THE ninety-first Annual General Meeting of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION was held in the Council Chamber at the Caxton Hall, Westminster, on Wednesday, April 21st, 1915, at 3.30 p.m. The Right Hon.

Walter Runciman, M.P., President of the Board of Trade, presided, and amongst those present were :—The Earl Waldegrave, P.O., Sir Godfrey Baring, j Bart., M.P., the Hon. George Colville, i Colonel the Hon. Charles E. Edgcumbe, j Sir R. U. Penrose FitzGerald, Mr. | J. B. Fortescue, Mr. Harry Hargood, Mr. H. Woodburn Kirby, Captain Sir H. Acton Blake, the Right Hon. Arnold Morley, Mr. E. F. Noel, Captain Robert Pitman, C.M.G., R.N., Sir Boverton Redwood, Bart., F.R.S., Rear-Admiral Hector B. Stewart, the Lord Inverclyde, Rear-Admiral Purey-Cust, C.B., Surg.-General A. F. Churchill, the Rev.

John Raymond, Mr. George P. Shee, M.A. (Secretary), Commander Thomas Holmes, R.N. (Chief Inspector of Lifeboats), and Mr. P. Gidney (Assistant Secretary).

The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, said: In presenting to you the Annual Report of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, it is my duty in the first place to draw attention to the lamented death of Sir John Lamb, who for over ten years gave the most devoted service to this Institution and applied tc its administration many of those gifts which entitled him to the rapid and well-deserved | rise in the Civil Service for which the Government had reason to be grateful. During the last year in which he was Deputy-Chairman of this Institution he was prevented by illness from giving much service to it, but it was constantly in his thoughts, and the Institution as a whole is deeply grateful to him for the long service which he has given so ungrudgingly to its conduct during the time that he was on the Committee of Management.

(Hear, hear.) I am here this afternoon not in my private but, if I may say so, in my official capacity as the spokesman of the Mercantile Marine.

This Report, covering as it does all the affairs of the sea around our coasts, is mainly concerned with the men of the Merchant Service, and it is those men in particular who are mainly indebted to it for the courage, endurance and bravery with which the Lifeboats are launched and the rescues are effected in time of storm and stress. The Merchant i Service has difficult duties to perform, but j none more difficult than in an era like the present, when buoys are lifted and lights are put out. Dangers seen and unseen add to the normal perils of the sea, and it is pleasant to find in the Report which is now presented of the Institution's work for the last twelve months, that it has been able to extend its services not only to the men of the Merchant Service but in a large degree to men in the Royal Navy as well.

The record in life-saving by the Life-boats exceeds anything that has been done in the past. No less than 937 lives were saved by the Life-boats and 170 by shore-boats throughout the past twelve months. In all some 1,112 persons were saved. Now, ladies and gentlemen, the value that can be attached to this amount of life-saving cannot be over-estimated. I would say nothing for the moment of the amount of pain and suffering and dismay which has been avoided by the gallant work of our Life-boatmen, but I would point out that these lives which were saved were mainly those of men in their prime, at their maximum value to the nation as a whole, and whose loss would have been a blow to our national strength. Of this number a considerable proportion were those who were engaged on what are now called War Services, but I may perhaps be pardoned for saying in this room that the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION is always on a war basis. The watchfulness of its men and the full mobilization of those who wear its uniform have gone on now for a long period of time, and the best of the qualities which we are entitled to look for amongst our people in war time are to be found year after year, winter after winter, amongst OUT Life-boatmen—qualities of discipline, courage, endurance, and a devotion to the humane which, even during the present great European War, has not ceased to be one of the best characteristics of those who take part in it.

(Applause.) On no less than sixty occasions since the War broke out have the Life-boatmen of this Institution rendered service to men who were serving under the White Ensign, and 216 lives have been saved in this connexion. Much the most striking of these rescues was the wellknown case of the Rohilla, and the report on the Rohilla rescues, to which reference will he made further in the proceedings by the Secretary, is one of the most thrilling stories of endurance, pluck, and good seamanship in the annals of the Institution itself and, indeed, of our sea-faring classes as a whole.

