THE LIFEBOAT. The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution. Vol. XXVIII.—No. 310.] JUNE, 1932. [PRICE THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET Motor Life-boats, 108 :: Pulling & Sailing Life-boats, 73 LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Institution in 1824 to June 9th, 1932 - 62,913 Annual Meeting. THE Hundred and Eighth Annual Meet- countries. They were: Their Excel- ing of the Governors of the Institution lencies the French Ambassador, the was held at the Caxton Hall, West- Danish Minister and the Netherlands minster, on Friday, 22nd April, at Minister, representatives of the German 3 p.m. and Belgian Ambassadors, the Swedish Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman of Naval Attache, and a representative of the Committee of Management, pre- the Latvian Minister. sided, supported by the Mayor of West- The Mayors and Mayoresses of the minster, Vice-Presidents of the Institu- following London Boroughs accepted tion and members of the Committee of the invitation : Westminster, Fulham, Management. Finsbury, Camberwell, Hammersmith, The principal speaker was the Eight Battersea, Acton, Marylebone, Lambeth, Hon. Walter Eunciman, M.P., Presi- Paddington, Ilford, Holborn, Bromley, dent of the Board of Trade and a Vice- Poplar, Woolwich, West Ham, Wands- President of the Institution, who pre- worth and Walthamstow. sented two Medals awarded for gallantry Among others who accepted the to the Coxswains of Longhope, in the invitation were Sir Eobert Hamilton, Orkneys, and Portpatrick, Wigtown- M.P., for Orkney and Shetland, and shire, and awards made during 1931 to Lady Hamilton; Mr. J. H. McKie, a number of honorary workers. M.P. for Galloway; the Lady Diana The other speakers were Mr. A. Duff Cooper; representatives of the Board Cooper, D.S.O., M.P., Financial Secre- of Trade, King George's Fund for tary to the War Office, Sir John Collie, Sailors, the Navy League, the Mercantile C.M.G., M.D., Mr. Charles G. Ammon, Marine Service Association, the Im- Major Sir Maurice Cameron, K.C.M.G., perial Merchant Service Guild, the Eoyal Mr. Ernest Armstrong, and the Hon. Alfred Aged Merchant Seamen's Insti- George Colville, Deputy Chairman of tution and the Marine Engineers' Asso- the Committee of Management. ciation, an officer and a party of Among those who accepted the invi- twenty-five boys from the training- tation of the Committee of Management ship Stork, and a party of Sea Eangers were representatives of seven foreign from the Girl Guides Association. 470 THE LIFEBOAT. [JUNE, 1932. There were also present Honorary fore I have to report three diminutions: Life Governors of the Institution; first, in the number of lives saved ; secondly, in the cost of the Service, and, thirdly, in our holders of the Institution's Gold Badge ; revenue. ^ But there is one thing which has members of the Central London Women's not diminished, and that is the skill, courage Committee of the Ladies' Life-boat and splendid devotion of our Life-boatmen. Guild, and representatives of Branches Those, during the 108 glorious years of the Life-boat Institution's history, have never and Guilds. shown any diminution, and I believe firmly The following is a report of the that they never will. (Applause.) meeting:— I should like to tell you two cheering inci- dents which have occurred during the last Sir Godfrey Baring. few months. First, we received about three months ago a letter from a gentleman, and we The CHAIRMAN : Your Excellencies, my never had a more welcome letter. He said Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,—May I com- he had been in the habit of subscribing five mence these proceedings by performing a very shillings a year, but he was afraid that these pleasant duty, and that is to offer a most were very bad times, and that the finances of cordial welcome to the distinguished repre- the Institution would suffer. He was very sentatives of foreign countries who year by unwilling to see them suffer, and so, instead year are kind enough to come and honour our of sending tne customary five shillings, he proceedings by their presence. I should like was very glad on this occasion to send us also to welcome all our splendid workers in the £25. (Applause.) That is something like a Life-boat cause who fill this hall year by year subscriber, and I hope there are many ladies to hear what we have done during the past and gentlemen here who are going to do like- year. (Applause.) wise. (Laughter and applause.) It is now my duty to present the Report of The other cheering incident was that through the work of the Life-boat Institution during the Foreign Office we received