THE death at Lytham of Thomas Clarkson, the late Coxswain of the Lytham Life-boat, at the ripe age of eighty-three, recalls one of the most terrible Life-boat disasters which has ever befallen the Institution. On December 6th, 1886, the Hamburg barque Mexico was wrecked off Southport. Three Life-boats—the Southport, St. Anne's, and Lytham—put out to the rescue in the teeth of a fearful gale. The Southport and St. Anne's Life-boats were capsized, and twenty-seven of the gallant men perished. Only the Lytham Life-boat succeeded in reaching the ship, and took off twelve of her crew, who were brought safely to the shore.

Thomas Clarkson was Coxswain of the boat on this memorable occasion, and was for sixty years a member of the crew, during which time he had taken a leading part in many a daring and successful work of rescue.

The exceptional nature of the disaster awakened generous sympathy through- j out the country, and the Daily Telegraph opened a fund which received widespread support. The Institution, in accordance with its invariable practice on such occasions, at once sent a substantial contribution which, in this case, amounted to £2,000.

We give, on another page, an illustration of the Lytham Life-boat at the time when she effected the rescue and, inset, a portrait of Thomas Clarkson.

It is very interesting to note that the service was rendered within a month after the Charles Biggs reached her station.

By a curious coincidence, the wreck of another vessel bearing the same ill-fated name, Mexico, this time a Norwegian barque, led to a deplorable disaster off the coast of Wexford in February, 1914, when nine gallant Irish Life-boatmen lost their lives. A full account of this occurrence and of the rescue of the survivors, appeared in the Life-boat Journal for May, 1914..