke ; Major-General theRt. Hon. J. E. Bernard Seely, C.B.,C.M.G., D.S.O., M.P.; Captain the Vis-count Curzon, C.B.E., R.N.V.R., M.P.;Colonel Lord William Cecil, C.V.O.; SirWilliam Corry, Bt.; Rear-AdmiralFrederick C. Learmonth, C.B., C.B.E. (theHydrographer of the Admiralty); Vice-Admiral Sir H. H. D. Tothill, K.C.B.,K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O. (the Admiral Com-manding Reserves); Sir Herbert ActonBlake, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O. (the DeputyMaster of Trinity House); EngineerRear-Admiral Charles Rudd ; Brigadier-General Noel M. Lake, C.B.; CommanderSir Harry Mainwaring, Bt., R.N.V.R.;Major Sir Maurice Cameron, K.C.M.G.;Sir John G. Gumming, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.;Mr. H. Hargood, O.B.E., J.P., D.L.;Captain S. M. Day, C.B., D.S.O.,R.N.R.; Captain G. C. Holloway,O.B.E., R.D., R.N.R.; Captain J. P.Cave ; Mr. Henry Cavendish-Bentinck;Mr. John F. Lamb ; Mr. H. D. Clayton ;Mr. Herbert F. Lancashire ; Mr. HenryR. Fargus ; Mr. J. J. Crosfield ; Mr. J.Seville Fortescue ; Mr. B. A. Glanvill.

Lady Baring ; Lady Cynthia Colville ;Miss Ishbel Macdonald ; Lady FlorencePery; the Marquess of Tweeddale,C.B.E., and the Marchioness of Tweed-dale ; the Earl of Plymouth; the Earlof Yarborough; the Earl of Normanton ;the Rt. Rev. the Lord Bishop of Pella;Lord and Lady Brownlow; Vice-

Admiral Sir H. F. Oliver, K.C.B.,K.C.M.G., C.B., M.V.O. (Second SeaLord), and Dame Beryl Oliver, D.B.E.;General Sir Reginald Wingate, G.C.B.,G.C.V.O., G.B.E., K.C.M.G., D.S.O.;Vice - Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey,G.C.V.O., K.C.M.G., K.C.I.E., C.B.;Major - General Sir Andrew Russell,K.C.B., K.C.M.G., and Lady Russell;Sir Charles Wakefield, Bt.; Sir SvenHansen, Bt. Sir Alan Garrett AndersonK.C.B. (Chairman of the Chamber ofShipping); Sir Hardman Lever, K.C.B.,and Lady Lever ; Colonel Sir WyndhamMurray, K.C.B.; Lieut.-Colonel SirR. D. Waterhouse, K.C.B., C.M.G.;Sir H. E. Bruce-Porter, K.B.E., C.M.G.,and Lady Bruce-Porter ; Sir Alfred andLady Rice-Oxley; Sir Herman Gollancz;Mr. Charles Hipwood, C.B. (MarineDepartment of the Board of Trade);Lady Blake ; Lady Cameron ; the Rev.A. W. Gough (Prebendary of St. Paul's);the Hon. Mrs. Seely; Mr. S. R. Preston-Hillary ; Mrs. Fargus; Mrs. Lamb;Mrs. Day; Mrs. Glanvill; Mrs. Crosfield;Miss Alice Marshall (Hon. Secretaryof the Oxford and District Branch); andthe following officials of the Institu-tion : Mr. George F. Shee, M.A. (Secre-tary) ; Captain Howard F. J. Rowley,C.B.E., R.N. (Chief Inspector of Life-boats); Mr. J. R. Barnett, O.B.E.,M.I.N.A. (Consulting Naval Architect) ;Commander Thomas Holmes, R.N.(late Chief Inspector of Life-boats); Mr.P. W. Gidney and Mr. Charles Vince(Assistant Secretaries).

Government .Banquet to the Delegates.ON 1st July His Majesty's Governmentgave a dinner at Lancaster House inhonour of the Delegates to the Con-ference. The Right Hon. Sidney Webb,M.P., President of the Board of Trade,presided, supported by the Right Hon.F. W. Jowett, M.P., First Commissionerof Works, and Mr. A. V. Alexander,M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to theBoard of Trade. Among the guests, inaddition to the Delegates from theforeign Life-boat Societies, were Sir AlanGarrett Anderson, K.B.E. (President ofthe Chamber of Shipping), Sir ErnestGlover, Bt. (President of the Chamber ofShipping in 1923), Vioe-Admiral Sir

Hugh Tothill (Admiral CommandingReserves, and a member of the Com-mittee of Management of the Institu-tion), Captain Sir Herbert Acton Blake,K.C.M.G. (Deputy Master of TrinityHouse, and a member of the Committeeof Management), Sir Sydney Chapman,K.C.B. (Permanent Secretary to theBoard of Trade), Sir Godfrey Baring,Bt. (Chairman of the Committee of Man-agement), the Hon. George Colville(Deputy Chairman), and other membersof the Committee, Sir Arthur NormanHill, Bt. (Chairman of the Board ofTrade Advisory Committee on MerchantShipping), Mr. G. Hipwood, O.B. (Her-


cantile Marine Department, Board ofTrade), Captain J. D. Daintree, C.B.E.,R.N. (Inspector-General of Coast Guard),Mr. George F. Shee, M.A. (Secretary ofthe Institution), and Captain HowardF. J. Rowley, C.B.E., R.N. (Chief In-spector of Life-boats).

In addition to the toasts of " TheKing" and " The Sovereigns of theKingdoms and Presidents of the Repub-lics Represented," the only toast was" Our Guests," which was proposed byMr. Sidney Webb. In the course of hisspeech Mr. Webb paid the followingtribute to the Institution, which is allthe more interesting when it is remem-bered that Mr. Webb is, and has been

work without Government assistance.One of the advantages of voluntaryorganization is that it can initiate andexperiment, which is very difficult for aGovernment Department. But thereare drawbacks. It is difficult for a volun-tary association to have continuity—but the Institution has managed to doit. It is another of the drawbacks ofvoluntary associations that they seldommanage to be equal to the whole of theirtasks—but here again the Institutionhas succeeded."

The-toast was responded to by Mr.P. E. Tegelberg, President of the Northand South Holland Life-Saving Society,

Photograph by} [Kamra Prets Studios.

THE GOVERNMENT BANQUET AT LANCASTER HOUSE.who spoke as the representative of theyounger brother, though not quite thetwin brother, of the Institution, for hisSociety was founded in the same year asthe British, eight months later. Mr.Tegelberg paid a tribute to the BritishService, and acknowledged the readinesswhich it had always shown to help the

for many years, one of the most in-fluential and distinguished intellects inthe Socialist movement:—

" Great Britain happens to be theoldest in the beneficent enterprise ofsaving life from the sea, as befits thecountry which has the largest amount ofshipping, and the largest coastline inproportion to its size, and we have allbeen struck by the enormous increase,during the past hundred years, in thesize of the Institution and the scope ofits work. It is one of its glories that itis entirely voluntary, carrying on its

life-boat Services of other countries.Sir Godfrey Baring also replied to the

toast, and Major-General the Right Hon.J. E. B. Seeley, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O.,M.P., proposed the health of Mr. SidneyWebb.

NOVEMBER, 1924.J THE LIFEBOAT. 199

Life-boat Dinner at the Authors' Club.THE first of the Life-boat Centenarycelebrations in London was a dinner atthe Authors' Club on 29th January, atwhich Mr. George F. Shee, M.A., theSecretary of the Institution, an old mem-ber of the Club, presided, and at which SirGodfrey Baring, Bt., the Chairman of theCommittee of Management, was theprincipal guest. Lloyd's List publishednext day the following account of it:—

" Nothing could have been more cor-dial than the welcome given by themembers of the Authors' Club to theirprincipal guest at Monday night's housedinner, and never did the eloquent ex-ponent of a good cause better deservesuch a welcome; for the subject of theevening's discussion was the RoyalNational Life-boat Institution, and ifany man could do justice to such atheme, that man was assuredly SirGodfrey Baring. In his speech, which

was a masterly exposition of the subject,he mentioned the interesting fact thathis great-grandfather moved one of theprincipal resolutions at the historicmeeting held in the City on 4th March,1824, which provides the occasion of thisyear's centenary. Mr. George Shee,Secretary of the Institution, made anexcellent Chairman, and among theother speakers were Viscount Curzon,one of the Committee of Management;Mr. J. R. Barnett, of Glasgow, who isresponsible for the design of the Institu-tion's latest motor-boat; Sir H. ActonBlake, who, as Deputy Master of theTrinity House, had something to sayabout lightships ; and Mr. Charles Hip-wood, of the Marine Department of theBoard of Trade, who echoed the pioushope that the Royal National Life-boatInstitution would never become theappanage of a Government Department."

The Help of the Churches.The Presbyterian Church of England and the Society of Friends.

IN addition to the numerous thanks-giving services which were arrangedindividually by Branches, two Churches,the Presbyterian Church of England, andthe Society of Friends, gave the Institu-tion the help of their central organiza-tion.

At the meeting of the General Assem-bly of the Presbyterian Church, in May,the following resolution was passed :

" The Assembly congratulates THEROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTI-TUTION on the fine record of valuablework which it has achieved on ourcoast for 100 years, and authorizes aspecial collection to be taken through-out the Church on Life-boat Sunday,in celebration of the Centenary of theInstitution."It was decided to make 29th June

Life-boat Sunday in the PresbyterianChurches, as being the Sunday imme-diately preceding the International Con-

ference, and with the help of the GeneralAssembly and the support of theirresolution, the 400 Presbyterian churchesof England were asked to give thankson that day, for the work of the Life-boat Service during a hundred years.

The Society of Friends, while unableto set aside one Sunday as Life-boatSunday, gave the Institution theirapproval and help in inviting the 400Meetings of Friends to give thanks forthe work of the Life-boat Service oneither 2nd March or 9th March, theSundays immediately preceding andimmediately following the Institution'shundredth birthday on 4th March. TheJournal of the Society of Friendsalso published an appeal in February" heartily commending to Friends thatone Sunday might be set apart for re-membrance of the work of our Life-boatorganization, and for some practicalrecognition of our appreciation of andindebtedness to the Life-boat Service."


Journey up the Thames of the Teesmouth Motor Life-boat.ON the day on which the InternationalLife-boat display on the Thames finished,and the foreign Life-boats went downthe river and out to sea, the TeesmouthMotor Life-boat started on a six weeks'cruise up the Thames. She was incharge of an officer with a crew consist-ing of a coxswain, a motor mechanic, andtwo men. She went as far as Oxford, adistance of 113 miles, and among the

never before given except to Eoyalty,was granted in honour of " such a

I special event and so magnificent acause."

At Shiplake, where the Boat arrivedon 16th July, in heavy rain, a Life-boatDay was held in connexion' with hervisit, and over £40 was raised. On herreturn journey she reached Henley onAugust 8th, where she was received by

Photograph by} [R. Clement, Maidenhead.

THE TEESMOUTH LIFE-BOAT AT. MAIDENHEAD.

other places where she stopped wereRichmond, Kingston, Maidenhead,Windsor, Staines, Weybridge, Shepper-ton, Henley, Wallingford, Pangbourne,Great Marlow, and Reading. Alto-gether, nearly forty different placeswere visited, and a number of collectionswere made, the largest sums beingreceived from Kingston, Maidenheadand Reading.

At Oxford, the Boat remained forthree days, making a trip one day toIffiey. The Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity (Mr. J. Wells) and the Mayorof Oxford visited the Boat together onthe first day, the Dean of Christ Churchallowing the car which took themand other visitors to the river to godown the New Walk. This privilege,

Admiral Sir Martyn Jerram, G.C.M.Gr.(a member of the Committee of Manage-ment and chairman of the recently-formed Henley and District Branch),the Mayor of Henley (Vice-Chairman),the members of the Committee andrepresentatives from many places inthe district. The following day theTown and Visitors' Regatta took place;the Life-boat made several trips withpassengers on board, and the day washeld as Life-boat Day, nearly £90 beingraised.

The navigation of so large a boat onthe Thames was no easy matter, and onaccount of the wash which she made,and the inconvenience of it to smallboats and punts, she could only go veryslowly. Often she simply drifted, with

NOVEMBEB, 1924.] THE LIFEBOAT. 201

two or three occasional revolutions givento the engine.

There are dangers for a Life-boat evenin the quiet waters of the Thames.While she lay at Walton, and the crewwere on shore for breakfast, about18 inches of water was let out of thereach, and the crew returned to find theboat aground. A rope was made fast

fifty, so the officer in command reported,knew the Boat to be a Life-boat, andone lady thought she was the RoyalBarge. A small child was overheard toask her mother what the Boat was. Shewas told, a Life-boat. " What is aLife-boat for ? " " For saving lives."" Why should they save lives ? "

To many on the Thames who evidently

Photograph by] \OxJard Journal.THE TEESMOUTH BOAT AT OXFORD.

On board are the Mayor, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Miss Alice Marshall(Hon. Secretary) and the Rev. Mansell Merry (Hon. Treasurer).

to a tree on the opposite bank andbrought to the capstan, but all effortsfailed to move her, and in the end theofficer in command went down to thenext lock by taxi, three miles away, andgot the lock-keeper to shut down someof the weirs. The river rose, and in anhour the Life-boat was afloat.

Many thousands saw the Boat passingup and down the river, and manyhundreds visited her. They had neverseen such a queer craft on the river before,and it was astonishing how many therewere, living on the lower reaches of theThames, who had never seen the sea andhad no idea what it was like. Not one in

knew nothing of the sea, let alone theLife-boat Service, the visit of this" queer-looking boat " will have broughtsome knowledge. We hope, too, that itwill have awakened a permanent interestin what is going on round our coasts, intheir many dangers, and in the work ofthe Life-boat service.

As an example of the value of the tour,a gentleman who visited the Boat atIffiey, and who had previously informedthe Institution that he intended to l^aveit £1,000 in his will, was so impressed thathe has decided to increase the legacy, andhopes, should he live long enough, to leavea sum sufficient to build a Motor Life-boat.

202 THE LIFEBOAT. [NOVEMBEK, 1924.

Life-boat House, Wembley.THE Institution took advantage of thefortunate coincidence that the BritishEmpire Exhibition has been held in itsCentenary Year, to erect its own housein the. Exhibition grounds. Life-boatHouse, Wembley, was very appro-priately placed (when one remembersthat the Institution was founded in the

Hillary, Bt., and Mr. Thomas Wilson,M.P., its founder and first Chairman;its collection of paintings of Life-boatscenes ; a moving picture machine witha series of coloured pictures, showing anumber of Life-boat Stations, differenttypes of Life-boats, different types ofLife-boat houses, the different methods

LIFE-BOAT HOUSE, WEMBLEY. (Exterior.)

City of London), just at the corner ofold London Bridge, looking across thegardens to Government Building. Herewas got together as complete an exhibi-tion of Life-boat work as possible,certainly more complete than hasappeared in any previous exhibition.There were models, some lent by theScience Museum, at South Kensington,but the majority the Institution's own,showing the development of the Life-boat, from Wouldhave and Greathead'sOriginal, built in 1789, to the latest typeof Cabin Motor Life-boat. There werethe Institution's portraits of Sir William

of launching, and famous Coxswains ; ascenic model of the service to thehospital ship Rohilla at the beginning ofthe war; a working model showing howa Life-boat is launched down a slipway ;another working model showing a Life-boat taking men off a wreck by means ofa breeches buoy, and yet another showinga Life-boat launched to a steamer indistress, the sinking of the steamer, justafter the Life-boat reaches her and takesoff the crew, and the Life-boat's return.

There were wax figures of Life-boat-men dressed in oilskins and belts, one ofthe Institution's D. E. engines, which,


for the purpose of the Exhibition, wasopened out and made to work by elec-tricity ; a line-throwing gun, acetyleneand electric searchlights, blocks, differentkinds of ropes, and a pillar of wood, whichshowed the exact proportions of thedifferent kinds of wood—oak, rock-elm,Honduras mahogany, teak, Christianiafir, and Norway spars (fir)—used in theconstruction of a Life-boat.

Finally, in the centre of the house, was

seen one at close quarters. Many werethe strange questions asked, and^thestrange comments made.

A foreigner, who spoke good English,when he saw the Boat said " What isit ? " He was told, " a Lifeboat."" And what," he said, " is that ? " Butmost of the questions were with regardto details. None of the others showed

i quite so complete an ignorance. Oneold gentleman, seeing the name Grace

LIFE-BOAT HOUSE, WEMBLEY. (Interior.)

one of the Institution's latest types ofMotor Life-boat—the Watson cabin.This boat had been specially built forthe Exhibition, and is to be stationedat Margate. The Boat was open tovisitors, who were able to walk roundher deck, see the cabin and engine-room,and inspect the many details of theequipment of a modern Life-boat.

During the six months of the Exhibi-tion something like three-quarters of amillion people have been over the Boat.The majority of them, even if theyhad seen Life-boats, had, of course,never been on board one before, nor

Darling on the bows of the Boat, askedif this really was the Boat in whichGrace Darling had gone out to theForfarshire. He had always thoughtthat it was quite a small boat.

The water barricoes, perhaps, causedmore confusion than anything else.They were mistaken for various things,including buoys, life-buoys, fenders andhot-water bottles !

A Visitors' Book was kept, and amongthe countries beyond the British Isleswhich were represented in it were Aus-tralia, Canada, New Zealand, SouthAfrica, India, Malta, Nigeria, the Gold


Coast, Bermuda, the United States,France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Bel-gium, Norway, Switzerland, Portugal,Holland, Spain, China and Japan.

Besides the distribution of literature—leaflets and a short illustrated historyof the Service—a number of Life-boatSouvenirs were on sale—metal pin-cushions, in the form of a Life-boat,small figures of Life-boatmen, statuettes

of Life-boatmen, motor mascots in theform of life-boatmen, and ash trays witha Life-boatman in the centre. Of thesesouvenirs, in all 11,758 were sold. Notonly did they bring a substantialcontribution to the Institution'sfunds, but—more important still—thousands of houses have, in thesesouvenirs, daily reminders of the Life-boat Service.