Up in Scotland, as well as on the Yorkshire coast, down in the English Channel, as well as on the Irish shores, our men have been rescuing those who were engaged directly in War Services. You will remember that the Grail and St. Andrews boats saved no less than sixty-seven men from a Torpedo-Boat Destroyer on the coast of Fife. In that rescue, I regret to say, the Grail Life-boat was seriously damaged, and it is to be hoped that it will be made good without delay by some generous donor. y Now, ladies and gentlemen, while 1,112 lives were saved in 1914 by the Institution's Life-boats, it was done at a cost of twelve of our best Life-boatmen. The story of the Fethard rescue is known not only in this country but in Norway, and it is one of the prides of the Institution that this work of rescue was recognized by the King and Queen of Norway, and by the Storthing of that country. Three men were lost at Peterhead, when the Peterhead Motor Life-boat was also destroyed. Since the beginning of this year one man was lost at Worthing when assistance was being given to a vessel, and one at Bridlington, when the crew of a Mine Layer were being rescued. Now this work, expensive as it has been in life, is fully recognized by the Institution, and the grants which have been made to the dependents of the Life-boatmen in these cases has cost the Institution well over £3,000—only a small recompense to the families, but the best that could be afforded, and the bouuden duty of those who control our finances. The loss in material has been serious, for no less .than three of our boats were completely wrecked during the past year, and that represents a dead loss in capital to the Institution of about £5,000.

The Committee of Management are to be congratulated on the skill with which they have conducted the finances, not only during last year but for years past, and it is a remarkable fact that if you wish to make any statistical comparison of what is done by this Institution and the money that is spent on it, you will find that £100 per life, roughly, represents the expenditure now incurred in proportion to lives saved, and I would suggest that no £100 in any charity is better spent than that for which the Committee has been responsible. (Applause.) But I must draw your attention to the fact that the finances would have looked much less favourable except for the fact that certain legacies fell to be paid during last year. Without these there would have been a deficit of nearly £28,000.

Our hardens, unfortunately, have been at their greatest at a time when the means of support have been most restricted, and during this War, when taxes must of necessity be high and incomes, in many directions, will be low, it is not without anxiety that we look forward to the means of income for the coming twelve months. There has already been a loss of income in 1914, which can be calculated at no less than £8,000, owing to the War, and an increase in expenditure, directly due to the same cause, of something like £6,000. This will have to be made up in some directions, and we shall have to appeal to the generous public, who have in the past come to the rescue, once more to give us their aid without undue economy. Moreover, four Motor Boats are now being built, and we have yet to find donors for these boats. May I respectfully suggest that during the War, when so many of us are having to mourn the loss of friends and relatives, there could be no better memorial erected to anyone who has fallen in the field than that secured by presenting and naming one of these Motor Life-boats after a friend or relative. As memorials I can imagine nothing better, and if one were able to consult those who have been lost, I believe that they themselves would regard no memorial as more in keeping with the characters which they have displayed during the War.

The approval of the work of the Institution in the most distinguished quarters is no less now than it has been in the past. Lord Waldegrave has recently received a letter from Lord Stamfordham, which I will read to the meeting.

(The CHAIRMAN here read the letters which are published on the first page of this issue.

The letters were received with cheers.) Before calling upon the Secretary to read the names of the persons proposed to fill the office of President, Vice-Presidents, etc., I should like to say that a large number of Members are prevented from being here to-day owing to their activities in connection with the War. Brigadier-General Seely, Lieut.- Commander Tower, and Lieut.-Commander Gartslde-Tipping are serving with the colours.

Colonel Elliot is actively engaged at the War Office, Sir Richard Williams-Bulkeley is Commodore of the Naval Brigade at the Crystal Palace, Mr. Cave is Lecturer on Meteorology at the Air Craft School, the Duke of Leeds is engaged in Mine Sweeping, and Lord Derby is prevented by his activities in Lancashire from being here to-day.

The SECRETARY then read the names, as follows:— President.

His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, K.G.

Vice-Presidents.

His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, G.C.V.O.

His Grace the Duke of Norfolk, K.G., G.C.V.O.

His Grace the Duke of Leeds.

His Grace the Duke of Portland, K.G., G.G.V.O.

The Most Hon. the Marquis of Ailsa.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Derby, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.V.O.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Rosebery, K.G., K.T.

The Right Hon. the Earl Waldegrave, P.O.

The Right Hon. the Earl Brassey, G.C.B.

The Right Hon. the Viscount Clifden.

Robert Birkbeck, Esq.

Eugene F. Noel, Esq.

