The Lifeboat
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THE LIFEBOAT. The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution. VOL. XXVII.—No. 298.] JUNE, 1929. [PRICE 6d. Annual Meeting THE Hundred and Fifth Annual General boat Guild), representatives of the Ship- Meeting of the Governors of the Institu- wrecked Fishermen and Mariners' tion was held at Caxton Hall, West- Society, the National Sailors' and Fire- minster, on Wednesday, 17th April, at men's Union, the British Sailors' Society, 3 p.m. the Marine Engineers' Association, the Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman of Mercantile Marine Service Association the Committee of Management, presided, and an Officer and party of twenty boys supported by the Mayor of Westminster, from the training ship Arethusa. Vice-Presidents (including Miss Alice There were also present holders of the Marshall) and members of the Committee Institution's Gold Badge, representatives of Management and the Lady Florence of Branches and the Ladies' Life-boat Pery, Hon. Secretary of the Ladies' Guild, members of the Central London Life-boat Guild. Women's Committee of the Guild. The speakers were the Most Hon. the The following is a report of the Marquess of Beading, P.C., G.C.B., meeting:— G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., the Right Hon. the Lord Southborough, P.C., Sir Godfrey Baring. G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., K.C.S.I. The CHAIRMAN : My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, my first duty is, on behalf of the (Chairman of the Civil Service Life-boat Committee of Management, to present the Fund), Captain the Earl Howe, C.B.E., Annual Report, a copy of which has been V.D., A.D.C., R.N.V.R. (a member of placed on each chair in the hall. It has no the Committee of Management), Major- doubt been mastered by all the Governors, and we trust it will have your approbation. General the Right Hon. J. E. B. Seely, Before inviting any remarks on the Annual P.C., C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., the Hon. Report, I should like just to make one an- George Colville (Deputy Chairman of the nouncement. It will be within the recollection Committee of Management), Vice-Ad- of the Governors that at the last Annual Meeting, at which the Prince of Wales, our miral W. W. Fisher (Deputy Chief of the President, presided, His Royal Highness made Naval Staff), Mr. Harry Hargood, a strong appeal to the Shipping Companies of O.B.E. (a Vice-President of the Institu- this country to assist the great work of the tion), and Mr. C. G. Ammon,, J.P., M.P. Institution by presenting it with boats. The Committee of Management are glad and grate- (a member of the Committee of Manage- ful to report that that appeal has, as one might ment). expect, met with the most generous response. Among those who accepted the invita- Already four of the great Shipping Companies tion of the Committee of Management have presented the Institution with boats. (Applause.) The Peninsular and Oriental to be present were His Excellency the group are presenting a new Motor Life-boat for Belgian Ambassador, the First Secretary Padstow to be called Piincess Mary; the of the German Embassy, the Consuls- White Star Line are presenting a new Motor General of Italy, the Netherlands, Life-boat for Fishguard to be called White Star ; the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company and Latvia, Finland, Esthonia, Lithuania, the Union Castle Mail Steamship Company are Siam and Yugoslavia ; the Mayor and jointly presenting a new Motor Life-boat for Mayoress of Westminster, the Mayor and Weymouth to be called Lady Kylsant; and now Mayoress of Chelsea, the Mayor of we have just had an intimation from the great Cunard Line that they intend to present a Holborn, the Viscountess Bertie of Motor Life-boat to be named Cunard. They Thame (Chairman of the Central London have expressed a wish that this boat should be Women's Committee of the Ladies' Life- stationed at Plymouth. As, however, a Motor 242 THE LIFEBOAT. [JUNE, 1929. Life-boat of the largest type was stationed Mr. K. Lee Guinness. there three years ago, another station will be Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey. chosen. I should like on behalf of the Com- The Hon. Esmond C. Harmsworth, M.P. mittee of Management to express our grateful Commodore Sir Bertram F. Hayes, R.N.R. appreciation of the generosity of these Shipping retired). Companies, and my respectful hope that other Captain G. C. Holloway, R.N.R. shipping companies may go and do likewise. Sir Frederick Thomas Hopkinson. (Applause.) Captain the Earl Howe, R.N.V.R. I now come back to the