OFF the mouth of the River Yare, which divides the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and has given its name to the ancient seaport town of Yarmouth, stretch a series of sandbanks, such as the Scroby, the Cross Sand, and the Cockle, to name only a few of them.

The proximity of these dangerous shoals, combined with the fact that the channel between them and the mainland is one of the most thronged sea highways of the world, leading as it does to the entrance of the great port of London, has rendered these narrow seas the most perilous to shipping in the whole kingdom, not even excepting the famous Goodwin Sands ; and, as a consequence, the record of splendid rescues carried out by the Life-boats in this neighbour- hood has not been eclipsed by any in all the gallant annals of the Life-boat service.

The three stations immediately con- cerned are Gorleston, Yarmouth, and Caister, and it is proposed to give a brief account of these stations in this and ensuing numbers of this JOURNAL.

The Record of Gorleston.

BEGINNING with the station farthest south, we find at what is now the actual mouth of the Yare, the town of Gorleston, or Yarmouth Haven, which boasts of a considerable antiquity, and many vicissitudes. The Haven itself, owing to the vagaries of the river, has changed its position many times, and much money in the past has been spent on reconstructing it, the material for which, on at least one occasion, was obtained by the demolition of one of the local churches I As long ago as 1560 the seventh haven was cut, of which it is recorded that in 1597 no less than 700 vessels were to be found within its confines at one time. How serious the need for a Life-boat must have been at that time, and how many lives were lost for want of one, can only be conjectured; but it is certain that no such thing existed, for it was not until the early years of last century that a more humane generation saw the necessity for providing some means of saving the lives of our sailors from shipwreck.

At what particular period the first Life-boat was sent to Gorleston is not recorded; but there was certainly a privately-owned boat there before the first branch of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT-INSTITUTION was formed in 1866, in which year a 33-foot surf-boat was sent down. This boat cost £219.

The new Motor Life-boat which is now being built, and which it is hoped to place there directly after the War, will cost not much less than £5,000.

In was in 1878 that a request for a larger boat was made by the local boat- men, who pointed out " that from the convenience of launching into;the river, I the weatherly position in S.E. gales, and having tug-steamers near, which are always ready to tow them, out, they consider they might in many cases render more speedy aid than any other boat." ; What was true in 1878 is equally true now ; and the weatherly position of I Gorleston and the presence of tugs, combined, it should in fairness be added, with a particularly brave and skilful lot of boatmen, have indeed, during i these forty years, proved the contention 1 of the men that in many cases they might render " a more speedy aid than any other boat." It was not, however, until 1883 that the first large sailing - boat was de- spatched to the station. She -was named Mark Lane, having been sub- scribed for by members of the London i Corn Exchange, a name which has since ; become famous in the history of the Life-boat service. This first Marie ; Lane was an old boat when she v -as sent to Gorleston, and in 1888 she was replaced by a new and altogether larger ; and more powerful boat, bearing the same name. This is the actual boat ! which is now approaching the end of j an honourable career, having added j more lustre to the story of life-saving at sea than any other Life-boat in the world.

The crew themselves selected the type from a similar boat at Southport, and it is interesting to note that this is the earliest recorded occasion on -which a' I deputation from a crew were sent to visit other stations in order to choose : a new Life-boat, a practice which has now become universal, and is, indeed, embodied in the regulations of the Institution.

A record of all the services of the Gorleston Life - boats would fill a volume, for they comprise no less than 479 launches, resulting in the saving of 836 lives and 67 vessels. Of these services, five in recent years stand out conspicuously as having in each case earned the Coxswain, Sidney Harris, the coveted honour of the Silver Medal of the Institution, so that he is the proud and unique possessor of no less than four clasps, in addition to the medal itself; and in 1914 he was selected for the American Cross of Honour, which is only awarded for very special and distinguished bravery in saving life at sea.

The first of these five awards was earned in February, 1905, for the rescue of the crew of the brig Celerity ; the second in December of the same year, in connection with the wreck of the lugger Fruitful, of Wick, on the 10th November, when eight lives were ! saved. The Third Service Clasp was ! added four years later, Harris having j displayed great gallantry in saving the . s.s. Clunie, of Aberdeen, and her crew of nine hands. The Fourth Service ' Clasp was awarded for a particularly fine service in August, 1912, to the s.s. Egyptian, to which the Life-boat made no less than four separate trips, resulting in the saving of her crew of thirty-one, including the captain's wife and child.

It is perhaps, however, the last I service for which this award was made, resulting in the Fifth Service Clasp, which has added the greenest laurel to the brows of this hero of the sea, and has shed the greatest glory on the his- tory of the Gorleston Life-boat Station.

This was the rescue of the schooner Dart on the 29th March, 1916. This I service deserves more than a passing mention, and although it has already been described at some length in the pages of this JOURNAL for May, 1916, it is proposed to close this article by a brief recapitulation of that account(To be continued.).