a cheque for the year 1931. It is the Hundred and Eighth £25, the proceeds of a Life-boat Bazaar held Report, and if you look at it you will find that at Caracas. I am sure you all know where during the past year our Life-boats and our Caracas is; I do, because I have taken the Life-boatmen saved 271 lives. That is a slight precaution of looking it up. It is the capital diminution in number from the previous of Venezuela. In that capital the English year, 1930. It is interesting to note that colony organized a Life-boat Bazaar, and with during every single month of the year 1931 the aid of gome generous American citizens, some lives were saved by our Life-boats. they made £25, and they have sent that as a There is one curious feature in connexion with contribution to the Life-boat funds. (Ap- the record of life-saving, and that is that during plause.) That shows that the propaganda of the four summer months—June, July, August the Life-boat Institution is really world-wide. and September—of the so-called summer of I have now, ladies and gentlemen, the honour 1931, actually more lives were saved than to submit this Report for your acceptance, during the first four months of the year. and I shall be very glad to answer any ques- During the year sixteen Motor Life-boats tions which may be put on the Report. were added to our Fleet. That is the largest As there are no questions and no remarks to number of Motor Life-boats which have ever be made, I now have to read out the names of been completed and placed upon the coast in those gentlemen who have been nominated any one year. I am glad to say, and I am as President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurers, and sure the Governors will be glad to know, that other members of the Committee of Manage- we are approaching the end of our Motor Life- ment from the 22nd April, 1932, until the date boat construction programme. It has cost of the Annual Meeting of the Governors of us a great deal of money, because we have, as the Institution in 1933. Also Messrs. Price, you know, been anxious to place on the coasts Waterhouse & Company as Auditors for the of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales same period. They have all been nominated Motor Life-boats wherever such boats can be by myself and no one else has been nominated. usefully employed. But, ladies and gentle- men, that will not be the end of our task. Our oldest Motor Life-boats are twenty years old, COMMITTEE or MANAGEMENT. and that is almost their maximum of useful life. So that we shall soon have to start the President. rather onerous task of replacing our Motor H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, K.G. Life-boats. I am glad to say that owing to the strict Vice-Presidents. economy of my colleagues on the Committee The Archbishop of Canterbury. of Management the cost of the Life-boat The Duke of Atholl. Service shows a diminution of £10,000. The Duke of Montrose. Unfortunately, there is another diminution, The Duke of Portland. and that is in our total revenue ; but we are The Marquis of Ailsa. not discouraged by it, and we are not surprised The Marquis of Aberdeen and Temair. at it, considering the terribly difficult times of The Earl of Derby. bad trade and overwhelming taxation. There- The Rev. the Earl of Devon. JUNE, 1932.] THE LIFEBOAT. 471 The Earl of Albemarle. Presentation of Medals for Gallantry. The Earl of Lonfdale. The CHAIRMAN : I now call upon the Secre- Admiral of the Fleet the Earl Jellicoe of Scapa. tary to read the accounts of the services for The Viscount Grey of Fallodon. which Medals and other awards have been The Viscount Burnham. given, and I will then ask the Right Hon. Commodore Sir Richard Henry Williams- Walter Runciman, M.P., President of the Bulkeley, Bt., B.N.R. Board of Trade, to present them. The Lord Southborough. The Secretary then read the accounts of Major-General the Right Hon. John E. B. the services, and the Medals and other awards Seely. were presented by Mr. Runciman, as follows :— The Hon. George Colville. To COXSWAIN JOHN SWANSON, of Xong- Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt. hope, a Second-service Clasp, to the Silver Sir John G. Gumming. Medal which he already holds, for the rescue Mr. Leonard Gow. on 9th January, 1932, of eight men of the Miss Alice Marshall. trawler Dorbie of Hull. Mr. Noel E. Peck. To MR. WILLIAM SUTHERLAND, Honorary Mr. Walter Runciman, M.P. Secretary of the Longhope Station, an in- Treasurer. scribed Barometer, for his energy and initia- The Earl of Harrowby. tive in directing operations in the service to the Dorbie, from the land. Other Members of the Committee of Management.