In Honour of Lionel Lukin.THOUGH the honour of designing andbuilding the first Life-boat to be per-manently stationed on our coasts belongsto William Wouldhave, of South Shields,and Henry Greathead, and the initiativeof establishing the first Life-boat Stationand getting the first Boat built belongsprimarily to Mr. Fairies and Mr. Roch-wood, of South Shields, Lionel Lukin,the coachbuilder of London, was thefirst Englishman to devote his energiessystematically to the work of devisingmeans for increasing the stability andbuoyancy of small boats. He was think-ing of all small boats, and not of aspecial boat for life-saving, but one of his" immersible " boats, as he called them,was actually the first Life-boat on the'British coasts. It was a coble, which heconverted in 1786; and for some years itwas used at Bamburgh, on the Northum-brian coast, for saving life from ship-wreck. Though a coachbuilder byprofession, and Master of the Coach-builders' Company, Lionel Lukin had

, sea-blood in his veins, being descendedfrom Lionel Lane, one of Blake'scaptains. He was born at Dunmow,Essex, in 1742, and was an old man, butstill with ten years of life before him,when the Institution was founded, theonly one then alive of those who hadbeen concerned in the first Life-boatexperiments, nearly forty years earlier.His letter of congratulation to theChairman is still preserved by theInstitution.

It is right that Lukin's name should beremembered with honour in the Cen-tenary Year of the Life-boat Service,and a special service in memory of himwas held at Little Dunmow Church." You will like to know," so wrote theVicar on 4th March, " that yesterday inthe ancient Priory Church of LittleDunmow, Lionel Lukin's birthplace,special commemorative services wereheld, and thanks duly rendered toAlmighty God for the village-boy'sinvention."

The National Service for Seafarers.THE National Service for Seafarers,which is held each autumn, in St.Paul's Cathedral, took place on 15thOctober.

At this Service the Institution is, ofcourse, always represented, but this beingthe Centenary Year, the Institution wasrepresented in a very special way. TheChairman, the Deputy-Chairman andeleven members of the Committee ofManagement, the Secretary and membersof the Institution's staff, all attended togive thanks for the completion of a

century of work, and the Life-boatcrews were represented, by the Cox-swain or Second Coxswain, and amember of the crew of five of theStations which are nearest London—Southend, Margate, Ramsgate, Deal,Folkestone and Worthing.

Among them were two Silver Medal-lists : Coxswain Read, of Ramsgate;and Coxswain Clayson, of Margate.The Life-boats of these five Stationshave rescued from shipwreck nearly3,000 lives.


Century Life-boat Day in London.CENTURY Life-boat Day was held on20th May, in nearly eighty of the mainboroughs and urban districts of GreaterLondon, and the Institution had thegenerous help of both the Duke and

year in succession that he has helped onLondon Life-boat Day, and, once again,he collected in his diving dress.

In Acton, Chelsea, Paddington, Dept-ford, Fulham, Greenwich, Shoreditch,

Duchess of York and of the Princess j Woolwich, Stepney, Islington, Bermond-Louise, Duchess of Argyll, Patron ofthe Ladies' Life-boat Guild. Last year,on Prince of Wales' Day for the Life-

sey, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Baling,Richmond and Stoke Newington, theappeal was either directly organized by

Photograph by] . [Sport and General.

CENTURY LIFE-BOAT DAY: THE COXSWAINS OF WALTON-ON-THE-NAZEAND RAMSGATE COLLECTING IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE.

boats, the Prince drove round theEast End and South London, visitingthe chief dep6ts. This year the Dukeand Duchess of York made a tour ofKensington, Fulham, the City, and theWest End, and this year, as last, thePrincess Louise visited the depots inKensington.

In the City the appeal was organizedby the Duchess of Norfolk, President ofthe Ladies' Life-boat Guild, helped byMrs. Alington. Among those who col-lected in the City was Captain LawsonSmith, the diver. This is the second

the Mayor or Mayoress, or with theiractive help, and in the West End thetheatrical companies appearing at Daly's,the Strand, and the Hippodrome haddepots outside their theatres. Amongthe many who helped as organizers orcollectors were:—Lady Baring, TheDowager Lady Queensberry, The LadyFlorence Pery, The Lady Brownlow,Lady Fisher, The Dowager Lady Raglan,The Hon. Mrs. Seely, Lady Struthers,Mrs. Austin Farleigh, Lady White, MissSilvester and Mrs. Cecil Harmsworth.

In view of the fact that it was the

206 THE LIFEBOAT. [NOVEMBEE, 1924.

Centenary Year of the Institution, theFirst Commissioner of Works gavespecial permission for Life-boats to bestationed in public places. Two werein Trafalgar Square, one at Finchley, andone at Brixton, and on board each boatwas a Coxswain from a South CoastStation—all four men with long anddistinguished records in the Service. AtBrixton was Coxswain W. Blann, ofWorthing, who has served in the

the gallant but unsuccessful attempts ofthe Ramsgate Boat to rescue the crewof the s.s. Sibiria, of New York—ulti-mately rescued by the North Deal Life-boat—which was wrecked on the Good-win Sands in one of the heaviest galesever experienced on that stormy coast.

The Day raised a sum of £5,675.This includes the result of the day atKingston-on-Thames, which took placeon 20th September, and is a slight

Photograph by] [L.N.A. Photos.

CENTURY LIFE-BOAT DAY IN LONDON: THE DUCHESS OF NORFOLKAND SOME OF HER HELPERS IN THE CITY.

Worthing Boat for thirty years. AtFinchley was Coxswain W. Hammond, ofWalton-on-the-Naze, who was awardedthe Silver Medal of the Institution duringthe War when, in December 1917, theWalton Life-boat rescued ninety-twolives from the s.s. Peregrine, of London.

Both the Coxswains in TrafalgarSquare were also Silver Medallists.Coxswain Clayson, of Margate, who wonthe Medal in 1905 for rescuing the crewof a ketch wrecked in a whole galetwenty-three miles away, and CoxswainT. W. Read, of Ramsgate, who won hismedal as Second Coxswain in 1916, for

increase on the amount collected inthe streets on Prince of Wales' Daylast year ; but a much larger number ofpeople contributed, for while the totalwas nearly the same, there was a muchgreater proportion of copper and smallsilver coins. This interesting fact hasbeen noticeable not in London only, andnot only this year. The public supporton which the Institution is based iswider than ever. There have never beforebeen so many contributing to its funds,but everywhere the effect of post-warconditions is noticeable in smaller con-tributions.


The Ladies' Life-boat Guild.H.R.H. the Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, Patron.

AT the end of 1923, H.R.H. the PrincessLouise, Duchess of Argyll, who hadalready shown her personal interest inthe Life-boat Service by becoming Pre-sident of the Kensington Branch on itsformation in 1922, accepted the invita-tion of the Committee of Managementto become Patron of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild. At the same time theDuchess of Portland, who had been theGuild's President since its formation in1921, and taken a most kind and activepart in its work, became Vice-Patron,the Duchess of Norfolk accepted thePresidency, and the Marchioness of Mil-ford Haven the Vice-Presidency. Inspite of the many other claims on them,both the Patron and the President tookan active part in Centenary Life-boatDay in London, of which an account isgiven elsewhere in this issue, and thePrincess Louise had already taken theearliest opportunity to become person-ally acquainted with Life-boat workersby attending the Conference of Life-boatworkers of London and the South-Eastern District—one of the Conferences,preliminary to the Centenary celebra-tions, held at a dozen of the chief centresof Life-boat work—which took place inLondon on 22nd November, 1923. Atthis Conference the Princess made thefollowing speech :—

" I have the greatest pleasure in meet-ing so many of the ladies who are work-ing for the Ladies' Guild of THE ROYALNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, oneof the finest, I might say the finest,Institutions which exist. I am indeedproud to meet so many workers and toknow that I am personally identifiedwith them, for I have had the greatpleasure and distinction of being nomi-nated as Patron of the Ladies' Life-boatGuild, an honour, I assure you, of whichI am deeply sensible.

" No Institution has the same commoninterest. Its aims are the same to allnations, all creeds, to all, no matter inwhat station of life they may be. NoInstitution can go nearer the hearts ofour women with more penetratinginterest, love and sympathy. Are not

father, husband, brother or son almostin every family of our nation associatedwith the sea ? It is close and it isperilous.

" We can indeed be proud to knowthat our women often take an active partin the actual work of the launching ofLife-boats. We are rather used tothinking of the Life-boat Service asbeing the province of men, and it isdelightful to realize that we can be ofsuch practical use.

" It is with sincere pleasure and deepappreciation that I recognize the greatwork which our women have done, andcan do, for this great cause, and I knowthat their interest and devotion to thissplendid Institution will never flag."

Up to the present no attempt has beenmade to give the Guild any centralorganization. While there has been aPresident of the whole Guild, eachBranch has formed its own Guild, elect-ing its own President and officers. Thisautonomous arrangement has worked sowell, and is so fully in accord with thewhole spirit of the Institution's work,that the Committee of Managementconsider that it should be permanent.At the same time they feel that the workof the Guild would be strengthened, andthe feeling of co-operation between Life-boat workers increased, if there were aGeneral Council of the Guild, in additionto the present Women's Committee inLondon and the local Guild Committeesthroughout the country. It has there-fore been decided to form a GeneralCouncil of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild,and to elect to it the principal Guildworkers of the Branches.

The Ladies' Life-boat Guild hasalready proved of great value as a meansof bringing together in a spirit of en-thusiastic service to the Life-boat causethe thousands of women of all classeswho have so generously devoted theirtime, energies and talents to the workof the Institution during the pastcentury, and especially during the lasttwenty years. Everywhere there' aresigns that the Guild is taking root andflourishing, so that an ever-increasing


number of women are becoming linkedto a Service in which their sisters havemany a time rendered actual personalhelp by acting as Launchers of the Boatsin which their husbands, brothers orsons have gone forth on their errand ofmercy. The Committee of Managementfeel confident that under the distin-guished leadership of its Royal Patron,

the Princess Louise, and of the Duchessof Portland, the Duchess of North-umberland and the Marchioness ofMilford Haven, the Guild will steadilyincrease both in numbers and in influenceand thus carry the ideals of the Life-boat Service and its claims on ourfellow-countrymen and women intoever-widening circles.

Life-boat in the Lord Mayor's Show.THE Institution was represented in the

Lord Mayor's Show, on 10th November,by a Life-boat and crew drawn by a

the self-righting type, 54 feet by 8 feet6 inches, mounted on a launching car-riage, manned by Coxswain Read (a

Photograph by]LIFE-BOAT IN THE LORD MAYOR'S SHOW

PASSING ST. PAUL'S.

[Central Newt.

tractor. The description as it appearedin the programme of the show was :—•

" The Ellen & Margaret of SeattleLife-boat, at one time at the HornseaStation, and now a reserve Life-boat, of

Silver Medallist of the Institution) andtwelve men of the Ramsgate crew, anddrawn by a 35 h.p. motor caterpillartractor, as used for launching Life-boatson flat sandy beaches."

^holograph by\

ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET, SIR DOVETON STURDEE, BT.,ON BOARD THE FRENCH LIFE-BOAT.

[Keystone View Co.

Photograph by] [Central Press.

LIFE-BOATS GOING UP THE THAMES TO FULHAM.

THE LIFE-BOAT CENTENARY PINNER AT THE HOTEL CECIL,

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Photograph by] [L.N.A. Photos

THE INTERNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT FLEET ON THE THAMES.

Photograph by] [Central News

THE DUTCH "BRANDARIS" AND THE ENGLISH "WILLIAM & KATEJOHNSTON," LYING AT THE SPEAKER'S STEPS.

NOVEMBEB, 1924.] THE LIFEBOAT. 209

St. Albans.St. Albans made a very special effort

to make Century Life-boat Day, whichwas held on 19th July, an outstandingsuccess. A Life-boat was stationed inthe Market Square during the forenoon,and it toured the outer areas of the cityduring the afternoon and evening. Inconnexion with the Day, a QueryElection was organized, in which thenominators of candidates had to pay asmall fee for their nomination, andthose who voted for a candidate had topay a penny for each vote recorded.This election, for which there wereseveral prizes, turned out to be a verygreat success, and produced over £200.Besides this, Lady Grimston, the Presi-dent of the Branch, organized a stall inthe Market, where garden produce wassold just as on other stalls. A TheDansant was held in the Town Hall, atheatrical performance was given, whichconsisted of the trial of a leadingcouncillor on a charge of sedition, anda special paper, called " The Life-boatNews," was published and sold duringthe afternoon. Another Dance was

given in the course of the evening. Thetotal result of the Day was £413, or atrifle over 3fd. a head of the entirepopulation.

Other Celebrations in GreaterLondon.

Ashford held a Concert.Barnes held a series of Dances, which

were a great success. East Sheen helda Dance, and a Dance was organized atErith by the local sea scouts.

Greenwich held a Whist Drive andDance, at which H.R.H. Prince Georgepresented the prizes.

Appeals to the churches were made atDulwich and Hounslow, and at Houns-low a Dance was also held.

Hendon and Kingston had GardenFetes; the fete at Kingston being openedby the Bishop.

At Highgate, the North LondonGroup of the British Drama Leaguegave a performance of " Twelfth Night."

Whist Drives were held at Surbitonand Woodford; and Chingford held anopen-air Whist and Bridge Drive.

Foreign Decorations for British Life-boatmen.

LonghopeIN Kirkwall Town Hall, in the Orkneys,on 22nd July, with the Provost in thechair, Captain J. D. Daintree, C.B.E.,R.N. (Inspector-General of Coast Guard),presented to Second Coxswain W.Mowat and the Crew of the LonghopeLife-boat inscribed Silver Cups ofHonour, which had been awarded themby the King of Sweden and the SwedishGovernment, in recognition of theircourage and seamanship in rescuing themaster and seven members of the crewof the s.s. Citos, of Helsingborg, on 12thSeptember, 1923. The Citos had losther propeller, and was helpless in a wholewest gale with a very heavy sea, driftingtowards a dangerous reef which sheactually touched. When the Life-boatarrived she found the vessel on her beam

ends, with a destroyer standing by her.Fifteen of the crew hadalready attemptedto make for land in the ship's boat,but she had capsized and six of the menwere drowned, nine being rescued by thedestroyer. The remaining eight of thecrew were still on board and were takenoff by the Life-boat.

After the presentation of the cups, theRev. L. C. D. Douglas, Chairman of theBranch, presented a Barometer toCoxswain Swanson, from the members ofthe Committee, to mark their apprecia-tion of his forty years of service with theLonghope Life-boat, and their greatregret that he did not share in thehonour which the Swedish King andGovernment had conferred on his Crew.He had been asked by the DistrictInspector of Life-boats if he would like


Photograph by] [Gibson, Penzance.

THE LAUNCH OF THE LIFE-BOAT AT THE LIZARD TO THE S.S. " BARDIC."

Photograph by] [Gibson, Penzance.

THE LIFE-BOAT RETURNING FROM THE "BARDIC."


to accompany him to Stromness in theNew Brighton Motor Life-boat, thenon her tour round the British Isles andwas away on this Boat on the day ofthe service to the Citos.

North Deal.

At Deal Town Hall, on 9th August, inthe presence of a large gathering, Mr.Arthur J. Matthews, J.P., Chairman ofthe Branch, presiding, Captain Gr. A.Raineri-Biscia, Naval Attache to theItalian Embassy, presented the ItalianSilver Medal for bravery at sea, to ex-Coxswain William Adams, and theBronze Medal to each of the fourteenmembers of the North Deal crew, whotook part in the service to the Italiansteamer Val Salice, in November, 1916.These medals had been conferred onCoxswain Adams and his crew by theSuperior Council of the Italian Navy.

On 17th November, 1916, a terriblegale sprang up on the Kentish coast,which lasted for four days, with moun-tainous seas breaking on the GoodwinSands. On the evening of the third day,

when the gale was at its height, anItalian steamer, the Val Salice, ran onthe Goodwins. The Deal Life-boat waslaunched at ten at night, and reachedthe steamer at midnight. There wereblinding rain storms, and the seas wereso tremendous that at times the Life-boat was lifted as high as the steamer'smastheads. Yet the whole crew of thirtywere got safely into the Life-boat andbrought ashore. It was described at thetime as a rescue " little short of miracu-lous."

In making the presentation, CaptainBiscia said that his Government hadasked him to express its heartfeltappreciation of the services of the RoyalNational Life-boat Institution, and itsgratitude to the Life-boatmen of Deal,who, by saving these Italian lives hadadded another link to the golden chainof friendship which had long connectedGreat Britain and Italy.

Altogether since 1873, on sixty-eightoccasions decorations or special recordsof thanks have been received by ourLife-boat crews from foreign Govern-ments or Life-Saving Societies.

Ninety-three Lives Rescued from a White Star Vessel.About 1.30 in the morning of 31st

August, in very thick weather, with amoderate sea, the White Star cargovessel, the Bardic, of 7,000 tons, ran onthe Maenheck Rock, about half a milesouth-west of the Life-boat Station atThe Lizard. The vessel was going athalf-speed at the time, but when shestruck she was so badly holed that thestoke-hold and engine-room were flooded.She sent out a wireless SOS, and firedrockets of distress, which were seenashore, and at 2.10 the Lizard MotorLife-boat was launched. When shereached the Bardic, two of the ship'sboats had been launched and werealongside her with part of the crew onboard. A member of the Life-boat'screw was put on board each of theseboats, and the Life-boat piloted theminto Polfoar Cove. The Life-boat thenreturned to the vessel, and took off the

Captain, officers, and engine-room staff,reaching shore again at 10.45 in themorning. The whole of the crew ofninety-three had been brought safelyashore.

This part of the coast is unluckyfor the White Star line. The Bardicwent ashore only a few hundred yardsfrom the spot where, in March 1907, theLife-boats of the Institution took off456 persons from the stranded WhiteStar liner Suevic.