Treasurer.

The Right HON. the Earl of Harrowby.

Committee of Management.

The President.

The Vice-Presidents.

The Treasurer.

The Right Hon. the Earl Waldegrave, P.O., V.P., Chairman.

Sir Godfrey Baring, Bart., M.P. Deputy- Chairman.

The Right Hon. Lord Airedale.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Albemarle, K.C.V.O., C.B., A.D.C.

Admiral the Right Hon. Lord Charles W.

DelaFoer Beresford, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., M.P.

Admiral Claude E. Buckle.

Charles J. P. Cave, Esq.

Kenneth M. Clark, Esq.

Harold D. Clayton, Esq.

Sir Edward Feetham Coates, Bart., M.P.

The Hon. George Colville.

Sir William Corry, Bart.

Colonel the Hon. Charles E. Edgeumbe.

Colonel William Elliot.

Henry B. Fargus, Esq.

Sir Robert Uniacke Penrose EitzGerald, Bart.

John Bevill Fortescue, Esq.

Lieut.-Commander H. T. Gartside-Tipping, R.N.

The Bight Hon. the Viscount Hambleden.

Harry Hargood, Esq.

Horace Woodburn Kirby, Esq.

The Right Hon. Arnold Morley.

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Gerard H. U. Noel, G.C.B., K.C.M.G.

Captain Robert Pitman, C.M.G., B.N.

Captain George B. Preston.

Vice-Admiral Reginald Charles Prothero, C.B., M.V.O.

Sir Boverton Bedwood, Bart., F.R.S.

Engineer Rear-Admiral Charles Budd.

Brigadier-General the Right Hon. John E.

Bernard Seely, D.S.O., M.P.

Rear-Admiral Hector B. Stewart.

The Admiral Commanding Coastguard and Beserves.

The Deputy Master of the Trinity House.

The Hydrographer of the Admiralty.

J. Herbert Thewlis, Esq.

Alfred G. Topham, Esq.

Lieut.-Commander Francis Fitzpatrick Tower, B.N.B.

Sir Philip Watts, K.C.B.,'E.B.S.

Commodore Sir Richard Henry Williams- Bulkeley, Bart., B.N.B.

Sir Allen W. Young, G.V.O., C.B.

Auditors.

Messrs. Price, Waterhouse & Co.

The CHAIRMAN declared these noblemen and gentlemen elected, and called upon the Secretary to read a brief record (see page 10) of the services for which Gold and Silver Medals had been awarded to the following:— Commander Thomas Holmes, B.N., Chief Inspector of Life-boats; Edward Wickham, ' Coxswain, Wexford; James Wicbham and William Duggan, Life-boatmen, Wexford; Walter Power, Coxswain, Dunmore East; Thomas Langlands, Coxswain, "Whitby; Richard Eglon, Second Coxswain, Whitby; George Peart, Whitby; Robert Smith, Coxswain, Tynemouth; James S. Brownlee, Second Coxswain, Tynemouth ; John T. Swan, Coxswain, Lowestoft; George J. Grigson, Coxswain, Clacton-on-Sea; Andrew Cunningham, Coxswain, Grail. The record of service was received with loud applause in each, case, and the Chairman warmly shook hands with the recipients of the Medals. In addition to the above, Captain H. E. Burton, B.E., and Commander Basil Hall, B.N., were awarded the Gold and Silver Medals respectively for conspicuous courage and fine seamanship, but these officers were prevented from attending owing to their duties in connection with the War.

The CHAIRMAN said: I have much pleasure in moving the following resolution : — That this meeting, fully recognizing the important service of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION ia. its national work of life-saving, desires to record its hearty appreciation of the gallantry of the coxswains, and crews of the Institution's Life-boats, and gratefully to acknowledge the valuable help rendered to the cause by the Local Committees, Honorary Secretaries, Honorary Treasurers and Ladies' Auxiliaries.