business of sub- Admiral Sir Thomas H. M. Jerram. mitting the Annual Report to this meeting. Mr. J. F. Lamb. I shall be glad to reply to any question Colonel Sir A. Henry McMahon. which may be addressed to us. Would any Commander Sir Harry Mainwaring, Bt., lady or gentleman like to ask a question, or R.N.V.R. make any remarks on the Report ? If not, Mr. Algernon Maudslay. we can go on to the election of Officers. Sir Frank C. Meyer, Bt., M.P. On behalf of the Committee of Management General Sir Charles Monro, Bt. of the Royal National Life-boat Institution I Sir Gervais S. C. Rentoul, M.P. hereby nominate the following noblemen and The Right Hon. F. 0. Roberts, M.P. gentlemen to fill the positions of President, The Right Hon. Walter Runciman, M.P. Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and other Members Major-General the Right Hon. John E. B. of the Committee of Management, and Auditors Seely. for the ensuing year. Colonel the Master of Sempill. The Lord Southborough. I President. Commander F. F. Tower, late R.N.V.R. H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, K.G. The Viscount Tredegar. The Right Hon. Wm. Dudley Ward. Vice-Presidents. Mr. H. Tansley Witt. The Archbishop of Canterbury. The Duke of Atholl. And ex-officio. The Duke of Montrose. The Lord Mayor of London. The Duke of Portland. The Admiral Commanding Reserves. The Duke of Northumberland. The Deputy Master of the Trinity House. The Marquis of Ailsa. The Hydrographcr of the Nary. The Marquis of Aberdeen and Temair. The Chairman of Lloyd's. The Earl of Derby. The Earl of Albemarle. As no other names have been proposed The Earl of Rosebery. I declare these gentlemen duly elected. The Earl Waldegrave. The next business is the presentation of The Earl of Lonsdalc. medals for gallantry in saving, or attempting Admiral of the Fleet the Earl Jellicoe of Scapa. to save, life from shipwreck. I will ask the The Viscount Burnham. Secretary to read the accounts of services for Commodore Sir Richard Henry Williams- which medals have been given, and after these Bulkcley, Bt., R.N.R. have been read, I will ask Lord Reading to Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt. present the medals. Sir William Milligan. Sir W. E. B. Priestley. New Brighton, Cheshire. Mr. Harry Hargood. The SECRETARY : A very heavy N.N.W. Miss Alice Marshall. gale was blowing in the Mersey on 24th Mr. Noel E. Peck. November last with a very heavy sea, con- tinuous blinding rain squalls, and gusts at Treasurer. nearly 100 miles an hour. Owing to the gale The Earl of Harrowby. and shortage of fuel, the French steamer Emile Delmas anchored and signalled for help. When Other Members of the Committee of the New Brighton Motor Life-boat reached Management. her, she had the greatest difficulty in getting Mr. Charles G. Ammon, M.P. alongside, as the steamer was yawing tremen- Mr. H. Arthur Baker. dously. In the end she succeeded—thanks to Rear-Admiral T. P. H. Beamish, M.P. the splendid skill with which the Coxswain Lieut.-C'ol. J. Benskin. handled her, and the magnificent courage of Mr. Frederick Cavendish Bentinck. her Crew—in rescuing the whole crew of twenty- Major Sir Maurice Cameron. four men, but the Life-boat herself had been Captain Charles J. P. Cave. badly damaged. Then, on her way home, she Colonel Lord William Cecil. was struck by a huge sea. It flooded one of Mr. Kenneth M. Clark. the engine rooms, and swept overboard the The Hon. George Colville. chief engineer of the steamer and two of the Sir John G. Gumming. Life-boat's own Crew. The Life-boat, with Engineer Vice-Admiral Sir Robert B. Dixon. great difficulty, succeeded in picking up the Commander Herbert G. Evans, R.N.R. two Life-boatmen, but in spite of repeated Captain Guy Fanshawe, R.N., M.P. efforts, she could not save the engineer, who Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson. was swept away and drowned. The Life-boat JUNE, 1929.] THE LIFEBOAT. 243 reached her Station again nearly six hours the lead of James Sim, until they were opposite after she had put out to the rescue. the Clio, to find that the crew had got into the Particular gallantry was shown by Motor Cage of the Beacon and lashed themselves Mechanic Ralph B. Scott. He was ill, waiting there. Between the Briggs and the Beacon for a bed in the hospital, and faced with the was a deep channel, 20 feet wide. The Second- probability of a serious operation. In spite of Coxswain therefore assisted the Life-saving this he answered the call, and during the Apparatus Crew on to the Briggs, and with service was in charge of the engines. When their help a line was got over the deep channel he landed he was taken straight to hospital.