The thanks of the White Star Linewere sent in the following letter, signedby Colonel Concanon, one of the JointManagers, to the Hon. Secretary of theStation at The Lizard :—

" Captain Graeme, the commander ofthe Bardic, has written to us an accountof the valuable assistance given to himon the night of 31st August by the


Lizard Life-boat, whereby the crew werelanded and, later, the Life-boat placedat the commander's disposal to enablecommunication to be maintained withthe steamer. We feel that the promptaction taken, which was in keeping withthe highest tradition of the Life-boatService, was the means of removing anypossibility of a disaster of greater magni-tude, and we desire, on behalf of theWhite Star Line and CommanderGraeme, to tender to you and to all con-cerned our thanks for services soefficiently rendered."

Only two months after this mis-fortune, Commander Graeme met hisdeath on land in a tragic but most

heroic way. He was in the expresstrain from Liverpool to Lytham andBlackpool, which was wrecked at MossSide on 3rd November. CommanderGraeme was very severely injured,both his feet being nearly cut off, buthe refused all aid until the otherinjured had been attended to. All heasked for was a cup of tea, and to beremembered to his people in Blackpool.Six hours later he died in LythamHospital, after having one foot ampu-tated. One of the witnesses of thescene at Moss Side said afterwards, " Ifever there was a brave man, that manwas Commander Graeme."

Silver Medal for a Shore-boat Case.

ON 30th May, at Whitby, five boys,from eight to seventeen years of age,were coming into the harbour, just beforeseven in the evening, in a small pleasureboat. There was a light breeze blowingand the sea was smooth, but there was aswell on the Bar. As she was crossingthe Bar the boat put her nose under,began to fill, and then turned over, all theboys being thrown into the water from10 to 15 yards from the end of the OldWest Pier End. John William Storry, afisherman, and three other men •wereon the pier at the time. Mr. Storry atonce climbed down the pier side and, from20 feet above the water, jumped in, fullydressed. Two of the boys were able toswim, and safely reached the pier-side,where they held on to life-buoys fastenedto ropes which the three men had thrownto them. Mr. Storry meanwhile struckout for the other three who werestruggling in the water, being unable tohold on to the upturned boat as ithad no keel. He got one boy in hisarms, and swam back with him to thepier, where he left him clinging to a ledge.

He then swam out to the second boy>brought him in, and swam out for thethird time to the last boy, the youngest,who by this time was nearly dro ned.He brought him also safely to the pier,and then got hold of a line which hadbeen lowered to him. Twisting thisround his arm he held up the three boys,who, but for his help would have beenswept off by the waves, until help shouldcome. The men on the pier meanwhilehad signalled to a fishing coble whichwas -working off the West Beach, and aquarter of an hour later it crossed theBar and reached the pier. Mr. Storryand the boys were taken on board andbrought to shore. Mr. Storry was notonly exhausted, but he had sprained themuscles of the arm which had held on tothe rope. He had carried out the rescueat great risk to himself, and but for hisprompt heroism there is no doubt thatthe three boys would have been drowned.In recognition of this very gallantrescue the Institution has awarded himits Silver Medal.

NOVEMBER, 1924] THE LIFEBOAT. 213

Heroic Women of Boulmer.ON the morning of 24th March, a verycold morning, with a heavy sea running,the Boulmer Life-boat was launched tostand by seven returning fishing boats ofCraster, which, owing to the heavy seasbreaking right across the Bar, would findit very dangerous to make their harbour.Many of the Boulmer men were out intheir boats, and the ex-Coxswain tookcharge of the launch. With the seabreaking, and the spring ebb tide nearlyat low water, the launching of the Boatwas extremely difficult. The crew andall the women that Boulmer could mus-ter went into the mud up to their knees,and many of them into the water up totheir waists. By their courageous efforts

the Boat was launched, but two of thewomen had to be carried home, over-come with cold and exhaustion. TheLife-boat arrived off Craster to find thattwo of the seven fishing boats had madethe harbour, and four more were beinghelped to land in Embleton Bay bypeople ashore with ropes. The seventh.had made a desperate effort to get acrossthe Bar, but had been forced to put outto sea again. This boat was ultimatelygot safely into Boulmer, the Life-boattaking her in tow at the most difficultplace. Besides special awards, a Letterof Thanks was sent to the men andwomen of Boulmer.

Launching Ceremonies of New Motor Life-boats.Scarborough, Bomber (Spurn Point), Hartlepool, Selsey and Bognor, Sennen

Cove, New Brighton.

DURING the summer of this year thelaunching ceremonies have taken placeof six Motor Life-boats.

1. The Humber (Spurn Point) Boat, ofthe Watson type (45 feet by 12 feet6 inches, with an 80 h.p. engine), builtout of a special fund of £10,000 raised bythe Institution's friends in Bradford,and named City of Bradford. This is thefourth Life-boat to be built out of specialfunds raised in Bradford, and the fifthto bear the city's name. The other four,of which the last was built out of thegeneral funds of the Institution andnamed City of Bradford in recognition ofthe city's generosity, were stationed atRamsgate.

2. The Scarborough Boat, of the newlight type of self-righting Motor Life-boat, designed for launching from acarriage (35 feet by 8 feet 9 inches, witha 35 h.p. engine), built out of a gift fromMr. Alexander 0. Joy, of London, inmemory of his brother who was drownedat Scarborough, and named Herbert Joy.

3. The Hartlepool Boat of the Watsontype (45 feet by 12 feet 6 inches, withan 80 h.p. engine) built out of a giftfrom the late Mr. B. Newton, of Darling-ton, and named Elizabeth Newton.

4. The Selsey and Bognor Boat, of theself-righting type (40 feet by 10 feet6 inches, with a 45 h.p. engine), builtout of a legacy from the late Mr. W. H.Clarke, of London, and named JaneHolland.

5. The Sennen Cove (Land's End) Boatof the self-righting type (40 feet by10 feet 6 inches, with a 45 h.p. engine),built and endowed out of a legacy fromthe late Mr. R. A. Newbon, of Islington,commemorating Ann, Betsy, Lucyand Nancy Newbon, and named TheNewborn.

6. The New Brighton Boat, the first ofthe Barnett twin-screw type (60 feet by15 feet, with two 80 h.p. engines), builtout of a gift from Mr. W. .StewartJohnston, and his sister, Mrs. W. H.Kendall, of Liverpool, the balance beingdefrayed from the special Motor Life-boat Fund raised by the Chairman andCommittee and the Ladies' Life-boatGuild of the Port of Liverpool Branch,and the citizens of Liverpool, and namedWilliam & Kate Johnston.

Scarborough, Humber (Spurn Point).Owing to the remoteness of the Hum-

ber Station at Spurn, the launchingceremony of the City of Bradford took

214 THE LIFEBOAT. [NOVEMBEE, 1924.

place at Scarborough on the same day,25th May, as the launching of the HerbertJoy. The Motor Life-boat from Whitbyand the Filey Pulling and Sailing Boatwere present. A special train was runwith visitors from Bradford, and theInstitution was represented by one of itsVice-Presidents, the Marquess of Graham,Naval A.D.C. to the King.

The two ceremonies were held at theWest Pier, the first being the naming ofthe Scarborough Boat. The Mayor ofScarborough (Councillor G-eorge Whit-field) presided, and the Boat was form-ally presented by Mr. Alexander Joy,the donor, to the Marquess of Graham,who received her, in the name of theInstitution, and presented her to CaptainJ. Helm Wilson, the Chairman of theScarborough Branch. The Boat wasthen dedicated by the Vicar of Scar-borough (the Rev. J. Wynyard Capron),and named Herbert Joy by Mrs. AlexanderJoy.

At the Bradford ceremony the RightHon. the Lord Mayor of Bradford(Alderman H. M. Trotter), President ofthe Branch, presided. Sir Henry White-head, a Vice-President of the Branch,delivered an address on Bradford'slong connexion with the life-boatService and on the distinguished recordof the Bradford Life-boats at Ramsgatewhich, between them had saved nearly900 lives ; and he described how thepresent City of Bradford was the resultof the visit of the Secretary of the Branchto the launching ceremony of the WhitbyMotor Life-boat. It was after that visitthat the Bradford Branch determinedthat their city should provide a similarBoat, and that it should bear their city'sname.

Sir William Priestley, Chairman of theBranch, formally presented the Boat tothe Marquess of Graham, and in doing so,said : " We of Bradford seldom see thesea, but we can raise £10,000 in threeyears for a Life-boat, a proof that wehave great imagination, and great sym-pathy with the magnificent men whoare manning the Boats."

In accepting the gift on behalf of theInstitution, the Marquess of Graham saidthat Bradford stood out pre-eminentlyamong all cities for its generosity to theLife-boat cause, and spoke of the second

fund which the city was raising, to pro-vide the Boat-house and Slipway at theHumber Station. The Right Rev. theLord Bishop of Bradford (Dr. Perowne)then dedicated the Boat, and she wasnamed City of Bradford by LadyPriestley.

After the two launches there was a" rescue " from a ship lying in the bay.She was manned by Scarborough Sea-Scouts, and as the Bradford ceremonyconcluded a rocket went up from her,and then dense clouds of smoke. Allfour Boats dashed ofi to her help, andthe rescue was watched by a great crowdon the shore, the promenade and thepiers. Conspicuous in the Spurn Boatwas Dr. Perowne, wearing his Bishop'srobes, the only civilian to take part inthe service.

HartlepoolThe ceremony at Hartlepool took place

on 2nd August, in the presence of a verylarge gathering, on the quayside oppo-site the Life-boat House. The namingceremony was performed by the Mar-chioness of Londonderry, and not onlythe two Hartlepools, but the towns ofDarlington and Middlesbrough wereofficially represented. Among thosepresent was Mrs. Newton, the widow ofthe donor of the Boat. The ceremonyopened with a procession from theBorough Buildings to the quayside. Itwas headed by a band and the Life-boatcrew. Then came the choir of St. Hilda'sChurch in their robes, members of thepolice force, under the Chief Constable,and the mace bearers, preceding theMayors of Hartlepool, West Hartlepool,Middlesbrough and Darlington. Afterthe Mayors, came the Chaplains, theAldermen, Councillors, and Town Clerksand other officials of the two Hartlepools,the Justices of the Peace of bothboroughs, the Life-boat Committee, andthe clergy and ministers of the variousdenominations.

The Mayor of Hartlepool and other ofthe principal guests then crossed thechannel to the Boat-house, and the firingof a rocket announced that LadyLondonderry had named the BoatElizabeth Newton. A moment later theBoat glided into the water, and theMayor and his party returned across thechannel. The rest of the ceremony was

NOVBMBES, 1924.] THE LIFEBOAT. 215

then performed. Mr. W. Adamson, oneof the executors of the late Mr. Newton,presented the Boat to the Institution,and in doing so said that Mr. Newton,who was well known in the Hartlepools,knew the hardships which seafarers hadto undergo, and that was why he andMrs. Newton had chosen a Life-boatwhen they decided that they wantedto show their gratitude for mercieswhich they had received.

Captain Carver, R.D., R.N.R., In-spector of Life-boats for the East Coast,received the Boat on behalf of the

won in the Centenary Life-boat EssayCompetition.

Selsey and Bognor.The ceremony at Selsey and Bognor

took place on 2nd August, the namingof the Life-boat being performed by theDuchess of Norfolk, President of theLadies' Life boat Guild, while the Insti-tution was represented by Mr. HarryHargood, O.B.E., one of its Vice-Presidents, a member of the Committeeof Management, and for many yearsPresident of the Worthing Branch. The

Photograph by] [Malcolm McNeille, Chwhester.

THE LAUNCH OF THE SELSEY MOTOR LIFE-BOAT.

(Note the Trolley, at the Head of die Slipway, by means of which the Boat is run alongon Rail; from the Boat-house.)

Institution, and presented her to Alder-man J. R. Butterwick, J.P., whoreceived her on behalf of the HartlepoolCommittee. The Boat was then for-mally dedicated by the Rector of Hart-lepool (the Rev. F. T. Salter, B.A.) anda prayer was said by the Rev. C. L.Wilson, B.D., of the Hartlepool Inde-pendent Church.

The Mayor of Hartlepool proposed,and the Mayor of West Hartlepoolseconded the vote of thanks to LadyLondonderry, and Lord Londonderryreplied. Lady Londonderry then pre-sented to Miss Jenny Angus, of Galley'sField School, the prize which she had

Boat was formally presented to theInstitution by Mr. G. Bracey on behalf ofthe executors of the donor. Mr. E. G.Arnell, J.P., Chairman of the Selseysection of the Branch, presided, and Mr.W. H. B. Fletcher, J.P., Chairman ofthe Bognor Section, accepted the Boaton behalf of the Station. She wasdedicated by the Rev. K. H. McDermott,Honorary Secretary of Selsey. In ac-cepting the Boat, and entrusting her tothe Branch, Mr. Hargood said that Mr.Clarke had given £10,000 to the Institu-tion. This legacy had not only providedthe Boat, but had left a sum ovsr, whichwould go to the cost of the Slipway, the


construction of which had been a longand difficult business, owing to the en-croachments of the sea. These hadmade it impossible to have the Boat-house at the top of the Slipway, and thetwo had to be connected by rails, alongwhich the Boat was drawn on a steeltrolley.

Sennen Cove.The ceremony at Sennen Cove took

place on 28th August, the Boat beingpresented to the Branch, on behalf of theInstitution, by the Hon. George Colville,

Launching Slipway. It was expensive,but there was one item in the Institu-tioH's expenditure which was never cur-tailed—the money spent on the Boatsand their gear. The Institution askedits men to face the sea at its worst andcruellest moments, and because of thatit was not content to give them anythingless than the best that care and moneycould provide.

The Boat was received on behalf ofthe Branch by Mr. G. B. Hicks, J.P.,and after she had been dedicated by the

Photograph by] [Sutcliffe, Bootte.

LIFE-SAVING DISPLAY BY THE "WILLIAM & KATE JOHNSTON" AT THEINAUGURAL CEREMONY.

Deputy Chairman of the Committee ofManagement. In making the presenta-tion Mr. Colville said that, through thegenerosity of the late Mr. R. A. Newton,no fewer than five Pulling and SailingLife-boats had been built and endowed,each bearing the name of a member ofhis family. One of them for many yearshad been stationed at Sennen Cove. Allthese five Boats had now been with-drawn, and one Motor Life-boat hadbeen built and endowed in place of fourof them. This was the Boat nowstationed at Sennen Cove, and namedThe Newborn. Besides the cost of theBoat, built out of Mr. Newbon's legacy,it had cost the Institution £11,000 toprovide a suitable Boathouse and

Rev. Trevor Lewis, Sub-Dean of TruroCathedral, she was launched.

New Brighton.The Inaugural Ceremony of the New

Brighton Boat took place at Prince'sLanding Stage, Liverpool, on 24th Sep-tember. Mr. Stewart Johnston himselfpresented the boat to the Institution,which was represented by the Hon.George Colville (Deputy Chairman),Mr. George F. Shee, M.A., (Secretary)and Captain Howard F. J. Rowley,C.B.E., R.N. (Chief Inspector of Life-boats) ; and the naming ceremony wasperformed by Mrs. Stewart Johnston.

Mr. Samuel S. Jerrett (Chairman ofthe New Brighton Station) who presided,spoke of the twenty-five years' of service

NOVEMBKR, 1924.] THE LIFEBOAT. 217

of the Steam Life-boat Queen, nowreplaced by a Motor Life-boat; of thegenerosity of Mr. Stewart Johnston andMrs. Kendall, whose gift, five years ago,had been invested so that, when theboat was built, it amounted to over£9,000; and of the steps which the Portof Liverpool took to add to this sum,so that the Mersey had now been pro-vided with the most powerful MotorLife-boat in the world, without costingthe Institution a penny.

Mr. Stewart Johnston then formallypresented the Boat to the Institution.In receiving her and handing her overto the New Brighton Station, Mr. Col-ville expressed the deep gratitude ofthe Life-boat Service to Mr. Johnston,Mrs. Kendall, and the citizens of Liver-pool. It was a Boat, he said, worthyof that great port—the latest and mostpowerful type which the Institutionhad designed, and it would, he knew,carry on the fine tradition of the NewBrighton Station with its record, sinceit was established in 1863, of 219launches, and 543 lives rescued from

! shipwreck.! Mr. Jerrett accepted the Boat, and

she was dedicated by the Kev. C.Hodge (Hon. Chaplain of the NewBrighton Station).

After Captain Rowley had given full

particulars of the Boat, Mrs. StewartJohnston named her William & KateJohnston.

The vote of thanks to Mrs. Johnstonwas proposed by Mr. H. D. Bateson(Chairman of the Port of LiverpoolBranch), and seconded by Mr. J. F.Jellico, its Hon. Secretary. Mr. Sheethen proposed a vote of thanks to theOfficers, Committee and Crew of the NewBrighton Station. In doing so he saidthat no county in Great Britain gavethe Institution more generous help thanLancashire. From the earliest days ofthe Service Lancashire had shown itsinterest in the work, and in the past tenyears had contributed to it over £40,000.Mr. W. E. Mounsey (Honorary Treasurerof the Port of Liverpool Branch)seconded this vote of thanks, to whichMr. B. J. Kirkham (Honorary Secre-tary of the New Brighton Station)replied. Mr. Charles Livingston (Presi-dent of the New Brighton Station)proposed the vote of thanks to theChairman.

After the ceremony the William &Kate Johnston went for a short tripwith over eighty people on board, andthen with the help of the steam tug,Flying Breeze, gave a life-saving display,in which both the line-throwing gunand the jumping net were used.