In the first place let me say that we cannot too gratefully express our feelings of admiration for the work which is done by the coxswains and crews of the Life-boats around our coasts. We have had here to-day some of the best of them, but I am sure that they would not think I am depreciating from their gallantry if I say that they are only a sample of hundreds to be found around the British Isles. (Applause.) I was proud to find that the North Country is well represented in this small gathering here to-day, and that Tyneside and the North-East have kept up their record, now extending for a long period oi time, during which they have braved some of the worst seas on the worst coast to be found anywhere around the United Kingdom. The work which was done in the Rohilla case is characteristic of what we may expect of our men, and I am sure that none of them -would thank us if we were to say that they considered such work "all in the day's work." They, indeed, do regard such services as they have rendered as unusual, and they will be glad to be relieved from the necessity of repeating them. But if that necessity arose there is not the least doubt about it that the coxswains and crews are just as ready to undertake dangers and to add to the achieve- ments of the past now as ever they were.

(Cheers.) The work of this Institution, however, would have been impossible had it not been for the excellent organization which has brought such large numbers of local committees iuto being. There is scarcely an important centre of the population now that is not organized so that it may know something of the work of the Institution, and the local Secretaries, Treasurers and Ladies' Committees in particular are to be thanked heartily for the collections which they have made 'year after year, and which have thus made this work possible without any State aid whatever. We should certainly be failing in our duty to them if we did not this afternoon say how thankful we are for the support which they have given. (Applause.) Lord IsTERdtvDE, in seconding the resolution, said: I am here this afternoon as a shipowner to support the resolution which has been moved from the chair, and as far as I am entitled to speak for the Mercantile Marine I desire to express our very high appreciation of the gallant conduct of the crews of the Life-boats around our coasts.

Unfortunately mishaps will occur at times, and it is splendid for us of the Mercantile Marine to know that there is such a service ready to come to our aid when required. Of course in peace time the Life-boat Service is instituted more for the benefit of the Mercantile Marine than for His Majesty's Navy, but we are glad to hear of the good work which the Institution is doing in assisting those who are prosecuting the War, and helping to guard our coasts in various ways. I am very glad to notice from the Annual Report that more Motor Life-boats are being introduced.

This is bound to add to the efficiency of the service. I rather gather that I was asked to second this resolution to-day because my native city of Glasgow does exceptionally well in supporting this Institution. (Hear, hear.) I only hope that all great seaports, which do not do so already, will in future do their share in supporting this great work.

I would suggest to some of my fellow-shipowners that a very good way of supporting the Institution is to subscribe a guinea per ship. (Applause.) The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution to the meeting, and it was carried with acclamation.

Sir GODFREY BARING, Bart, M.P., said: I have the honour, on behalf of the Committee of Management, to move the following resolution : That subscribers of £5 5s. or upwards a year to the funds of the Institution shall be Honorary Vioe-Presidents, and donors of £26 5s. or upwards to the funds of the Institution shall be Honorary Vice-Presidents for life, but shall not, in either case, thereby become Members of the Committee of Management.

I am not a great admirer of the phraseology of the resolution, but when I tell the Governors that the terms were settled under the advice of counsel they will sympathize with the difficulties of the Committee in the matter. (Laughter.) It has been long considered that some special recognition should be given to those generous ladies and gentle, men who are kind enough to give large annual subscriptions or large donations to the funds of the Institution. Under our present administration all the subscribers of upwards of a certain sum become Governors, and nothing more. The Committee of Management recognise that in many Institutions subscribers who give generously have some special recognition; and we, therefore, propose that a subscriber of £5 5s. or upwards a year to the funds of the Institution should become an Honorary Vice-President. We anticipate a very great increase of revenue from this resolution. The Committee have made arrangements to take down the names of those ladies and gentlemen present who would wish to become the first Honorary Vice-Presidents, and we hope we shall get a large number of names. This reform has been carefully considered and unanimously adopted by the Committee, and they consider there has never been so honourable and dignified a position obtainable at so small a price.

(Laughter and applause.) Sir B. U. PENROSE FITZGERALD, Bart., in seconding the resolution, said: I have great pleasure in seconding this. The men give their lives and their time. You have got to keep them going. They are only human, and have got to eat and drink. Do your part as they do theirs. (Applause.) The CHAIRMAN put the resolution, which was carried unanimously.

The Hon. GEORGE COLVILLE, in moving the resolution that the sale of the disused Life-boat Houses at Killougb. and Sutton be confirmed, said: For some reason which I cannot quite fathom, although the Committee of Management have power under the Charter to buy land, they may not sell any without the sanction of this meeting. The reason for selling these plots of land is a very good one, namely, that it has been found necessary to close the Stations at these places and to take away the Life-boats. I may say that the prices which have been obtained are as good as could be expected—in fact, in one case it is considerably more than we had hoped to get.

