THE LIFE-BOAT The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution VOL. XXXIV JUNE, 1955 No. 372 THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET 155 Motor Life-boats 1 Harbour Pulling Life-boat LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Life-boat Service in 1824 to 31st March, 1955 ... - 79,131 Notes of the Quarter EXCEPTIONAL weather conditions in the PORTRAIT ON THE COVER early months of the year gave rise to a The portrait on the cover is of Cox- considerable number of additional calls swain William Harvey, of Newhaven. on the services of the life-boats, especi- Coxswain Harvey won the silver medal ally those stationed on the northern for the rescue of the crew of eight of coasts. These particular services were the Danish auxiliary schooner Vega in not to ships in distress, but they were in November last year, and for this service the fullest sense of the term services for he has received the Maud Smith award the rescue of lives. Heavy snow falls for the bravest act of life-saving in 1954. made roads impassable in northern It will be noticed that Coxswain Harvey Scotland and in the outer islands for is seen wearing a cap with the badge of days, and life-boats succeeded in making British Railways. When this photo- several vitally important journeys where graph, which was taken by the Sussex other forms of transport were either Daily Neuat, first appeared in London powerless or not available. evening newspapers, a considerable It is not uncommon for life-boats to number of people commented on the take sick people to hospitals or doctors fact that a life-boat coxswain was wear- to patients in emergencies, but the ing a British Railways cap. That this number of such journeys was excep- fact was so widely commented on shows, tionally high in the middle of January. the prevalence of the belief that life- The Stromness life-boat was out four boat coxswains are normally fuJJ-time times from the 14th to the 20th of employees of the Institution. Cox- January. The first time she took a swain Harvey is, in fact, a British Rail- sick woman to hospital in Scapa. The ways employee, and like the great second time she brought supplies to an majority of those who serve in life-boat area which was running dangerously crews, he follows another employment, short of food. The third time she took serving in the life-boat when the occa- another woman to hospital, and the sion demands. fourth time she took a doctor to an old lady who had pneumonia. The Thurso HOUSE-TO-HOUSE COLLECTIONS life-boat was out twice in the same The return of the flag day season has period on similar missions, and the Aith again led to questions being1 asked about life-boat was out once. the rights of branches to organise 50 THE LIFE-BOAT [JUNE, 1955 house-to-house collections, particularly actually reduced by £287 in the past in those districts, fortunately few in year. number, where the Institution has not On page 58 the Institution's balance received the normal permission to or- sheet of a hundred years ago is shown. ganise a street collection. From this it will be seen that the cost The Institution, like a number of of running the Service in those days was other national charities, holds an Order only £3,672. New life-boats were pro- of Exemption under the House-to- vided for £156 each, whereas today the House Act of 1939. This order allows cost of the largest life-boats is £36,500. branches to carry out a house-to-house collection without having to apply for a licence to do so, but it is advisable for STORIES OF THE LIFE-BOATS branches to notify the police or other New editions of Stories of the Life- appropriate authority of their intention boats have been produced for sale by to arrange such collections. In this station and financial branches. They way a clash with other collections can include new series of accounts of some often be avoided. A badge and the of the great life-boat services in the past certificate of authority must be carried eighty years. The English and Welsh by everyone taking part in a house-to- edition includes the story of the wreck house collection. of the Indian Chief as told by a Daily Telegraph reporter in 1881; the story of INCREASING COSTS the extraordinary launch which fol- The Institution's total expenditure in lowed a thirteen-mile journey of the 1954 was £784,471. This was an in- Lynmouth life-boat over Exmoor, when crease of as much as £68,230 on 1953. gateposts and walls had to be broken The principal reason for the increase down and horses and men dragged was the sum spent on the construction the life-boat up 1,400 feet; the and repair of life-boats, which in 1954 story of the first gold medal won by was more than £40,000 greater than in Henry Blogg; a number of the out- 1953. The amount paid to life-boat standing services in the last war; and crews and their relatives also increased the last dramatic rescue from H.M.S. by £7,000. In view of the general ten- Warspite after the war. The Scottish dency for costs to rise, it is therefore edition consists mainly of accounts of all the more remarkable that the cost of services by Scottish life-boats, but it administration has not only been kept also includes such stories as that of the well below 4 per cent of the cost of Lynmouth launch and the rescue from maintaining the Service, but was the Wai-spite. Rescue from a Panamanian Steamer AT 8.30 on the evening of the 21st of signal, and Mr. Moyle ordered the life- January, 1955, Mr. Jack Hicks, a boat out at once. At 9.5 the life-boat Scilly Isles pilot of St. Agnes, tele- Cunard was launched. phoned the honorary secretary of the It was a dark night, with a moderate St. Mary's, Scilly Isles, life-boat station, west-north-west wind blowing and Mr. Trevellick Moyle, to say he had dense fog. Visibility was down in heard the Round Island radio inform some places to fifty feet. There was a Land's End radio that a steamer was moderate swell. sounding her siren continuously about one mile south-west of Round Island. Detour Round Rocks Mr. Hicks presumed the steamer was It was then one hour before low ashore near Menavaur rock. water, and for this reason the life-boat Mr. Moyle telephoned the coxswain, could not pass over Tresco Flats and Matthew Lethbridge, and gave instruc- through the channel between. Tresco tions for the life-boat crew to assemble. and Bryher. Coxswain Lethbridge Mr. Hicks then telephoned again to say therefore made for the southern end of the steamer was still making- a distress Samson Island. As the chart shows, JUNE, 1955] THE LIFE-BOAT 51 5T MAEV'5 SERVICE. OF Z\* JANUARY 1955. 5. S. ''MANlDO' TIDE. SUCK ^^i **-< }v HOW THE ST. MARY'S LIFE-BOAT REACHED THE MANDO this meant a considerable detour. Off Bryher and Black Rock Coxswain Southward Well Point Coxswain Lethbridge brought the life-boat near Lethbridge decided to make for White Menavaur Rock, and about ten o'clock Island because of the broken water, he saw burning tar barrels and a red and again off White Island he made a flare' from the ship in- distress; He further detour to the west and then closed the ship, which was ashore to the north. between Menavaur 'Rock and Gold After passing to the west of Castle Ball Rock. 52 THE LIFE-BOAT [JrxE, 1955 She was the Panamanian steamer afterwards a thirty-feet gig front JMando. Two of her boats had been Bryher, manned by six oars, which lowered and were lying along her port had been launched when the siren had side abreast the bridge. The Mando's been heard, reached the scene. The bow was pointing to the south-east, life-boat took her in tow also. and her boats were made fast by long- Coxswain Lethbridgc had sent a painters. message by radio telephone asking for The falls were hanging from the a lantern to be shone on Shipman davits; other ropes and wires were Head. This was done, and when the projecting and there was a small life-boat reached Hangsman Island rock some twenty feet away. This the personal belongings of the Mando's made the life-boat's approach to the crew were transferred to the life-boat. Mando a difficult one. and there was The two ship's boats were turned over a considerable swell from the north- to the men from Bryher in the gig. west. The life-boat then made for St. Twenty-five Rescued Mary's, which was reached at 12.30 Coxswain Lethbridge brought the early on the morning of the 22nd of life-boat round the stern of the Mando, January. The return journey was and along her port side. He kept the less hazardous than the outward life-boat in position, as she rose and passage. Visibility had increased and fell on the swell, by tending her moor- the rising tide had made it possible ing ropes and working the engines. for the life-boat to use the channel He managed to do this long enough between Tresco and Bryher. for the entire crew of 25 to be embark- For this service Coxswain Matthew ed from the Mando by, a Jacob's ladder.