Three Examples of Practical Gratitude.ON 3rd October, 1923, in a wholeN.N.W. gale with a terrific sea, thetrawlers of Brixham, were in danger inthe harbour from a steamer, theTuscarora, of Sunderland, which hadcome into collision with another steamer,the Torvald, of Sweden, and wasdrifting on to them. The Torbay MotorLife-boat went out at mid-day to theirhelp, landed men from a number ofthem, put pilots on both steamers, andfinally went to the help of a ketch, someway out, which was believed to be indistreils. It was not until 6.30 that hercrew were able to return for food anddry clothing, and they then stood byuntil eleven at night in case they shouldagain be required. Coxswain W. G.Sanders was awarded the Thanks of theInstitution inscribed on Vellum, and he

and his crew received additional mone-tary awards. The pilots ofj^Brixhamsent a donation to the Branch as a markof their appreciation of the skilfulhandling of the Life-boat when theyWere put on board the two steamers, anda letter of thanks for the " valuableservices " rendered by the Life-boat tothe trawlers was received from theBrixham Fishing Vessels InsuranceSociety. The Society has now made adonation to the Coxswain and crew ingratitude for their services.

On 17th August last the HoylakeLife-boat was launched, late at night,to the yacht Dart, anchored off Hilbre.A gale was blowing, with a heavy sea,the weather showed every sign of gettingworse; and the yacht, unable to slipher anchor, and run for a safer place


in the dark, was in grave danger. Atthe second attempt the Life-boatsucceeded in taking off the two youngmen who were on board. One of theyoung men, his father and mother andan uncle, have all shown their gratitudeby donations, or by becoming regularsubscribers to the Hoylake Branch.

On 7th September, the Swedishsteamer Kalix, of Stockholm, on herway from Norvic to Middlesbrough,

stranded near Teesmouth. She wasbadly damaged; one of her holds wasfull of water, and her crew got readyto abandon her. When the TeesmouthLife-boat arrived on the scene she foundthe Kalix being towed away stern first,and stood by with the Hartlepool MotorLife-boat until the vessel was beachedjust inside the breakwater. The Tees-mouth Branch has since received a letterof thanks and a cheque for £5 from theowners.

IN The Lifeboat for March, 1923,appeared an account of the wreck of theAdolf Vinnen, a German five-mastedsailing ship, which ran ashore near TheLizard on 9th February of that year,and of thegallant^attemptstojcescue hercrew made by the Life-boat at The Lizard,which persevered, at imminent risk ofbeing flung on the deck of the wreck andsmashed to pieces, until the Life-SavingApparatus got to work from the shore.The Westminster Gazette's Falmouth

A Grateful German Skipper.Correspondent records that " the cap-tain, named Miiller, has now been givencommand of a sister ship to the AdolfVinnen, and has since frequently passedthe scene of his earlier disaster. On such

he brings his ship as closeoccasonsinshore as possible, and dips his flag inappreciation of the warm-hearted hospi-tality and kindliness of the Cornish folkto men who were their enemies a shorttime before."

Gifts from Crews.WHEN Century Life-boat Day washeld at Montrose the crews of the twoBoats presented £8, and in addition tothis returned the sum of £5 13s., whichwas due to them as payment for apractice launch, thus contributing nearly£14 toAgain,

theat

funds of the Institution.Palling, Norfolk, where

Century Life-boat Day was held on4th August, the Crew and Helpers con-tributed £12 5s. These are two moreof the many examples of the generosityof the crews, examples which shouldmake others, whose only way of servingthe Life-boat Cause is by contributions,still more generous in their help.

A Launching Accident.ON August 16th, a Centenary Demon-stration was to be held at Whitby, theMotor Life-boat and one of the Pullingand Sailing Life-boats to be launched,and an exhibition of Life-boat models tobe held in the Life-boat House, but itwas brought to a sudden and early closeby an accident which caused the deathof the Shore Signalman of the Station,James Harland. Harland was with theNo. 2 Life-boat, when she was beingtaken down the shore to be launched. Heslipped and fell beneath the carriage, andbefore it could be stopped a wheel hadpassed over him. He died shortly after-

wards. At the inquest, a verdict ofaccidental death was returned. Har-land has left a widow and four children,one only three months old. A fund wasimmediately opened and has raisednearly £400, and Mrs. Harland has beengranted a pension by the Institution, of22s. 6d. a week, on the same scale as ifshe were the widow of a Bowman, withextra allowances for each of her fourchildren, of whom the oldest is elevenand the youngest was born this year.These allowances will be continued untilthe two boys are fourteen and the twogirls sixteen.

NOVEMBEE, 1924.] THE LIFEBOAT. 219

The Centenary: In the North of England.CHESHIRE.

Century Life-boat Days were held atCrewe, Hollingworth, Nantwich, Sand-bach and Whaley Bridge.

Poynton had a House-to-House Col-lection.

Congleton had a Garden Party.Hyde a Swimming Gala and Dance.

CUMBERLAND AND WEST-MORLAND.

Carlisle and Maryport held Thanks-giving Services and Century Life-boatDays.

Kendal, Kirkby-Stephen and Seascaleheld Century Life-boat Days.

At Penrith the President of theBranch issued a special appeal.

DURHAM.

The principal Life-boat event was thelaunch of the Hartlepool Motor Life-boat, Elizabeth Newton, which is describedelsewhere. Hartlepool and West Hartle-pool both held Century Life-boat Days,as also did South Shields and Sunder-land.

Eyton-on-Tyne carried out a collec-tion in the Picture Houses.

LANCASHIRE.

Blackpool.

A Life-boat "Rescue."On September 6th, Blackpool held its

Century Life-boat Day, and a demonstra-tion in life-saving at sea was given byfour Life-boats—the new Motor Life-boatfrom New Brighton and the Pulling andSailing Life-boats stationed at Black-pool, Lytham and St. Anne's. Thefollowing account of the demonstrationappeared next day in the ManchesterSunday Chronicle: " Thousands ofvisitors to Blackpool to-day saw theexciting spectacle of life-saving at sea.Some distance out from North Shore, aboat was seen to send out with her flagsthe message: ' In distress; wantassistance.' New Brighton Life-boat,which was cruising in the distance, atonce raced to her assistance, and when

nearing the vessel fired a life line to her.With the Life-boat close to the vessel indistress, rescue work was immediatelystarted. Some of the crew were orderedto jump from the deck of their boat to ajumping net on the Life-boat. Thenthe Life-boat backed some distance, anda few others were rescued by means ofthe breeches buoy, a cone-shaped canvasbag, in which the men were hauled acrossa life-line. The remainder of the crew,equipped with lifebelts, jumped into thewater, and were picked up by the Black-pool, Lytham and St. Anne's Life-boats,which were standing by. But actuallythe boat, which was the James Fletcher,of Preston, was never in distress. The' rescue ' was a side-show to help Black-pool's Life-boat Day, but at any rate,if it had not the ' catch in the throat'tenseness of an orthodox rescue at sea,it gave one, by this close up, a betteridea of how the thing is done when livesreally are at stake."

In the evening the Mayor of Blackpoolentertained the crews to dinner.

Thanksgiving Service.On August 31st a Thanksgiving Ser-

vice was held at the Palace Theatre,attended by the Mayor and members ofthe Town Council, special collectionswere made in the churches, and 200collecting boxes were distributed to thehotels and boarding houses. Blackpool'saim was to raise £1,000 as a specialcentenary gift, and this aim was achieved.

Manchester, Salford and DistrictBranch.

The Thanksgiving Service.THE Manchester and Salford Thanks-

giving Service was held on 4th May. Itwas held in the Royal Exchange, becausethere was no other building in Man-chester large enough for the greatcongregation which the occasion broughttogether. Manchester has had a CottonExchange for the past two hundredyears, but it had never before been usedfor a religious service, for a public meet-ing, or for anything but the business for


which it was built; and when it wasfirst proposed that it should be the sceneof a great Life-boat Thanksgiving Ser-vice, the idea was laughed at as im-possible. But the service was heldthere, and Manchester was struck firstby surprise, and then by a feeling of itssingular appropriateness.

The Manchester Guardian wrote onthe day after : " That great expanse offloor which Lancashire business mentread so confidently every Tuesday and

commercial correctitude gleam in lettersof gold."

And the Manchester Evening News :" A vast congregation ; thin uniformedlines of colour—blue and scarlet, yellowand white and gold, interspersed withserried ranks of khaki—with a ten-thousand-pieced kaleidoscope of hu-manity standing reverently in between.High up, near the roof, the prices boardcaught the eye—' Alexandria ; Lastclose : First report: May, June, July,

Photograph by] [Blackpool Gazette and BertM.

LIFE-SAVING DISPLAY BY THE NEW BRIGHTON MOTOR LIFE-BOATAT BLACKPOOL.

Friday in the very mundane cause ofcotton was trodden yesterday by a greatmultitude of folk gathered for a religiousservice in commemoration of the Cen-tenary of the Royal National Life-boatInstitution. It might have struck oneof the confident business men as a verynovel sight, but to one who knowsnothing of the bi-weekly mysteries per-formed within its walls this use of thegreat building did not appear in theleast odd. Prayers and hymns ascendedappropriately enough into the highdomes where scriptural exhortations to

i October—45-25, 43-90, 44-23'—telling' mutely of a miracle ; the miracle of thelargest congregation Manchester hasprobably ever known, of all creeds andbeliefs, drawn into this Temple ofFinance to thank the God of All and ofall things—yes, Finance included—forthe strong saving arm He has extended,through these gallant Life-boatmen, toHis shipwrecked ; to give thanks for thebounty of sixty thousand lives saved inthe course of a hundred years."

The whole of the many-sided life ofManchester was represented. The Lord


Mayor of Manchester and the Mayor ofSalford attended in state, and all re-ligious denominations took part in theservice except the Roman CatholicChurch, which does not see its way toparticipate in such joint services, butwhich held, instead, a special High Massin Salford Cathedral on the same day.

Addresses were delivered in the Ex-change by the Very Rev. Dr. Joseph

this unique occasion was the congrega-tion. There were no seats. Fifteenthousand people had come to the service.The doors were open to them at 2.30;the service concluded at 4. Duringthat time the congregation stood, close-packed, on the great floor of the Ex-change, which was divided into fourparts by Boy Scouts forming a lightbarricade with their poles. Loud

Photograph by] [Manchester Guardian.

THE LIFE-BOAT THANKSGIVING SERVICE IN THE ROYAL EXCHANGE,MANCHESTER.

Gough McCormick, the Dean of Man-chester ; by the Rev. Dr. J. E. Roberts,one of the leading Nonconformist minis-ters, and by Miss Mary B. Booth, C.B.E.,Divisional Commander, Salvation Army;while the Rev. Dr. Berendt Salomon,the Chief Rabbi, read as the lesson the107th Psalm.

The singing was led by the HalleChoir. The Manchester Police Band andthe Blackpool Life-boat Silver Band, themembers of which are the Life-boatcrew, provided the instrumental music.

But the most remarkable feature of

speakers and amplifiers carried the! voices of the speakers throughout the| hall. They carried them beyond to aj great crowd which filled the street out-I side, and which stood during the whole! service in a downpour of rain, joining in: the hymns as the loud speakers broughtthe sound of the singing to them fromthe hall.

" I do not know," writes one who wasI present, " which was most impressive—the sight of the crowd outside in therain taking a reverent part in a ceremonywhich they could not see, or the scene


in the hall itself when the conductor ofthe Halle Choir lead that vast audiencein the singing of ' 0 God our help inages past.' " No appeal for money wasmade, but purely voluntary contri-butions amounted, to £100.

There have, this year, been manygreat tributes to the universal appeal ofthe Life-boat cause, but none so pro-foundly impressive as this great gather-ing of all who make up the life andactivity of one of the greatest cities andsea ports of the Empire.

been four City of Manchester Life-boats,all stationed at Carmarthen Bay, anda Manchester & Salford Sunday SchoolLife-boat, stationed at Douglas, Isle ofMan. In addition the Institution hasowed a number of Life-boats to thegenerosity of individual citizens ofManchester.

The Bazaar was held in the Free TradeHall, and was designed as an old Englishvillage. The Lady Sheffield, C.B.E.,J.P., Honorary Secretary of the Man-chester and Salford Ladies' Life-boat

Photograph by] [Lafayette.THE "OLD ENGLISH VILLAGE" BAZAAR AT MANCHESTER.

The Centenary Bazaar.The Thanksgiving Service was fol-

lowed, on 15th, 16th and 17th May, bya Centenary Bazaar, at which the Man-chester and Salford Branch achieved itsaim of raising, in addition to the ordinarycontribution of the Branch to thegeneral funds of the Institution, aspecial Centenary gift of £10,000, forthe building of a Motor Life-boat. ThisBoat is being built for Ramsey, Isle ofMan. She will be of the latest type—theWatson Cabin, with an 80-h.p. engine,and she will be named The Manchesterand Salford. In the past there have

Guild, was President of the BazaarCommittee, with Sir William Milligan,M.D., J.P., Chairman of the Branch, asits Chairman, Sir Percy Woodhouse,J.P., as its Honorary Treasurer, andMrs. H. J. Wilson as its Honorary Secre-tary. On the Committee sat, amongothers, all the civic and religious leadersof Manchester and Salford: the LordMayor and the Lady Mayoress of Man-chester, the Mayor and the Mayoress ofSalford, the Very Rev. the Dean ofManchester, the Very Rev. Mgr. CanonA. Poock, D.D., R.D., the Rev. Dr.Roberts, M.A., and the Rev. Dr. BerendtSalomon.


On the first day the Bazaar wasopened by Field-Marshal Sir WilliamKobertson, Bt., G.C.B., G.C.M.G.; onthe second day by His Excellency theGovernor of the Isle of Man, Major-General Sir William Fry, K.C.V.O.,C.B.; and on the third by Mr. RobertSmith, Coxswain of the Tynemouth Life-boat from 1910-1920, and one of theInstitution's Gold Medallists.

A Centenary Souvenir Handbook waspublished, in which appeared messagesof goodwill and congratulation fromH.R.H. the Prince of Wales, E.G.(President of the Institution), the PrimeMinister (the Right Hon. J. RamsayMacDonald, M.P.), the Right Hon. DavidLloyd George, O.M., M.P., Admiral ofthe Fleet the Earl Beatty, G.C.B., O.M.(First Lord of the Admiralty), and theEarl of Derby, E.G.

The Prince of Wales had telegraphedto the Lord Mayor of Manchester, inresponse to a message sent him when hewas presiding at the Centenary Meetingin the Mansion House, on March 4th:—

" Your telegram of congratulation onthe Centenary of the Life-boat Serviceand splendid offer to mark Manchesterand Salford's long and intimate asso-ciation with this national and heroiccause by gift of best and most modernMotor Life-boat was received and readby me to meeting at Mansion House,Lord Mayor presiding. Announcementwarmly appreciated. On behalf of theInstitution and all its hundreds of thou-sands of supporters, I thank you, theMayor of Salford, and the Chairman ofour Manchester Branch for this new andstriking proof of Manchester andSalford's proverbial generosity towardsgood and noble objects."

The Prime Minister wrote :—" I am glad to hear that Manchester—

so sensitive to the appeal of all greatcauses—has identified itself with theCentenary of-the Royal National Life-boat Institution. For one hundredyears the National Life-boat Institutionhas pursued its mission to help thosewho, within sight of our shores, were indanger of shipwreck and disasterThough many of us live in towns farmore remote than Manchester from itsdangers, yet the sea, with its tale of

enterprise and tragedy, cannot fail tostir the imagination of an island people.The traffic of the sea has made ourhistory. Up and down our coasts our

ife-boats have watched our sea-folk indanger, and have rescued them. I, whohave seen the boats in action, knowwhat it means. Every citizen who feelspride in reading the record of shipwreckand rescue should respond to this newappeal and feel that, in whatevermeasure it may be, he has some share"n the launching and in the work of theBoat which Manchester is sending tooin this gallant company."

Two days after the Bazaar the costof the Life-boat, £10,000, was sent tothe Institution, and a further cheque for£1,003 16s. 8d. has since been added tothe Branch receipts!

Other Celebrations.Liverpool held a Centenary Meeting

at which the Lord Mayor presided,and Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairmanof the Committee of Management,delivered an address. Liverpool alsoiarried out a Century Life-boat Day.

At nearly all the other LancashireBranches Centenary Meetings were held,and the following other celebrationstook place:—

Colne, Lytham, Newton-in-Makerfield,Preston, Southport and St. Anne's heldThanksgiving Services and Century Life-boat Days.

Hoylake held a Carnival and aCentury Life-boat Day.

Lancaster and Stockport held Thanks-giving Services and House-to-HouseCollections.

Bury, Bacup, Carnforth, Farnworth,Fleetwood, Haslingden, Heywood, Hind-ley, Irlam and Little Hulton, Middleton,Morecambe, Rishton, Turton, Ulverstonand Warrington held Century Life-boatDays.

Ramsbottom, Rawtenstall and Widnesmade House-to-House Collections.

Stalybridge had an American Tea.Grange-over-Sands had a Sale of

Work.NORTHUMBERLAND.

Alnmouth held a most successfulGarden Party.

Blyth held a Thanksgiving Serviceand a Century Life-boat Day.


Holy Island had a Collection.Newcastle-on-Tyne keld a Centenary

Meeting and a House-to-House Collec-tion.

Cullercoats, Cresswell, Hauxley, New-biggin and Tynemouth held CenturyLife-boat Days.

YORKSHIRE.Bradford.

A Centenary Gift of a MotorLife-boat.

Before the Centenaiy Year opened,Bradford, as a special centenary gift,

and the fifth to bear the city's name.The others have all been stationed atRamsgate.

Thanksgiving Service.A Thanksgiving Service was held on

May 25th in the " Alhambra," lent forthe occasion by Mr. Francis Laidler, whofor many years past has held there anannual Life-boat Matinee in aid of theBradford Branch. Sir William Priestley,Chairman of the Branch, presided inthe absence of the Lord Mayor. TheService was conducted by the Rev.Gilbert Nair, and addresses were de-

Photograph by] [Topical Press Agency.

