LOWESTOFT, the most easterly point of these Islands, and consequently the nearest to the coast of our enemy, has had since the outbreak of the War more services to its credit than any other Life-boat Station in the United Kingdom, the boat having been launched no less than 26 times to vessels in distress, resulting in the saving of 117 lives. The following is a full list of these launches :— Lives 1914 Saved.

Belgian Pishing - boats O 52 and 0136 . . 35 Trawler Emmanuel, of Lowestoft. Assisted to save vessel and . . 5 S.S. Olga, of Esbjerg.

No service.

H.M.Mine-sweeper Spider 13 H.M.Mine-sweeperCowdor 9 S.S. F. Stobart, of Sunderland.

Stood by vessel.

Naval Cutter. No service.

Trawler Boy Claude, of Lowestoft . . . . 4 H.M. Mine-sweeper Jay.

No service.

Barge Sirdar, of Grays. 2 S.S. San Bicardo, of London. No service.

S.S. Glen Park, of Greenock. Assisted to save vessel.

H.M. Mine-sweeper Canton. Assisted to save vessel.

S.S. Sverige, of Gelfe . 3 S.S. Gardtpee, of Cardiff.

Assisted to save vessel and Motor Launch. Meg, of Lowestoft. No service.

S.S. Loch' Lomond, of Dundee. Assisted to save vessel.

H.M. Sloop Mientje. No service.

S.S. Fromfield, of London. Assisted to save vessel and S.S. Vharfdale, of Sunderland.

No service.

Brigantine Carmenta.

No service.

H.M. Assisted to Oct. 15th 21st Nov. llth .

„ 22nd .

„ 22nd .

„ 26th .

Dec. llth .

„ 14th .

„ 31st . .

1915.

Feb. 2nd . .

March 15th .

April 18th-20th May 27th Aug. 13th-14th Oct. 27th, 28th, 29th.

Nov. 2nd . .

„ 8th-10th.

„ 13th .

„ 29th, 30th, Dec. 1st.

Dec. 26th . .

1916.

Feb. 23rd . .

March 29th July ibth .

Nov. 18th .

save vessel.

H.M. No service.

S.S. Kara, of London.

Landed 21.

H.M. • • No service.

How many of these may be considered " War Services," that is to say, as due directly to the incidence of the War, it is not altogether possible to say, for when coasts are unlighted, landmarks removed, and channels altered, the mine and torpedo are not the only dangers which the mariner has to fear.

A full account of all these launches would obviously outrun the space at disposal, but one or two deserve more than a passing mention. The first of such was the direct result of " the tremulous misery of the rush for refuge," as a recent writer has called it, which followed on the siege and fall of Antwerp.

Escaping by every possible means, many of the unfortunate people overflowed into the shipping off Ostend, and a large number packed on board the fleet of fishing-boats which makes this port their headquarters. Heading straight for the English coast the great majority of these frail craft succeeded in reaching Lowestoft in safety, but two stranded on the dangerous Newcome Sands lying off this port. Imagine the feeling of these poor refugees, torn at a moment's notice from their homes, with the horror of the German invasion and all which it connotes to a Belgian fresh in their minds, faced with this new terror of death by drowning within very view of the haven where they would be.

What a welcome sight must the Lifeboat have been to them ! It was not much more than a month afterwards, a month during which the Life-boat was not altogether idle, that a service was performed which is one of the finest recorded in the long and gallant history of the Lowestoft Station.

At 2.30 A.M. on the 22nd November, 1914, the Coastguard reported that a steamer had grounded on the beach and was making signals of distress. The Coxswain, John Swan, therefore assembled his crew and launched the Life-boat Kentwell. On iiearing the vessel, which was H.M.S. Spider, engaged in minesweeping operations, the boat was veered down to her and the crew of thirteen hands were rescued.

Heavy seas were breaking over the vessel, and it was necessary for the Life-boat to go into broken water to take the men off. At the time of the rescue a strong easterly wind was blowing. Later in the day the Lifeboat was again called out, as a steamer was again seen to strike the Newcome Sands. "When she reached the sands she fourxi the steain trawler Condor, of Grimsby, aground. This vessel also harl been engaged in mine-sweeping •operations. The crew of nine hands had taken refuge in the rigging and, owing to the tremendous seas which were breaking over the vessel, the work of rescue was rendered hazardous. The boat was veered down, but was obliged to haul away again after each man from the vessel's rigging dropped into the Lifeboat, the operation being repeated until the whole nine fmen had been saved.

Owing to the position of the trawler the Lifeboat was constantly swept by heavy seas, and swung to windward of the vessel, with the result that she struck the wreck five times and was damaged, but fortunately not seriously.

This service was a very arduous and meritorious one, and the splendid seamanship displayed by Coxswain Swan in the management of his boat elicited the greatest praise from the thousands of spectators who lined the beach, and especially from the seamen among them.

One of these, the Senior Naval Officer of the Base, heartily congratulated the Coxswain, and subsequently wrote a letter to the Institution, from which the following is an extract:— " I have very much pleasure in telling you that I consider the work done by the Lowestoft Life-boat on the 22nd inst., whilst saving the crew of the Condor, was a very fine piece of work. There was a very nasty sea running, and the Coxswain got his boat as close to the wreck as possible with the greatest skill, and had he been ten minutes later, I have no doubt that practically all the crew would have been drowned, as the vessel turned practically over immediately after the crew had been taken off. I watched the whole operations through a powerful glass only about half a mile away (as we all did). I SWAN, Lowestoft Life-boat.

sent for the Coxswain of the Life-boat afterwards, and congratulated him on his fine work, and I certainly think the case welldeserving of a medal.

" In addition to this service, the Life-boat also saved the crew of the Spider in the early morning of the same day, but this was not attended with anything like the same risk as in the case of the Condor.

" I have always been an admirer of the Life-boat service, and am. now doubly so." In recognition of the gallantry displayed on this occasion, the Committee of Management bestowed the Silver Medal on Coxswain Swan, and granted to each member of the crew an additional pecuniary award.

Passing over nearly a year, in which the Lowestoft Life-boat was by no means entirely inactive, we come to three remarkable cases, in all of which the Life-boat made four separate and distinct trips to the vessel in distress.

These are the Garde pee, t h e Loch Lomond, and the Fr a mfield. In all three cases the efforts of the Life-boatmen resulted in the saving of the vessels themselves, as well as their crews, which, though altogether subsidiary "to the preservation of life from shipwreck," for which the Institution is granted its Royal Charter, is undeniably a welcome service to the State at the present juncture.

The last-mentioned of these is notable as the first recorded occasion on which Life-boat service was performed in the rays of a powerful electric searchlight, an adjunct which did much to enable the crew on a pitch dark night, thick with rain and in a very heavy sea, to lay their boat near enough to the vessel to rescue the crew of 24 and bring them safely into harbour. Such a use of electric searchlight has since then been successfully repeated in the case of the splendid service of the Cromer Life-boat to the s.s. Fernelo on the 9th- 10th Jan. last, a full account of which is givevn in the February Journal..