I Captain PITMAN, C.M.G., E.N., seconded the j resolution, which was carried unanimously.

I Lord WALDEGBAVE, in moving a vote of ; thanks to the Chairman, said: Before moving ! the resolution which stands in my name, I should like, as Chairman of the Committee of Management, to add my testimony to what has already been said about the very great loss which the Institution has suffered through the death of our late Deputy-Chairman, Sir John Lamb. He gave an enormous amount of time to the work ol the Institution, in which he was so'deeply interested, and his advice and good sound common sense were of the utmost value. He took a keen interest in •watching the welfare of the Institution to the very last. (Hear, hear.) I have now the pleasure to move the resolution of thanks to Mr. Runciman for coming here to-day. We all feel it a very great privilege that the President of the Board of Trade has been good enough to find time among his arduous duties of office to come here and take the chair. (Applause.) The Maritime Department of the Board of Trade is so closely connected with the work of the Life-Boat Institution that it is most appropriate that its President should be in the chair to-day; and I am sure it must have been a great satisfaction to those gallant men who have been decorated to-day to receive their medals at the hands of the President of the Board of Trade. I know you will all agree with me in thinking that it is a very good thing on these occasions that we should see among us the men who have so gallantly earned medals during the past year, and I am proud to have had the honour of meeting them. It is very encouraging to us to have received the sympathy of His Majesty the King and of Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, whose letters you have heard read, and I am sure that when they are made public they will do a great deal to help us. (Applause.) I now propose the resolution: That the best thanks of this meeting be given to The Right Hon. Walter Bunciman, M.P., for presiding over this the Ninety-first Annual General Meeting of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION.

The Rev. JOHN RAYMOND, Hon. Secretary Llanduduo Branch, in seconding the resolution, said: I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity of taking some part in this meeting to-day, and especially in seconding the vote of thanks which has been moved.

As an Honorary Secretary of some thirty years' standing at Llandudno I have had opportunities of seeing various phases of the work. I know something of the courage and devotion shown by the men when they are called upon to man the Boat and go out when ships are in distress, and I can say from observation that these men really do carry their lives in their hands. Yet they never flinch, but are always ready at the call, and with the Boat we have at Llaududno they are ready to go anywhere at any time and in any weather; they have such confidence in the Boat. I have also had opportunities of observing and being brought into touch with the tact, courtesy, and reasonableness of the officials of the Institution and of the Committee of Management. When our local Committee suggests that ithis may be done or that may be done whereby matters might be improved, we have ever found that those in authority are ready to listen to what we have to say, and if there is anything reasonable in what is suggested they are always prepared to do anything to make the Station more efficient and secure for the Boat everything that is required to make her work satisfactorily.

(Applause.) I think that we who are local Secretaries, and sometimes have a good deal of burden on our shoulders, are very encouraged to know that we have the» fullest sympathy of those in authority, and a readiness always to help when help is required.

May I also say that, as one of the Honorary Secretaries, I know a little of the difficulty of getting money to carry on the work, and I also know a little of how, through what I regard as proper organization, money can be raised by every Branch. Thirty years ago the normal income of our Branch was about £20 a year. Now the normal income is over £250 a year. (Applause.) This will show Honorary Secretaries what can be done by carefully organizing the work of collection and taking care to cover all the ground with the aid of ladies and gentlemen who are willing to assist.

Those who criticize the Institution and its work are generally those who have little or no knowledge of the true condition of things, and it is because of my knowledge and acquaintance of things that I have such pleasure in seconding a resolution of thanks to our Chairman for being with us to-day. As we have already heard, in the midst of so much stress and strain at the present time, and in, a crisis of our history, when we find one of our leaders prepared to make time to come here, and by his presence and advocacy to advance the interests of the Institution and secure additional help for its work, we are deeply indebted. (Hear, hear.) I know I express the feeling of all when I say that we are grateful, and desire to give expression in this way to our sense of indebtedness.

(Applause.) The CHAIRMAN, who was received with applause, said : I thank you {or carrying this resolution. At a time like the present, when pleasures are down to a minimum, it is gratifying to know that there is one thing I could do in that line, and it has given me pleasure to preside over this gathering. In so far as the Board of Trade can co-operate with the Institution it will certainly do so so long as I am responsible. (Cheers.).