THE SCARBOROUGH THANKSGIVING SERVICE.

had already raised a fund of £10,000 toprovide a Motor Life-boat, to be stationedon the Humber, and had started asecond fund to pay for the Boat-houseand Slipway. The Inaugural Ceremonyof this Boat, which, owing to theremoteness of Spurn, took place atScarborough, is described elsewhere.This is the fourth Life-boat to bepresented to the Institution by Bradford,

livered by the Bishop of Bradford (Dr.Perowne), the Rev. Sam Rowley (Presi-dent of the Bradford Free ChurchCouncil), the Rev. J. W. Hind and theRev. W. Bowker. In the course of hisaddress the Bishop said: " True courage,true comradeship, and true discipline,are God-given, and this great trinityfinds expression in the Life-boat Service.The oourage which braves death for


people unknown, the comradeship which jmay involve the supreme sacrifice, the jdiscipline which subordinates selfish iinterests for a self-imposed task o f jheroism and danger, spring from the jspirit of Christ." !

Bradford also held a Century Life- jboat Day. |

IScarborough.

Thanksgiving Service.A Thanksgiving Service was held on j

August 25th, from the new Motor Life- jboat, Herbert Joy, which was taken on}its carriage to Peasholm Gap. The jService was conducted by the Rev. IGeorge Carver, representing the Inter- [denominational Union, and he was isupported by the Vicar of Scarborough j(the Rev. J. W. Capron), who deliveredthe address, ministers of the PrimitiveMethodist Church, and a representativeof the Free Church Council.

At Scarborough there was a doublelaunching ceremony on May 25th,described elsewhere, of the new Scar-borough Motor Life-boat, Herbert Joy,and the new Motor Life-boat for theHumber Station at Spurn Point, City ofBradford. Scarborough also held aCentury Life-boat Day.

Other Celebrations.In most of the Yorkshire Branches,

Centenary Meetings were held.Bridlington, Darlington, Flam-

borough, Filey, Goole and Redcar, allheld Thanksgiving Services and CenturyLife-boat Days.

In Sheffield, Major-General the RightHon. J. E. B. Seely, C.B., C.M.G.,D.S.O. (a member of the Com-mittee of Management), attended theAnnual Meeting and on the same daya special meeting of the Chamber of iCommerce. j

Leeds had a special appeal issued byLord Airedale, and a Century Life-boatDay.

Middlesbrough's Centenary Meeting jwas addressed by the Lord Lieutenantof the County (Sir Hugh Bell) and aCentury Life-boat Day was held.

Normanton held a Carnival.York had' a Garden Party.

Century Life-boat Days were held atBarnsley, Castleford, Dewsbury, Harro>gate, Hull, Keighley, Mytholmroyd,Mirfield," Mareden, Slaithwaite, North'allerton, ^Noiton, Rotherham, RobinHood's^ Bay, .Saltburn, Sedburgh,Sheffield, Saddleworth, Staithes andRunswick, Settle, Sowerby Bridge,Trawden, Thirsk, Todmorden, Whitby.

ISLE OF MAN.Douglas.

Concert and ThanksgivingService.

The Centenary Celebrations in Douglaswere held on Saturday and Sunday,May 22nd and 23rd, the Chairman of theCommittee of Management, Sir GodfreyBaring, Bt., going to Douglas speciallyto take part in them. On the Saturdayafternoon the Life-boat was launched,and in the evening an entertainmentwas held in Villa Manna. His Excellencythe Lieutenant-Governor, who had justreturned from opening the third day ofthe Manchester Life-boat Bazaar, waspresent, and Sir Godfrey Baring deliveredan address.

On the Sunday afternoon there was aprocession to St. George's Church, inthe graveyard of which Colonel SirWilliam Hillary, Bt., the founder of theInstitution, is buried. A number ofwreaths were laid on his grave, amongthem wreaths from the NorwegianGovernment, and the Life-boat Stationsof Douglas, Ramsey and Peel. Hundredswatched the procession from the road-side, and the church was filled to over-flowing for the Thanksgiving Service.Among those present were representa-tives of the House of Keys, the Mayorand Corporation of Douglas, andrepresentatives of various public bodies,and of the Isle of Man Life-boatStations. The sermon was preached bythe late Bishop of Sodor and Man(Dr. Denton-Thompson), who paid atribute to the memory of Sir WilliamHillary—a man who sought first, notwhat many are first seeking, wealth orease, pleasure or comfort, but to do hisduty to please God, to serve his country,and, especially, to save the shipwreckedsailor. In the course of the sermon hesaid : " There is no experience in life


which demonstrates more fully humanweakness than a ship in a storm. Allthat science and skill can do—and theyare doing more and more—cannotsubdue the winds and the waves. Yetlet it be remembered that as darknessreveals some things which the lightconceals, and millions of stars, that arehid by day, are seen at night, so storms

and shipwrecks disclose undreamed ofcourage, endurance, resourcefulness,sacrifice and heroism which we couldnever see but for these tragedies on thesea."

Thanksgiving Services and CenturyLife-boat Days were held at Ramsey,Peel and Port Erin, and a Century Life-boat Day was held at Port St. Mary.

The Centenary: In North Wales.ANGLESEY AND CARNARVON-

SHIRE.

Colwyn Bay.Colwyn Bay had a Life-boat Proces-

sion and Carnival on 24th August, whenthe town was full of visitors. The Life-boat from Llanddulas, drawn by atractor, took part in the procession, andwas launched in the presence of manythousands of spectators. She returnedto her Station by sea, taking on boardthe Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress ofLiverpool (Alderman and Mrs. Rushton),and the King and Queen of the Carnival.When the Boat reached Llanddulas aheavy sea was breaking on the beach,and the Boat, in landing, was sweptbroadside on, with waves breaking right

over her.' Her passengers were drenched,and were hurried back to Colwyn Bayin motor cars. The Lord Mayor wentto the Theatre the same evening, andmade a Life-boat speech between theacts, saying that now he had real first-hand information of the perils of theLife-boat Service.

Other Celebrations.In Anglesey, Llandudno and South

Carnarvonshire excellent work was doneduring the year by the Ladies' Life-boatGuild, and Century Life-boat Days wereheld at Flint and Connah's Quay,Prestatyn, Llanddulas, Pensarn, Aber-gele and Rhyl. Menai Bridge, Beaumaris,Cemaes and Amlwch had Life-boatCollections, and Llandudno both a Dayand a Collection.

The Centenary: In the Midlands andSouth Wales.

A Life-boat Tour Through Sixteen Counties.IN the Midlands and Wales the Cen-tenary was celebrated by a road tour ofone of the Institution's reserve Life-boats, the Robert & Catherine, whichfor a number of years was stationed atAppledore. The tour lasted five and ahalf months, and in that time the Boattravelled 2,400 miles, and visited 160cities and towns and hundreds of vil-lages in sixteen counties—the shires ofLeicester, Lincoln. Nottingham, Derby,Northampton, Rutland, Warwick, Staf-ford, Worcester, Salop, Hereford, Mont-gomery, Radnor, Gloucester, Monmouth,and Glamorgan.

The Institution was fortunate inbeing able to carry out this tour atsmall cost to itself, as the firm of Messrs.Foden, Ltd., of Sandbach, Cheshire,generously undertook the whole cost oftransport, providing a tractor to drawthe Boat, paying the wages and ex-penses of the driver, and supplyingthe fuel for the whole tour. This theydid as their Centenary Gift. The tourwas carried out with the approval andhelp of the local authorities, and in avery large number of the places visitedthe Boat was given an official wel-come. Among those who welcomed the


Boat in this way, and made speecheson behalf of the Life-boat cause, werethe Lord Mayors of Birmingham andBristol.

The tour began on 12th April atLeicester, Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.(Chairman of the Committee of Manage-1ment), being present to inaugurate it.:The Annual Life-boat Day was held on;the same day, and a record sum was'raised. The tour concluded at Cardiff'on 24th September.

In five places the Boat was not only

wreck, and the public taken for trips inthe Boat, she was manned by the Cox-swain and the Crew of Rhyl. Thecarnival was opened by the Rt. Hon.F. 0. Roberts, M.P., the Minister of Pen-sions, and presided over by the LordMayor. The visit of the Life-boat and theCarnival inaugurated the special effortwhich is being made to raise £10,000 fora City of Birmingham Motor Life-boat.

At other towns, where a launch wasimpossible, street processions were or-ganized, and Life-boat Days and Life-

Photograph by] IF. Lumbers, Leicester.

THE LIFE-BOAT SETTING OUT FROM LEICESTER ON HER 2000-MILEROAD TOUR.

taken in procession through the streets,but was launched—at Northampton, onthe River Nen; at Stratford, on theAvon ; at Worcester, on the Severn ; atCheltenham, on the Pittville Lake ; andat Birmingham, on the EdgbastonReservoir. The Boat herself, duringthe tour, was in charge of one of theriggers from the Institution's Store-yard, and at the first four places he hadamateur crews to man the Boat. Butat Birmingham, where a water carnivalwas held, and a Life-boat display wasgiven with a rescue from a burning

boat Thanksgiving Services were heldin connexion with the Boat's visit. Inthese services the clergy of all denomina-tions took part, among them the Bishopsof Lichfield and Peterborough.

In thus touring the Midlands theRobert & Catherine visited those partsof England most remote from the sea.Probably the majority of the tens ofthousands of people who saw the Life-boat had never before seen one, and ofthe thousands who went over her, few,if any, can ever have been in a Life-boat.


At Cheltenham one young man, whohad'come in from a village four milesaway, asked what the fare was, andwhen told that no passengers were car-ried said that he thought the Boat wasa new kind of charabanc !

So much for the ignorance in theinland villages of the Life-boat Serviceand qf the sea, which this tour may havehelped to dispel.

The following places, visited by theLife-boat, held Centenary Meetings,

A number of towns had illustrated: lectures in place of the CentenaryMeeting, and also held Thanksgiving

• Services and Century Life-boat Days :—Oakham, Brigg, Long Eaton, Welling-

ton (Salop), and Tewkesbury, while| Sutton Coldfield had a Drawing-roomj Meeting in place of it, and Lichfield a' Whist Drive.

Centenary Meetings and Century Life-i boat Days were held at:—

Peterborough, Nottingham, Rugby,

Photograph by] [F. Lumbers, Leicester.

LIFE-BOAT COLLECTING IN THE STREETS OF. LEICESTER.

Century Life-boat Days and Thanks-giving Services :—

Leicester, Sleaford, Spalding, MeltonMowbray, Lincoln, Retford, Worksop,Chesterfield, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Ilkes-ton, Derby, ;Loughborough, Burton-on-Trent, Stafford, Coventry, Northampton,Hinckley (where there was also an illus-trated Lecture), Kettering, Birmingham,Warwick, Leamington, Wolverhampton,Bilston, West Bromwich.^Walsall, Leo-minster, Droitwich, Worcester, Broms-grove,! Evesham, Cheltenham, Bristoland Newport (Mon.). A number of theseplaces also had Life-boat films shownat the Picture Houses.

Rushden, Hereford, Kidderminster(which also "held a Ball), Stourbridge,Gloucester (which also held a Ball andWhist Drive), Cardiff, Aberdare, Moun-tain Ash.

Centenary Meetings and ThanksgivingServices were held at:—

Tamworth and Oldbury (which alsoheld two Whist Drives).

Thanksgiving Services and CenturyLife-boat Days were held at:—

Woodhall Spa, Alfreton (where a Saleof Work and Dance were also held),Belper, Etwall (where a Garden Partywas also held), Ashby-de-la-Zouch,Uttoxeter, Stone, Wellingborough, Soli-


hull, Knowle, Oswestry, Shrewsbury,Ludlow (where there was also a Dance),Bewdley, Stratford-on-Avon, Cirencester,Stroud, Earl Shilton.

Centenary Meetings were held at:—Market Harborough, Mansfield,

Smethwick, Newark.A Thanksgiving Service and Lecture

was held at Church Stretton.Shifnal had an illustrated Lecture.Century Life-boat Days were held

at :—Horncastle, Louth, Grantham, Boston,

Radclifieon-Trent, Stamford, Bed-worth, Weedon, Raunds, Goleshill,Welshpool, Newtown, Montgomery,Llandrindod Wells, New Radnor, King-ton, Redditch, Alcester, Pontypool,Maesteg, Dowlais, Atherstone, BurtonLatimer, Rothwell, Desborough, New-port (Salop) Bishop's Cleeve.

Other Celebrations.Centenary Celebrations in the Mid-

lands and South Wales were also heldat a number of places not visited by theLife-boat.

Derbyshire.Century Life-boat Days were held at

Buxton, South Nomianton and Ripley.Lincolnshire.

Grimsby held a Centenary Meeting,a Life-boat Day, and a Ball.

Mablethorpe and Skegness held Cen-tury Life-boat Days.

Monmouthshire.Ebbw Vale held a Century Life-boat

Day.

Shropshire.Bridgnorth held a Century Life-boat

Day.Staffordshire.

Cradley Heath held a Century Life-boatDay.

Brecknockshire.Llanwrtyd Wells held a Century Life-

boat Day.Cardiganshire.

Lampeter held a Thanksgiving Service,a Centenary Meeting and a Century Life-boat Day.

Aberystwyth, Cardigan, and NewQuay held Century Life-boat Days.

Carmarthenshire.Llanelly and Ferryside held Century

Life-boat Days.

Glamorganshire.Swansea held Thanksgiving Services,

a Lifeboat Day, and a Ball.Abercynon, Barry, Penrhiwceiber and

Porthcawl held Century Life-boatDays.

Merionethshire.Aberdovey and Barmouth held Cen-

tury Life-boat Days.

Pembrokeshire.Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Pembroke

and Tenby held Century Life-boat Days.Radnorshire.

Knighton held a Century Life-boatDay.

The Centenary: In the South-East of England.

BEDFORDSHIRE.

Hitchin held a Centenary Meeting,which was addressed by Major Sir

| Maurice Cameron, K.C.M.G., a memberof the Committee of Management.

Bedford held a successful CenturyLife-boat Day in October.

At Luton, Lady Helen Cassel gave

a Garden Party, at which Sir GodfreyBaring, Bt., Chairman of the Committeeof Management, spoke.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.Century Life-boat Days were held at

Gerrard's Cross, and at Slough, Windsorand Eton, where a record sum wasraised.


CAMBRIDGESHIRE. j HERTFORDSHIRE.Century Life-boat Days were held at A Century Life-boat Day was held at

Ely and Wisbech.

ESSEX.

Brightlingsea.Brightlingsea organized a most suc-

cessful Carnival on 2nd August, in whichvery diverse characters took part, from" Grace Darling" to a company ofpirates, but all were united on thisoccasion in helping only the Life-boatcause. The Carnival was followed by aDance. Previous to this, on 2nd March,a Thanksgiving Service was held at theWesleyan Church. Altogether Bright-lingsea, where a Branch of the Institu-tion was formed only this year, raised£121-—-a magnificent sum for so small aplace, and equivalent to over 6d. a headof the population.

Clacton-on-Sea.Clacton-on-Sea held an open-air

Thanksgiving Service on 17th August, onthe Greensward, Marine Parade, whichwas conducted from the Boarding-boatby the Rev. C. R. S. Finch, the Vicar ofSt. James's Church. The address wasdelivered by the Rev. W. H. Roseveare,of St. Catherine's, Mitcham, S.E. Be-fore the Service there was a processionfrom the Life-boat House. A CenturyLife-boat Day was also held on 2ndAugust.

Colchester.Colchester held a Centenary Meeting,

at which the Mayor (Mrs. C. B. Alderton)presided, and Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.,Chairman of the Committee of Manage-ment, delivered an address.

Other Celebrations.Walton-on-the-Naze held a Life-boat-

men's Procession on 16th August, andraised by it over £230. The processionalso visited Frinton, which made anappeal on the same day.

Chelmsford, Southend-on-Sea, Leigh-on-Sea, and Rochford and district (in-cluding Hadleigh, Shoeburyness, Hawks-well, Ashingdon, and Canvey Island)held Century Life-boat Days.

Hertford.

HUNTINGDONSHIRE.A Century Life-boat Day was held at

St. Ives.

KENT.

Canterbury.

Canterbury held a Centenary Meetingin May, at which the Mayor presided,and Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairmanof the Committee of Management of theInstitution, delivered an address. Thiswas followed in June by a Century Life-boat Day.

Folkestone.

Folkestone held its Life-boat Day on16th August, in connexion with aFestival of the Sea which was takingplace during the same week at Calais.At this festival a number of KentishLife-boatmen were among the Englishrepresentatives. They returned fromCalais on the 16th, and with themcame some hundreds of the French andBelgian visitors to the festival, whowere given a civic reception on arrivingat Folkestone. In the morning the Life-boat was launched, and in the afternoonthere was a procession through the town,in which Kentish, French and BelgianLife-boatmen took part. A record sumwas raised.

Margate.

Margate held a Centenary Meeting inMarch, at which the Mayor presided,and Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., deliveredan address.

This was followed by a Century Life-boat Day in August.

Other Celebrations.

Cranbrook and Hawkhurst, Deal andWalmer, Dover, Gravesend, Lydd, Pens-hurst, Ramsgate, Rochester, Sevenoaks,Sittingbourne and Milton Regis, Ton-bridge, Tunbridge Wells, Westgate andWhitstable all held Century Life-boatDays.


NORFOLK.Cromer.

A Century Life-boat Day was held atCromer on 21st August. Both the Life-boats of the Station were launched, thenew Motor Life-boat, H. F. Bailey, andthe Pulling and Sailing Life-boat, LouisaHeartwdl, and a record sum was raised.

Other Celebrations.Century Lif e-boat^ Days were held at

Brancaster, Diss, Great Yarmouth,

as described elsewhere, and CenturyLife-boat Days were held at Farnham,Guildford—where a record sum wasraised—Haslemere, Redhill, Reigate,Walton-on-Thames, and Weybridge andOatlands Park.

SUSSEX.Eastbourne.

Eastbourne celebrated the Centenarywith a Ball, a Meeting, a ThanksgivingService, and a Century Life-boat Day.

Ptotograph by} [Frederic* A. Bownt.

THE 1824 LIFE-BOAT BALL AT DEVONSHIRE PARK, EASTBOURNE.

King's Lynn, Hunstanton, Norwich,Palling, Sheringham and Wells.

SUFFOLK.Century Life-boat Days were held at

Aldeburgh, Bury St. Edmunds, Felix-stowe, Lowestoft, Southwold andSudbury.

SURREY.A number of places on the Thames

were visited by the Teesmouth Life-boat,

Centenary Ball.The Ball was the first function, and

was held on 4th March, at DevonshirePark. It was organized by Mrs. AstleyRoberts, the President of the EastbourneLadies' Life-boat Guild, and Mrs. EdgarAllan Brown, and was a great success.One of its most attractive features wasthe dancing of the quadrille by ladiesand gentlemen in the costumes of1824.


Centenary Meeting.The Centenary Meeting was held in

the Town Hall on the afternoon o f j18th March, and the Mayor and Corpora-tion attended it in state. The Mayorpresided, and paid a tribute to thesplendid work of the Ladies' Life-boatGuild in Eastbourne. Sir GodfreyBaring, Bt., Chairman of the Committeeof Management of the Institution, de-livered an address, in the course of which ihe said that women not only gave theInstitution invaluable help in raising

and the Hippodrome. The DeputyMayor and members of the EastbourneCouncil were among the congregation.Outside the grounds was stationed theEastbourne Pulling and Sailing Life-boat.

Century Life-boat Day.A Century Life-boat Day was held on

2nd August, and raised nearly £500.

Hastings.Hastings held a Centenary Meeting

on 28th March, at which the Mayor

Photograph by] [Douglas Went.

"PIRATES" HELP THE LIFE-BOATS AT BRIGHTLINGSEA.

money, but did magnificent and cour-ageous work as launchers on the coast.In the morning there was a launch ofthe Motor Life-boat.

Thanksgiving Service.The Thanksgiving Service was held in

the grounds of Devonshire Park on Sun-day, 13th July, and nearly 3,000 peoplewere present. The service was con-ducted by Canon Streatfeild, R.D.,Vicar of Eastbourne, supported byministers of other denominations. Thesinging was led by a choir of severalhundred voices, and the orchestra wascomposed of players from the MunicipalOrchestra, the Devonshire Park Theatre,

j presided, and Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.,Chairman of the Committee of Manage-ment, delivered an address. »

A Century Life-boat Day was alsoheld.

Worthing.Worthing had a special ceremonial

launch of the Life-boat on 2nd August,preceded by a procession through thetown, in which three bands and detach-ments of Territorials took part. Manyhundreds of visitors on the frontwatched the launch, and as the Boattook the water the troopa presentedarms, and the National Anthem wasplayed.


Other Celebrations.

Arundel, Bexhill—where a record sumwas raised—Brighton and Hove, Bognor,Chichester, East Grinstead, Horsham,

Lewes, Littlehampton, Newhaven, Rye,Seaford, Selsey and Shoreham.

Altogether, Century Life-boat Daysin the south-east of England raised arecord sum.

The Centenary: In the South-West of England.BERKSHIRE.

Reading.A ROYAL CENTENARY MATINEE was heldon 10th May, which was a great success,and was attended by H.R.H. the Prin-cess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, Patronof the Ladies' Life-boat Guild, Sir God-frey Baring, Bt. (Chairman of the Com-mittee of Management), and LadyBaring and Sir Stewart and Lady Abram.Reading, also held a Tennis Tournament,and was visited (as described elsewhere)by the Teesmouth Motor Life-boat.

Maidenhead held a Century Life-boatDay, and was visited by the TeesmouthMotor Life-boat, as described elsewhere.

Newbury held a Century Life-boatDay.

CORNWALL.Newquay's Life-boat Week.

Newquay held a Centenary Life-boatweek in August which included a launchof the Life-boat and a Life-boat Proces-sion, special collections, and entertain-ments by local concert parties, and whichconcluded on the Sunday afternoon withan open-air Thanksgiving Service. Theservice was conducted from the Life-boat, ministers of the different Churchestaking part in it, and was attended bya large congregation of residents andvisitors. In his address, the Rev.James Ninnis spoke of his pleasure atseeing the Churches united to bless thegreat work of the Life-boat Service, anddescribed that work as a strong supportto the idea of a League of Nations.

Other Celebrations.Century Life-boat Days, with a

launch of the Life-boat, were held at TheLizard and Penzance. The Lizard alsohad a Life-boat Concert.

Padstow held a Century Life-boatDay with Aquatic Sports and an open-air Concert.

Falmouth held a Meeting and a Cen-

tury Life-boat Day, and at a numberof outlying places it was decided to formsub-guilds of the Ladies' Life-boatGuild.

Bude held a Century Life-boat Day,with competitions and a display of Life-boat films ; and days were held also atLooe, Port Isaac, St. Ives and Truro.

The Isles of Scilly.A Century Life-boat Day was held in

August, with a Concert and Dance,and a Life-boat Demonstration by theSt. Mary's Motor Life-boat. It waswell described by the Western MorningNews and Mercury: " This year theIsles of Scilly kept half-holiday on Life-boat Day to witness a series of manoeuvresto display methods for saving life froma wreck at sea. A vessel was moored asa wreck a little way off the pier, and somelads were to be seen further off floatingon a raft. Another shipwrecked wretchwas to be se-m on a movable rock.Alarm guns called the ever-ready crewto boat, and ten minutes later the craftwas breasting the waves to the scene ofthe' disaster.' She proceeded to negotiatethe supposedly dangerous Bacon Ledgeand some unknown and invisible reefs,and to steady her in such a gale as neverblew on land or sea she hoisted mastsand sails and made a couple of tacks ina vain endeavour to approach safely thefast sinking wreck. The whole of theidle inhabitants of St. Mary's and othersfrom the off islands were congregated onthe shore watching. The boat loweredsail and, under motor power only, care-fully approached the doomed ship. Asthe ocean shallowed sufficiently at thisunknown ledge, the Lifeboat droppedanchor and veered down cautiously onthe wreck. As such a sea as was neverseen was running over the battered andshattered craft, getting alongside wasimpossible, so a line and' breeches buoy'was fired correctly well over her, andseveral men were successfully got aboard


the Lifeboat. But one poor fellow was great energy that they were such aseen to be badly injured, and he had to success.be helped down into the water and heldup as he was drawn across to the Life-boat. After this the Boat went out todiscover the raft which had floated away jto sea. Finally, the man on the floatingrock was pulled to safety with a handline."

DEVONSHIRE.Appledore.

Thanksgiving Meeting andService.

A Thanksgiving Meeting and Servicewas held on Bideford Quay, close to theKingsley Memorial, on the evening of19th June, and there were upwards of2,000 people present, although rain wasfalling almost continuously during theceremony. The Appledore Life-boat

Other Celebrations.Axminster held a Century Life-boat

Day and a Ball., Barnstaple held two Centenary Balls.Brixham held a Century Life-boat

Day and a Concert.Budleigh Salterton and Dawlish both

held Century Life-boat Days.At Cullompton a new branch was

established, and a Life-boat Day andFete, and a Life-boat Ball were held.

Dartmouth held an open-air CentenaryMeeting and a Century Life-boat Day, atwhich a record sum was raised.

Exeter held a Century Life-boat Day.Exmouth held a Century Life-boat

Day which was a great success.Ilfracombe held a Century Life-boat

Day and a Concert.was lying in the river, and among those | Lynmouth celebrated the Centenarypresent were the Rev. J. B. White, j for two consecutive days, with sports onPresident of the Branch, who presided ; | tne first day and a launch of the Life-the Mayors of Bideford, Barnstaple j boat( an(i a Ball on the second,and Torrington, the Chairman of theNortham Urban District Council, theRector of Bideford, the Vicar of Apple-dore, and the President of the BidefordFree Church Council. The civic partymarched from the Town Hall, headedby the Bideford Town Band, and accom- j

Salcombe held a Century Life-boatDay, a Dance, and issued a specialappeal.

Seaton and Beer held Century Life-boat Days, and a Dancing Display atthe Town Hall.

Sidmouth held a Century Life-boatpanied by the Police,_the Fire Brigade, Day, an open-air Whist Drive, three

Dances and two Theatrical Performances.Teignmouth held a Century Life-boat

Day, supplemented by a Carnival, at

the Church Lads' Brigade,Scouts and the Girl Guides.

the

Plymouth.Plymouth celebrated the

which a record sum was raised.Torquay and Paignton bothCentenary

in a number of ways. Several Centenary ] Century Life-boat Days.Meetings, arranged by the Mayor, wereheld. Century Life-boat Day took DORSETSHIRE.

held

place on May 17th and included aPageant, witnessed by thousands ofpeople, through the streets of Plymouth,Devonport and Stonehouse. A Cen-tenary Service was held in St. Andrew'sChurch with the Mayor and Corporationattending in state. On 10th Septemberthere was a Life-boat Fete and Gala,during which the Life-boat went up theLaira for the first time, and gave ademonstration of rescue by means ofthe Line-throwing Gun, and in Novemberthere was a Life-boat Ball. These specialattractions were organized by Mr.Sydney Clarke, and it was due to his

«^^^A^I***«* * t _"" ~".".T.~ "

Dorchester held a Century Life-boatDay, at which a record sum was raised,and a Whist Drive and Dance in thespring, followed by another in theautumn ; and the Lord Lieutenant ofDorsetshire issued a special appeal.

Lyme Regis held a Century Life-boatDay and a special demonstration of life-saving.

Poole and Bournemouth held Cen-tenary Meetings and a Century Life-boatDay, and special appeals were madein the churches.

Shaftesbury held a Centenary Meeting,


a Whist Drive and Dance and a CenturyLife-boat Day.

Sherborne had a Life-boat Lectureand a Century Life-boat Day.

Swanage held a Century Life-boatDay, a Life-boat Demonstration and aWhist Drive.

Weymouth.The new Life-boat House, built for

the Motor Life-boat, which has been

: special gift which the Institution owesjto the Cinema, and for this it isindebted to Mr. Albany Ward (unfor-tunately prevented by illness from beingpresent at the ceremony). The record ofhis help is inscribed on a tablet on thewall of the house :

" This Life-boat House has beenpresented to the Royal National Life-boat Institution through the generous

' initiative of Albany Ward, Esq., in

THE LIFE-BOAT HOUSE AT WEYMOUTH.

Presented to the Institution by the help of Mr. Albany Ward in appealing to the patronsof Picture Palaces under his control.

stationed at Weymouth, was opened on10th September by Lady Ilchester, and jthe Boat was launched. Among thosepresent were the Mayor and Mayoress,;Mr. A. E. Newbold, of the Albany Ward!Theatres, and Mr. Norris, the Hon.Secretary of the Branch, and the chairwas taken by Major J. H. C. Devenish,J.P., the President of the Branch. Onmany occasions the cinemas have helpedthe Institution by allowing collections tobe made during their performances, byshowing films of Life-boat work, and byannouncing Life-boat Days. But theWeymouth Life-boat House is the first

bringing the claims of the Life-boatService before the Patrons of theAlbany Ward Theatres, Ltd., Jerseyand Guernsey Amusements Company,Ltd., and Albany Ward's Theatres."

HAMPSHIRE.Portsmouth.

The Navy joined very heartily in thecelebration of the Centenary at Ports-mouth. Several Centenary Meetingswere held, a Centenary Dance arrangedby the wife of the Commodore, and aCentury Life-boat Day, which was animmense success^ There was a. special


pageant and procession, which travelledfive miles through the streets, and waswitnessed by thousands of people. Forthis procession one of the Institution'sreserve Life-boats was sent down, andthe Naval Authorities supplied thebands and arranged cars with specialtableaux.

In Havant a special appeal was madeand a Century Life-boat Day was held.

Emsworth held its first Life-boatDay.

Andover held a Century Life-boat Day.Basingstoke held a Centenary Meeting,

a Century Life-boat Day and a Bazaar,and a Special Appeal was issued by theMayor.

Fareham held several meetings and aCentury Life-boat Day with a procession,and a Century Life-boat Day was heldin the neighbouring villages.

Lymington held a Centenary Meeting,a lecture with films at the theatre and aCentury Life-boat Day.

Photograph by} [Stephen Cribb, Smtthsea.

THE NAVY HELPS THE LIFE-BOATS AT PORTSMOUTH.

Southampton.

Southampton, like Portsmouth, cele-brated the Centenary in a variety ofways—a Century Life-boat Day, aDance Matinee at the Grand Theatre,which was given to a crowded house, anInvitation Concert at the Palace Theatre,a Sale of Work and a Life-boat Fete atRownhams.

Other Celebrations.

Aldershot held a Centenary Ball,under the patronage of the Commander-in-Chief, and a Grand Assault at Arms.

Ringwood held a Bazaar and a Dance.Romsey held a Century Life-boat Day

and a Centenary Fete, which was a greatsuccess.

Winchester held a Century Life-boatDay, and a Special Centenary Appeal wasissued by the Mayor, resulting in £100being raised.

Isle of Wight.Cowes, Ventnor, Shanklin, Sandown

and Newport all held Century Life-boat•Days, which were a great success. Inaddition, Cowes had a Children's Partyand Entertainment, and a Centenary


Ball organized by the Ladies' Life-boatGuild.

Shanklin held a Centenary Meetingand special services in the churches.

Ventnor held a Centenary Dance.Lake held a Century Life-boat Day

which raised a record sum for villagesin the South-West of England.

OXFORDSHIRE.Centenary Meeting.

Oxford.The Centenary Meeting was held, in

the Hall of Wadham College, on 8thFebruary, with the Vice-Chancellor (Mr.J. Wells) in the Chair, and the meetingwas attended by the Mayor and membersof the Corporation, the Member of Parlia-ment for the city of Oxford (Mr. FrankGray), the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire,the Warden of New College, the Presi-dent of Magdalen, the Provost ofWorcester, the Rev. Dr. Sherwood (Vice-President of the Branch), the Rev. W. M.Merry (Hon. Treasurer), and Miss AliceMarshall (Hon. Secretary).

The speakers were Captain Sir HerbertActon-Blake, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O. (De-puty-Master of Trinity House, and amember of the Committee of Manage-ment), Mr. George F. Shee, M.A. (Secre-tary of the Institution), Father C. C.Martindale, S.J., Captain W. B. Bruce,C.B.E., R.N.R. (ret.) and the Mayor.

The Vice-Chancellor, in opening themeeting, said that no more appropriateplace could have been found in Oxfordfor a Life-boat celebration, for Wadhamwas the only college that had'on itsbooks one of the great names of theEnglish Navy—Admiral Blake. Theircolleges were, in a very real sense,national institutions, and it was one ofthe chief glories of Oxford that it hadalways reflected the mind of a very largesection of the English people. It wasonly right, therefore, that the Universityshould give its help to another so trulyEnglish and national an institution asthe Life-boat Service.

Miss Alice Marshall, in making heiannual report, said that for nearly aquarter of its century the Life-boatService had had the support of Oxford,and in that time Oxford's contributionhad amounted to over £11,000.

Sir Herbert Acton-Blake, in movingthe Centenary resolution of gratitudeto Coxswains, Crews and HonoraryWorkers, said that it was sometimesasked why the Life-boat Service was notcharged on the national fnnds. In hisopinion, the work would be efficientlydone by the State, but it could not bedone so economically, and to hand theservice over to the State would effec-tively stifle the magnificent gratuitouseffort of the people who at presentmanned and maintained the Service.That in itself would be a tremendous loss.

In seconding the resolution, Mr.George F. Shee described how theInstitution came to be founded, spokeof the enormous developments made inthe course of a century, and paid atribute to the immense services of theHonorary Workers of the Institution.

Father Martindale, in moving theresolution pledging support for thefuture, said:—

" The very existence of the Life-boatInstitution is an element in our nationaleducation. Small children, living no-where near the sea, hear about it intheir thousands, and are captivated byits romance. Children respond naturallyto the gallant and chivalrous. I heardlately of a little girl, not educated inChristian traditions, who saw a crucifix.' Who,' she said, ' is that man ? Is itSt. George 1 ' And she kissed its feet.Defrauded of any knowledge of theMaster, she had heard of and had beeninspired by the servant; the narrowerexample had captivated her when theinfinite romance, the divine love story,had been forbidden to exercise its spell.I notice those fine, robust Nonconformisthymns—that I hope are still sung inmany parts of the country—use bypreference Life-boat and railway symbol-ism to stimulate those who sing them.Thus, from childhood the imagination istaught that self-sacrifice is possible, andthat hero'ism is taken for granted, even,at due hours, in ourselves. This nation-ally educative role of the Life-boat wouldbe halved if the Institution ceased to beat once national and voluntary. Here,at" any rate, is something which mustremain national, and not be nationalised,nor ever sink into being a mere depart-ment.


" In the romance of the Life-boattwo elements do not change—one, theeternal yet incalculable sea, and theother, that magnificent type of man thatthis Service not only claims, but pro-duces. Portraits and photographs dis-played during these one hundred yearsshow that the type has remained true toitself, not only the fine oaken physique,the build of man who does not refuse toface winds, as one of them said, ' thatgnaw at your face,'' or icy seas that makethe very tears seem to warm the cheeksthey trickle down—but also the sameopen, cheery, good and spiritual ex-pression to be found in men who ap-preciate home and all that it stands for,but will risk it all for the sake of theirfellow-men. What do they know ofthose they go to rescue ? Nothing, savethat they are their fellow-men, made inGod's image. Therefore, for the sake ofthe preservation and multiplication ofso fine a breed of man, for the sake ofour children and their training in un-selfishness, for our own sake—that wemay keep alive our belief in the existenceof unselfishness and our readiness tosupply some of it in our own persons—for the sake of the noblest part of humannature all the world over, and in grati-tude for the divine act that saved ashipwrecked world, I ask you whole-heartedly to support the Life-boatInstitution."

Thanksgiving Service.A Thanksgiving Service was held in

the Cathedral on 3rd March, arrangedby the Dean of Christ Church. TheMayor, accompanied by the DeputyMayor, the Member of Parliament forthe city of Oxford, the Sheriff andmembers of the City Council, attendedin state, and the University was repre-sented by the Vice-Chancellor (Mr. J.Wells). The service was conducted bythe Precentor (the Rev. Claude Wil-liams), and the sermon was preached bythe Rev. A. W. Gough, Prebendary ofSt. Paul's. Taking as his text, " Loveendureth all things: Love never faileth,"Prebendary Gough said: " We arethankful for the work of the Life-boatService because the lives saved are livesof a special worth. Those that go downto the sea in ships are, in some respects,

above the common average of our race.They represent the spirit which madeour race great. They carry on with alltheir might, striving against the brutal,hostile forces of Nature. It is in thatkind of striving that races get the be-ginning of their greatness, and it is intheir willingness to maintain the strugglethat they continue to be great. Theseare precious people. Would that wehad more of them in England to-day.'We are weaker than we should havebeen, for hundreds of thousands of suchlives were lost in the war. Let us takecare of the brave men and women whoremain, and those who are served bythe Life-boat. . . . May there neverfail to be in this old England of ours aspirit that thrusts forth human life uponadventure in a great cause . . . and letthose who live more sheltered lives keepthe courage and adventure and thegenerosity of our fathers."

Other Celebrations.Oxford was visited by the Teesmouth

Motor Life-boat as described elsewhere.On 10th October a Century Life-boat

Ball was held in the Town Hall, and on18th October Century Life-boat Day,which raised nearly £160.

Banbury held a Century Life-boatDay.

SOMERSET.Burnham-on-Sea.

On March 4th there was a MaskedFancy Dress Ball, and this was followedby a Century Life-boat Day in Augustwith a launch of the Life-boat and aprocession through the streets. TheDay was concluded with a Dance at theTown Hall, and the Roundabouts andFun Fair on the Front gave a part oftheir takings to the Institution.

Watchet.A Life-boat Week was organized at

Watchet with a sale of badges, a concert,a Life-boat Display, and numerouscompetitions. Part of the proceeds ofthe Fun Fair on the Front was given tothe Institution, and collections weremade at Dunster Show and Wivelis-'combe Sports.


Other Celebrations. j WILTSHIRE._ _. , At Bradford-on-Avon the ChairmanBath raised a record sum by its Life- of the eouncil organized the celebrations

boat Day, and made a number of smaller which consisted oi an entertainmentefforts including an appeal forsubscribers and a small Bazaar.

5s. with Life-boat Films at the AlexandraPicture Theatre, and a Century Life-boat

At Bridgewater, a Ladies' Life-boat | Day. This was the first Day held atGuild was formed, and a CentenaryMeeting was held, followed by a WhistDrive.

Chard issued a special appeal, andheld a Century Life-boat Day.

Glastonbury held a Centenary Meet-ing, at which the Countess Waldegravespoke, and twenty-seven new memberswere enrolled for the Ladies' Life-boat

Bradford-on-Avon, and, as a result, theBranch has raised a record sum.

Chippenham held a Centenary Meet-ing and a Century Life-boat Day, whichnot only raised a record sum, but wasthe only street appeal made for a charitywhich showed an increase on previousyears.

Salisbury held a Centenary MeetingGuild, and a Century Life-boat Day. 1 which was addressed by Sir Godfrey

Taunton had a meeting and a special Ba?-nS> Bt' (Chalrman of the Committeeappeal.

Wells had a meeting, addressed bythe Countess Waldegrave; sent outa special appeal; and held a Life-boatDay.

Yeovil issued a special appeal. ACentury Life-boat Day was held whichraised a record sum. A concert, alantern lecture and a Century Life-boatDay with a procession, were held in theneighbouring villages.

Clevedon, Frome and Minehead heldCentury Life-boat Days.

of Management). A special appeal wasmade for subscriptions. A CenturyLife-boat Day was held, and a Danceand a Whist Drive in outlying districts.

Devizes, Swindon and Warminster allheld Century Life-boat Days, andTrowbridge a football match.

Channel Isles.At Guernsey, Century Life-boat Day

was held in conjunction with theRegatta, and the St. Peter Port Life-boat was launched. Collections werealso made in the places of amusement.

The Centenary : In Scotland.ABERDEENSfflRE.

Aberdeen.Aberdeen held a Centenary Meeting

on 23rd January, at which Lord ProvostMeff presided, and the Marquess of Aber-deen and Temair, K.T., a Vice-Presidentof the Institution, delivered an address.The Lord Provost expressed his greatpleasure at the fact that at last, what heand some of his colleagues had urged foryears, was being generally realized, theadvantage of getting the Harbour Com-missioners to place their Life-boatsunder the control of the Institution.They had a stormy coast to protect, andthey needed a Life-boat of the mostpowerful type. Knowing, too, how muchthey depended on their sailors andfishermen, the people of Aberdeen shoulddo every thing to help the Institution inits work.

Aberdeen and the surrounding dis-tricts, later on, held a Century Life-boatDay.

Peterhead held a Century Life-boat Day.

ARGYLLSHIRE.Campbeltown and Southend, and

Dunoon and Cowal and the surroundingplaces held Century Life-boat Days.

AYRSHIRE.Girvan held a Century Life-boat Day,

with a procession of the Life-boat crew,bands, and a Fancy Dress Parade.

Largs also had a Procession andFancy Dress Parade, organized by theTennis Club.

Century Life-boat Days were held atAyr and the surrounding villages, and atTroon.


BANFFSHIRE.Banff.

A Centenary Meeting was held on 8thJuly, at which the Duke of Richmondand Gordon, E.G., Lord Lieutenant ofthe county, presided. Representativeswere present from the County Council ofBanffshire, the Royal Burgh of Banff,the Burghs of Macduff, Buckie, Keith,Dufftown and Portknockie. The Dukeof Richmond and Gordon delivered anaddress on the work of the Life-boatService during a hundred years, and

CAITHNESS-SHIRE.Thurso held a Century Life-boat Day,

with a Life-boat Procession, and aConcert.

Wick and Ackergill held a CenturyLife-boat Day with a Life-boat Proces-sion, and Life-boat Films were shown inall the Picture Houses.

Huna held a Century Life-boat Day.

CLACKMANNANSfflRE.Alloa held a Century Life-boat Day.

LIFE-BOAT PROCESSION AT WICK.Colonel John James George, DeputyLieutenant of the county, moved aresolution, which was carried, that aCentury Life-boat Day should be held inall the towns and villages of the county.

As a result of this meeting, CenturyLife-boat Days were held in Aber-chirder, Buckie, Banff, Cornhill, Cul-len, Deskford, Dufftown, Inverkeithny,Keith, Kirkmichael, Macduff, Newton ofCarnousie, Turrifi, Portsoy, Portknockie,and Whitehilk

BUTESHIRE.Rothesay held a Century Life-boat

Day.

DUMBARTONSHIRE.Helensburgh held a Concert and

Century Life-boat Day, and a SpecialAppeal was issued by the Provost.

Century Life-boat Days were held atDumbarton and Kirkintilloch.

DUMFRIES-SHIRE.Dumfries held a Life-boat Week, and

films were shown at all the PictureHouses.

Sanquhar held a Century Life-boat Day.EDINBURGHSHERE.

Edinburgh held a Century Life-boatDay which raised a record sum of nearly£950.


ELGINSHIRE.Findhorn held a Century Life-boat

Day.FIFESHIRE.

A Centenary Meeting was held inAnstruther, at which Sir Ralph Ans-truther, Bt., the Lord Lieutenant of thecounty, an & Honorary President of theBranch, presided, and representativeswere present from the towns and villagesof Fifeshire.

A Century Life-boat Day was also held.Dunfermline held a Century Life-boat

Day, a Dance and a Whist Drive.Buckhaven held a Concert.Kirkcaldy held a Century Life-boat

Day.FORFARSHIRE.

Montrose.Montrose held a Life-boat Week in

August. The celebrations included alaunch of one of the Life-boats; aConcert in the Burgh Hall, which wasattended by Lord Carnegie and H.R.H.Princess Maud, Lady Carnegie, and atwhich Lord Carnegie spoke on behalf ofthe Life-boat Service; a Fancy DressCarnival, in which the two MontroseLife-boats, the Town Band, and theMontrose Pipe Band took part; aTennis Tournament; a Putting Com-petition, and a display of a Life-boatFilm.

Other Celebrations.Arbroath held a Thanksgiving Service

and a Century Life-boat Day.At Dundee a Centenary Appeal was

issued by the Lord Provost, and aCentury Life-boat Day was held. •

HADDINGTONSHERE.Dunbar and Skateraw and North

Berwick both held Century Life-boatDays with launches of the Life-boats.

INVERNESS-SHIRE.Inverness held a Century Life-boat

Day.KINCARDINESHIRE.

Stonehaven held a Century Life-boatDay, which raised a record sum.

KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.In Kirkcudbright and Balcary Life-

boat Films were shown and specialcollections made in the Picture Houses.

LANARKSHIRE.Glasgow.

In Glasgow a Thanksgiving Servicewas held in the Cathedral, an appeal wasissued by the Lord Provost, and theBritish Broadcasting Company had aspecial Nautical Programme on 4thMarch, in celebration of the Institution'shundredth birthday, in the course ofwhich the late Sir William Martin madean appeal.

Other Celebrations.Airdrie held a Century Life-boat Day

and a special collection at a FootballMatch.

Coatbridge, Motherwell, Rutherglenand Wishaw held Century Life-boatDays.

LINLITHGOWSHIRE.Bathgate held a Century Life-boat

Day, the first Day held here for manyyears.

NAIRNSHIRE.Nairn held a Century Life-boat Day.

ORKNEY ISLANDS.Longhope held a Century Life-boat

Day.PEEBLES-SHIRE.

Century Life-boat Days were heldthroughout the county.

PERTHSHIRE.Perth and District.

A Centenary Meeting was held in May,at which, the Rev. P. R. Landrethpresided, and an address was deliveredon the Life-boat Service by the Mar-quess of Graham, C.B., C.V.O., NavalA.D.C. to the King and a Vice-President of the Institution. BailieHunter, who moved the adoption of thereport, in the absence of the LordProvost, said that the Branch wasappealing, and appealing with success,in every corner of the county, and theywere very proud that although aninland county, Perthshire was fourth inthe list of Scottish towns and countiesin supporting the Life-boat cause. TheMarquess of Graham, in the course of hisaddress, said that if Perthshire, with its


population of 125,000, would subscribeonly one shilling a head each year forthree years the county could presentto the Institution a modern Motor Life-boat, to be stationed on the coast ofScotland, and to be called The County ofPerth.

A Special Appeal was issued, signed bythe Earl of Moray, and Century Life-boat Day was held in Perth and inthirty-six towns and villages throughoutthe county.

RENFREWSHIRE.Paisley held a Thanksgiving Service

in the Abbey, and raised during the yeara considerably larger sum than lastyear.

Barrhead, Gourock, Greenock andPort Glasgow, and Johnstone heldCentury Life-boat Days, the BarrheadDay being a record.

ROXBURGHSHIRE.A Century Life-boat Day was held at

Melrose, the first Life-boat appeal madethere for many years.

Kelso held a Century Life-boat Day,the first Day ever held there.

SELKIRKSHIRE.Selkirk held a Centenary Life-boat

Day, the first Day ever held there.

STIRLINGSHIRE.At Falkirk a Thanksgiving Service was

held in the Parish Church, at which Mr.James Kidd, M.P. for Linlithgowshire,delivered an address. A Century Life-boat Day was also held.

Grangemouth, Stirling and Larbertheld Century Life-boat Days.

WIGTOWNSHIRE.Stranraer held a Century Life-boat Day,

and Portpatrick made a special effort.

The Centenary: In IrelandDublin.

Centenary Meeting.THE Centenary Meeting was held on24th March. The Eight Hon. AndrewJameson, P.C., D.L., the Chairman ofthe Branch, presided, and, in the courseof his speech moving the adoption of thereport for the previous year, he said :

" This is the Institution's Centenaryshould do hisyear, and everybody should do

utmost to get all possible support. Onthe other side of the Channel a greatereffort will surely be made, and it is in-cumbent on-us in Ireland to show thatwe'-1" appreciate the work which theInstitution has done in the last hundredyears.

"The Institution spends annuallyabout £250,000, raised entirely byvoluntary subscriptions. On the IrishCoast, during the last twenty-five years,£187,331 have been spent, an averageof £7,500 a year. We have a chance thisyear to increase the Institution's incomein Ireland, and, so far as the Committeeare concerned, everything possible willbe done to that end."

Sir Maurice Dochrell seconded thereport, and the Rev. J. Penhaus Osborne,D.D., in supporting it, said that if therewas anything which should appeal to the

Christian people of Ireland it was theheroic story of the Life-boat Service.The resolution, expressing gratitude forthe work of the Life-boat Service, andpledging support for the future, was thenpassed, and it was decided that a specialCentenary Appeal should be made inDublin.

In a leading article next day the IrishTimes said : "At present twenty-fiveLife-boats are stationed around thecoasts of this island, and two others areunder construction. It is a nationalneed of first importance that their effi-ciency shall not be impaired throughlack of funds. The Dublin Branch hasrecorded its hearty appreciation of thegallantry of the Coxswains and"" Crews,and has paid a tribute of respect andadmiration to those who have sacrificedtheir lives in attempting to serve others.It pledges itself to advocate the Insti-tute's claims unceasingly, and the coun-try must not fail to give it the help andencouragement which its -work deserves."

Thanksgiving Services.Following on the decision at the Cen-

tenary Meeting to make a special Cen-tenary Appeal, deputations from theCommittee called on the heads of thedifferent Churches, asking for their


support in organizing ThanksgivingServices. As a result of this, Thanks-giving Services were held, and appealswere made, in between thirty and fortychurches of the different denominationsin the dioceses of Dublin, Glendalough,and Kildare.

Century Life-boat Day.Century Life-boat Day was held in

Dublin on 25th and 26th June. For thegreater part of the week a Life-boat wasstationed on College Green, and on eachof the two days the Kingstown MotorLife-boat, decorated with flags andmanned by Sea Scouts and members ofthe Boys' Brigade, with their buglers,came up the Liffey.

Other Appeals.The Chairman of the Branch made an

appeal in the Press to the merchantsand traders of the city, and an appealby letter was made to professional andbusiness men and to the chief works,factories, hotels and restaurants. TheLadies' Life-boat Guild carried out asuccessful house-to-house collection inseveral of the suburban districts.

Belfast.Centenary Meeting.

AT the Centenary Meeting in Belfast on3rd April, held in the Banqueting Cham-ber of the City Hall, the people and theGovernment of Northern Ireland werefully represented. The Lord Mayor ofBelfast (Sir William G. Turner, J.P.),who is President of the Belfast LoughBranch, was in the chair. The Institu-tion was represented by Captain theViscount Curzon, R.N.V.R., M.P., amember of the Committee of Manage-ment, and among those who supportedthe Lord Mayor were : The Governorof Northern Ireland (the Duke of Aber-corn, K.P.), the High Sheriff of Belfast(Councillor M'Laurin, J.P.), the Modera-tor of the General Assembly (Eight. Rev.Dr. George Thompson), the Most Hon.the Marquess of Londonderry, K.G.,H.M.L. (Minister of Education), theMost Hon. the Marquess of Duflerin andAva, D.S.O. (Vice-Admiral of Ulster),the Lord Bishop of Down (Right Rev.Dr. Grierson), the President of the Metho-

dist Conference (Rev. J. W. Parkhill),the Speaker, House of Commons, Nor-thern Ireland (Right Hon. R. W. HughO'Neill, D.L., M.P., LL.D.), the Ministerof Finance (Right Hon. H. M. Pollock,M.P., D.L.), the Minister of Home Affairs(Right Hon. Sir Dawson Bates, M.P.),the Minister of Labour (Right Hon. J. M.Andrews, M.P., D.L.), the Minister ofAgriculture (Right Hon. B. M. Arch-dale, D.L.), the Chairman of the Har-bour Commissioners (Mr. W. B. Wil-liames, D.L.), the Mayor of Deny (Alder-man Maxwell Scott Moore), Sir WilliamCoates, Bt., D.L. (President Chamber ofCommerce), the City Chamberlain (SirFrederick Moneypenny, C.V.O., C.B.E.),the Vice-Chancellor of Queen's Univer-sity (Mr. R. W. Livingstone, M.A.), theHigh. Sheriff of County Down (Mr. Wil-liam S. Kingan), and Mr. Charles Payne,C.B.E., D.L. (Messrs. Harland & Wolff).

There were also present many mem-bers of the North of Ireland Parliament,representatives of the professions and

! commerce, of the Red Cross, and of theBritish and Foreign Sailors' Society.

A message of congratulation was sentby the meeting to the Prince of Wales,

(as President of the Institution, and a| reply was received.I After reviewing the development ofj the Life-boat Service during a hundred; years, the Lord Mayor said : " Belfastis a maritime town, with a great shippingindustry, and as the chief port in Ireland

I it holds front rank among the ports of(the United Kingdom. It is incumbentI upon us to come out strong on the occa-sion of the Institution's Centenary. I

j propose to open a subscription list to-) day, and I shall be grateful for contri-jbutions from any of those present. Ihope that the resolutions to be adoptedwill be the means of attracting the sup-port and assistance which the Institutionso worthily merits."

The Governor said that he wished toassociate himself with everything thatthe Lord Mayor had said, and expressedthe hope that Belfast would do its bestin support of so admirable an Insti-tution.

The Governor then presented toAndrew Young, Acting Coxswain of theCloughey Life-boat, the Thanks of theInstitution inscribed on Vellum for his


services last January to the Helgoland,of Plymouth. Andrew Young hadalso been awarded the Bronze Medal,and this had been presented to him bythe Prince of Wales at the CentenaryMeeting in London, on 4th March.

Lord Curzon then delivered an ad-dress on the work of the Institution, and,on behalf of the Committee of Manage-ment, offered the Institution's thanks tothe Lord Mayor and Sir Frederick Money-penny, and the Belfast Lough Branchand its Ladies' Life-boat Guild, for all

on the Life-boat service. The NorthernWhig said:

" It is to be hoped that the day is fardistant when that familiar statement—so laconic, yet having such potent appealto the sympathies of British-born menand women—' supported entirely byvoluntary contributions,' will disappearfrom the reports and other documentsissued by the Institution. If it wereeliminated one would feel that the chiefglory of the world's premier Life-boatService had departed."

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Photoaraphby] [Topical Prets Agcnc*.

THE BELFAST CENTENARY MEETING.Front row, left to right:—The Marquess of Londonderry, K.G., Captain the Viscount .Curzon, R.N.V.R., M.P.,the Lord Mayor (Sir William Turner) the Governor (the Duke of Abercprn) Councillor H . M Launn (HighSheriff), the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava. the Right Hon. Hugh O'Neill (Speaker). Back row, Mr. W. E.Williams, D.L., Sir Frederick Moneypenny, C.V.O., Sir Crawford M Cullagh, the Rt. Hon. E. M. Archdale.(Minister of Agriculture), the Rijht Hon Thomas Moles, M.P., Mr. H. L. Garrett, Mr. H. G. Solomon,F.C.I.S. (Organizing Secretary), Sir William Coates, Bart.. D.L.. Colonel J. K. M Clmtock. Commander Oscar

Henderson, D.S.O., R.N.

that they had done for the Life-boatService. In his address he spoke inparticular of the value of the voluntaryprinciple, which was the basis of thewhole work of the Service.

The resolution, expressing gratitude.for the work of the Life-boats andpledging support for the future, wasmoved by Lord Londonderry, secondedby the Right Hon. E. M. Archdale, D.L.,M.P., and carried with enthusiasm.

In the evening the Lord Mayor gavea concert in the Ulster Hall. Next dayboth the Northern Whig and the BelfastNews-Letter published leading articles

The Belfast News-Letter said :" The peculiar glory of the Service is

that it is voluntary, and therein lies notonly the secret of the splendid efficiencyof the rescue work, but the high interestand the long-continued support whichthe people as a whole have given theorganization. Take away the volun-tarism of the Service, and it at oncedrops to a lower plane; it no longerinspires, it becomes a mere machine ;and, while there may remain the courageand endurance required for rescue, thespirit that urges and sustains in thedirest straits is not there."


Centenary Lifeboat Day andCarnival.

Century Life-boat Day was held on3rd and 4th May. On the first day theLady Mayoress had a stall for the saleof Life-boat souvenirs outside the CityHall, and in the evening there was aFancy Dress Parade through the streets,organized by the Turf Guardian Asso-ciation, and watched by thousands ofpeople. On the second day there were400 collectors in the streets ; a proces-sion in which one of the Institution'sreserve Life-boats took part, and a Car-nival at Alexandra Park. As a result ofthese celebrations, Belfast has raised arecord sum this year.

Other Celebrations inIreland.

Larne (co. Antrim) held a CentenaryMeeting and a Century Life-boat Day.

Kingstown (co. Dublin) held a Thanks-giving Service and a Century Life-boatDay.

Portrush (co. Antrim) held a Cen-tenary Meeting.

Century Life-boat Days were held atSkerries (co. Dublin), Ballycotton andYoughal, in co. Cork, Donaghadee andNewcastle, in co. Down, and Bray andGreystones (co. Wicklow).

NOTE.—While every effort has beenmade to include in the account of theCentenary Celebrations all that theBranches have done, there may well beomissions among the so many hundredsof functions which were held. TheSecretary will be very glad to be in-formed of any functions to which noreference is made, and they will bementioned in the next issue. A numberhave also been arranged to take placeduring the winter. These also will bedealt with in the next issue.

Obituary.Mr. Rowland Berkeley, Deputy Secretary of the Institution, Sir William Martin, J.P.,

F.S.A. (Scot.), late Organizing Secretary for Scotland, and Commander M. A. Regan,O.B.E., Honorary Secretary of the Hull Branch.

Mr. Rowland Berkeley.WE deeply regret to announce the

the Parliamentary Bar.War he was Honorary

sudden death on 14th October, after anoperation, of Mr. Rowland Berkeley,who was appointed Deputy Secretaryof the Institution at the beginning of1923. Mr. Berkeley, who was 57 yearsof age, was a barrister-at-law, wascalled to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in1892, and before the War practised at

During theSecretary of

Princess Mary's Fund, and a leadingmember of the Central Prisoners of WarCommittee which carried on the des-patch three times a fortnight, of food-parcels to all British prisoners of war.Later in the War he joined the firm ofMessrs. Morgan, Grenfell & Co., in theirwork of obtaining supplies from theUnited States, and after the Armisticewas appointed Director of Imports atthe Food Ministry, but almost imme-diately his health broke down, and hewas compelled to give up this work.Mr. Berkeley was the Hon. Treasurer ofQueen Mary's Maternity Home atHampstead, and Chairman of the House

Committee of the Garrick Club, of whichhe was a prominent member.

At the memorial service which washeld at St. Martin's-in-the-Field, theQueen was represented by her Treasurer,Sir Edward Wallington, and the Insti-tution by Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.(Chairman of the Committee of Manage-ment), the Hon. George Colville (DeputyChairman), several members of theCommittee, and Mr. George F. Shee,M.A. (Secretary). Among others whowere present were Mr. Berkeley's cousin,the Earl of Berkeley, and Lord Buck-master, Sir Squire Bancroft, Sir Geralddu Maurier, Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins,Sir ArthurAinley, allClub.

Pinero andrepresenting

Mr. Henrythe Garrick

Sir Will'""' Martin.The Committee of Management, the

Staff of the Institution and the manyfriends of the Life-boat Service in Scot-land, learnt with very deep regret of thedeath of Sir William Martin, on Septem-ber 12th, at the age of sixty-eight. Itwas only last year that he retired fromhis position as the Institution's Organiz.


ing Secretary in Scotland, and so broughtto an end a work of thirty years for theLife-boat Service. It began in 1893,when he carried out, with great success,the first Life-boat demonstration inGlasgow, for the Life-boat SaturdayFund. The procession which passedthrough Glasgow that day, and whichincluded two Life-boats, was nearly twomiles long, and the demonstration raiseda sum of nearly £3,700. Out of thissum was built the Steam Life-boat, Cityof Glasgow, which was launched in thefollowing year. Mr. William Martinthen became secretary of the GlasgowBranch of the Institution and of theGlasgow Life-boat Saturday Fund, andthen of the Life-boat Saturday Fund forthe whole of Scotland. At the end of1910 the Institution decided to takeover the whole of the work of organiza-tion and publicity in connexion withthe raising of funds. The Life-boatSaturday Fund, which had largelycarried out that work since 1891, wastherefore absorbed, and Mr. Martinwas appointed its Organizing Secretaryfor Scotland. In that year the ScottishBranches numbered 56, and when SirWilliam Martin retired last year theyhad increased to nearly eighty,gether, in his thirty years of

Alto-work

he was responsible for helping to raiseabout £150,000 in Scotland for the Life-boat Service.

Sir William Martin was an admirablespeaker and lecturer, clear, forcible,humorous, and it was largely by speak-ing and lecturing that he extended theappeals of the Institution in Scotland.After his retirement he spoke occasion-ally for the Institution, and one of hislast, if not his last lecture on the Life-boat Service was to an audience of400 boys and girls at the Perth Academy,in the summer of last year.

Although his chief work, and thework by which he was widely known inScotland, was for the Life-boat Service,he took an active part in politics, in themunicipal life of Glasgow, and in socialand philanthropic work; for six yearshe was a member of the Corporation ofGlasgow; and at the General Electionin 1918, was adopted as Liberal candidatefor Iiinlithgowshire, but later withdrewhis candidature. He was a Fellow of theScottish Society of Antiquaries, and at

one time Chairman of the Scottish Societyof Literature and Art; and it was in 1919,in recognition of his many public servicesin Glasgow, that he was knighted. Athis funeral, the Institution was repre-sented by Mr. P. W. Gidney (AssistantSecretary) and Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.,Chairman of the Committee of Manage-ment, by Commander Drury, O.B.E.,B.N.R., the Inspector of Life-boats forScotland, while the Glasgow Branch wasrepresented by Lord Maclay, its chair-man, and Mr. Leonard Gow, J.P., itshonorary secretary and treasurer.

Comnjander M. A. Regan, O.B.E., J.P.By the sudden death at the age of

sixty-three, of Commander M. A. Regan,O.B.E., J.P., the Honorary Secretaryof the Branch at Hull, the Institutionhas lost one of its most indefatigablehonorary workers. He became theHonorary Secretary at Hull, in May,1922, and his energy and influence re-sulted at once in an increase in Hull'ssupport of the Life-boat Service. In1922 its contribution was £651, in 1923it was £801, and in 1924 it had risen to£820. He was the sole partner in theshipbroking firm of Messrs. W. R.Johnson & Sons, to which he had comeas manager thirty-five years ago, and hewas also a director of Messrs. Mathwin &Son, Ltd., the coal exporting firm, andagents for the Admiralty in the Humberdistrict. It was to increase the contri-butions from shipping that CommanderRegan specially devoted himself, andwith great success, appealing to the\!jshipping firms to contribute 5s. a ship.By this appeal he raised £136 in 1923and £123 in 1924.

He served his country with distinctionduring the War, being appointed NavalTransport Officer for the Humber Dis-trict, in August, 1917, with the rank ofCommander in the R.N.V.R. As suchhe was responsible for the coaling of allships connected with the Admiraltywhich put into Hull (it amounted to oversix miDion tons of coal), for the salvageoperations on twenty steamers, therepatriation of prisoners of war andcivilians (they numbered about 100,000),and the multitudinous affairs of a greatport in war-time. For these serviceshe would accept no payment, being, infact, the only unpaid Naval Transport

NOVEMBER, 1924.1 THE LIFEBOAT. 247

Officer in the Service, but he receivedthe O.B.E.

He was a member of the HumberConservancy Board, and the chairmanof the Vincent Boys' Home. A devoutCatholic, he was for many years Masterof Ceremonies at St. Charles Church,and always ready to help any charitable

movement. In his case, as in so manyothers, it was a man of wide interestsand many claims on his energy, whofound time also to devote himself to theLife-boat Service, and the Institutioncan ill spare so generous and successfula worker.

Awards to Coxswains and Life-boatmen.To THOMAS HENRY OWEN, on his retirement,

after serving 15J years as Bowman, 4J yearsas Second Coxswain, and 13J$ years as Cox-swain of the Rhosneigir Life-boat, a Certifi-cate of Service and a Pension.

To THOMAS ROBERTS, on his retirement, afterserving 4J years as Bowman and 13JJ yearsas Second Coxswain of the Rhosneigir Life-boat, a Pension.

To JOHN JONES, on his retirement, afterserving nearly 14 years as Bowman of theRhosneigir Life-boat, a Pension.

To OWEN GRIFFITH OWEN, on his retirement,after serving nearly 20 years as Signalman atthe Rhosneigir Life-boat Station, a Pension.

To WILLIAM PURVIS, on his retirement, afterserving 11 years as Bowman and 4 yearsas Second Coxswain of the Hornsea Life-boat, a Pension.

To JOHN SUTHERLAND, on his retirement, afterserving 37 years as Signalman at the HunaLife-boat Station, a Pension.

To JAMES McBuRNiE, on his retirement, afterserving 12 years as Second Coxswain of thePa'dstow No. 1 Life-boat, a Pension.

To JOHN DOWNING, on his retirement, afterserving 19 years as Second Coxswain of theAldeburgh No. 2 Life-boat, a Pension.

To JOHN BUSHELL, on his retirement, afterserving nearly 2 years as Second Coxswain,

• and 23J years as Coxswain of the Blyth Life-boat, a Special Gratuity.

To JOSEPH PRICE, on his retirement, afterserving 27J yea.rs as Signalman at the Fleet-wood Life-boat Station, a Pension.

To PETER GUNN, on his retirement, afterserving 13 years as Signalman at theGourdon Life-boat Station, a Pension.

To CHARLES H. COLE, on his retirement, afterserving 18£ years as Second Coxswain and5| years as Coxswain of the Hayling IslandLife-boat, a Life-boatman's Certificate anda Pension.

To ERNEST COLE, on his retirement, afterserving 18J years as Bowman and 5J yearsas Second Coxswain of the Hayling IslandLife-boat, a Life-boatman's Certificate anda Pension.Life-boatmen's Certificates of Service have

been awarded to the following men who haveretired, the figure after their names being theiryears of service :—ANDREW OWEN (23), Cemaes Life-boat.GEORGE JONES (over 20), Hayling Island Life-

boat.GEORGE COLLING (60), a Launcher at Filey.JOHN NEWBERY (36), THOMAS WILLIAM

HOOKLY (32), JAMES NEWBERY (35), FRANKCOOKE (30), GEORGE HARRIS (19)—all of theBrooke, Isle of Wight, Life-boat.

JAMES JAMIESON (19), JOHN BORTHWICK (19),ALEXANDER BURGON (19), DAVID BORTH-WICK (19), PETER DIXON (19), HENRYMANUEL (17), ALEX. BTTRGON, jun. (17),WM. JAMIESON (17), JAS. JAMIESON, jun.(17), JAMES BURGON (19), DAVID BORTH-WICK, jun. (17), PRIDEAUX EMERY (8),JOHN PATTERSON, sen. (8), ROBERT LAID-LAW (8), ROBERT TAIT (19), JOHN BURGON(17), JOHN CROMBIE (17)—all of the Berwick-ou-Tweed Life-boat.

Awards to Honorary Workers.To Mr. H. S. COLE, upon his retirement after

10J years' tervice as Honorary Secretary ofthe Rhosneigir Branch, the Thanks of theInstitution inscribed on Vellum.

To Mr. B. H. JONES, upon his retirement after18 years' service as Honorary Secretary ofthe Llanddulas Branch, the Thanks of theInstitution inscribed on Vellum.

To Dr. W. ROY JACKSON, upon his retirementafter 13 years' service as Honorary Secretaryof the Port Isaac Branch, the Thanks of theInstitution inscribed on Vellum.

Gold Pendants or Brooches and Records ofThanks have been awarded to the following, inrecognition of their valuable co-operation :—LADY MARTIN, of Glasgow ; Mrs. HEAZELL, of

Nottingham; Major A. W. WHEWELL, ofDublin; Mr. A. E. SHAKESBY, of London.

The following awards were made for valuableco-operation in connexion with the ManchesterCentenary Bazaar :—To Sir WM. MILLIGAN—a Gold Pendant and

Record of Thanks.


To LADY MILUQAN—a Gold Brooch andRecord of Thanks.

To Mrs. H. J. WILSON—a Gold Brooch andRecord of Thanks.

To Mrs. AI/BEBT BBTHBLL—an AneroidBarometer.

To Mrs. E. PASSES—aa Aneroid Barometer,

To Mrs. Lisa—a Framed Photograph.

To Mrs. BKONMBF—a Framed Photograph.

To Mrs. I/Torus—-a Framed Photograph.Framed photographs of the Life-boat going

out to a vessel in distress have been presentedto the following in recognition of their valuableco-operation:—Mrs. HABT, of Hornsea; Mrs. WALLGATE, of

Hornsea; Mrs. THOMSON, of New Brighton;Mrs. JACKSON, of Port Isaac; Miss GBEEN-HAM, of New Brighton; Mr. H. FOSTER, ofFiley ; Mr. J. THOMAS, of Penlee; Mr. C. E.FIELDING, of Manchester.

A Charity Competition.A CHAKITY competition, in which theCommittee of Management have givenpermission for the Institution's name tobe included, is to be started at thebeginning of next year by the Nestleand Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co.Competitors will be asked to select, outof sixteen of the Nestle advertisements,the ten which they like best, and toarrange them in their order of merit.At the same time they will be asked toselect, from a list of ten, their favouritecharity.

Over 1,500 money prizes, to the totalamount of £8,000, are to be awarded,the first prize being £2,000, and thesecond £1,000. The prizes will be givenby the votes of the competitors them-selves, and the judges will be the BritishCharities Association. *

For every entry sent in Messrs. Nestlepropose to set aside one penny, whichwill be given to the voluntary hospitals,and another penny to a charity donationfund, which will be divided among theten charities on the list, according totheir place in the voting. Every charityof the ten will get something. Messrs.Nestle also guarantee that the sumwhich will go to the voluntary hospitalsshall not be less than £1,000, that the

sum which goes to the winning charityshall not be less than £1,000, and thatthe sum which goes to the tenth, shallnot be less than £62 10s., the charitiesin between receiving sums in proportion.Thus, by its inclusion in the list, theInstitution is assured of a donation ofat least £62 10s, and we shall be greatlysurprised if this minimum is not greatlyexceeded.

Messrs. Nestle are issuing with eachof their tins a coupon, and twelve ofthese coupons, if sent with a stampedaddressed envelope, to Nestle's Com-petition, London, B.C. 3, can be ex-changed for an entrance ticket contain-ing full particulars, reproductions of theposters, and the list of charities. Thereis no limit to the number of tickets forwhich one may apply, and the competi-tion will be open during the whole of 1925.

Full particulars of this competitionwill be published in the Press at thebeginning of 1925, but we ate calling theattention of Life-boat workers to it now,in order that they may know that theinclusion of the Institution's name in itis authorized, and that by taking partand voting for the Institution they mayhelp to increase the sum which we shallreceive for the Life-boat Service.

Lifeboat Essay Competition: A Correction.IN the article on the Centenary Life- correct. The St. Paul's School, Netleyboat Essay Competition in the last issue,it was stated that none of the schoolswhich had won the Challenge Shieldshad held them before. This was in-

Bridge, Bolton, which won the NorthernDistrict Shield, held it in 1918, the firstyear of the competition.

The, Summary of the Meetings of the Committee of Management are held overuntil the next issue, which will appear in February, 1925.

the lifeboat. - microsoft...the titl "britain'e life-boats,s by "major a. j dawson. ,...

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