As this issue of the JOURNAL probably comes before many of the head teachers of National Schools throughout the j United Kingdom for the first time, j and in view of their widespread co- j operation in the Prize Essay Competition, it seems desirable that they should have before them some account of the work which the Life-boats have been doing since the outbreak of War ; for few, even the most thoughtful, realize the standard of achievement which the Life-boat Service embodies, which it has maintained for nearly 100 years, and which it has, if possible, heightened amidst the tremendous conflict in which we have been engaged.

We give, therefore, below a record of some of the more noteworthy services since 1914, beginning with the wreck of the hospital ship Rohilla.

A Story of Life-boat Heroism.

On Friday, October 30th, 1914, the steamer Rohilla was wrecked, with a sad loss of life, near Whitby. The vessel had been taken over by the Government for use as a hospital ship, and was on her way from Queensferry to Dunkirk, to bring some of the wounded to this country. She had on board 229 souls, including a medical staff and five nurses, the latter being fortunately among the saved.

Shortly after four o'clock in the morning, during a terrific E.S.E. gale, the vessel ran on to a dangerous reef of rocks and lay at the mercy of a furious sea. Pounded by mountainous waves she quickly broke in half, and many of those on the after part of the ship were washed away at once and perished.

The sea was far too heavy to do any- thing until daybreak, when the Life- boat was hauled on skids to the scene of the wreck. This necessitated getting the boat over a sea-wall eight feet in height, a most formidable task, success- fully carried out under Coxswain Langland's supervision. Although badly damaged the boat was, nevertheless, launched, and succeeded in reaching the wreck, which lay surrounded by a mass of rocks. Twelve men and five women were saved and brought ashore. The boat was then again launched, and, after a fearful struggle with terrific seas, got to the vessel and saved eighteen more, the heavy waves which swept through the ship or broke over her deck filling the Life-boat time after time.

Unfortunately the boat soon became unfit for further service owing to re- peated bumping on the rocks.

Other Life - boats were therefore summoned. The Upgang boat was lowered by means of ropes, down, the almost precipitous clifls, but nothing could be done in the tremendous seas running. In the meantime the Tees- mouth motor Life-boat and the Life-boat stationed at Scarborough had been called by telephone to the assistance of those still on the wreck. But the attempts of both these boats proved unavailing.

On Saturday morning the Upgang crew made a further attempt to rescue the survivors, fifty in number, who were huddled together on one small portion of the wreck. For over an hour the crew struggled manfully to reach the wreck, but the sea and strong current running between the " Nab" and the wreck was too strong for them, and eventually the men became totally exhausted and had to give up their hopeless task.

It was now decided to send for the Tynemouth motor Life-boat. On Saturday afternoon the gallant crew, under the command of Coxswain Robert Smith, and accompanied by Captain H.

E. Burton, R.E., Hon. Superintendent of the motor Life-boat, started on their perilous journey, travelling forty-four miles through the night and storm, unaided by any coast lights, which were all extinguished on account of the war, and at 1 A.M., on Sunday morning, November 1st, brought the boat skil- fully into Whitby Harbour.

Four hours later this boat, with Lieut, (now Commander) Basil Hall, R.N., Inspector of Life-boats for the Southern District, on board, left harbour for the wreck, a supply of oil being taken to subdue the waves.

The rescue of those who had survived the terrible ordeal for fifty hours is well described by the representative of the Yorkshire Post, who witnessed the scene, and from whose report we give the following extracts :— " The light was just rising over the sea at half-past six o'clock when I saw the boat creep out of the harbour again and breast the breakers like a sea bird as she headed straight out into calmer water. Hastening, with others, to the top of the cliffs south of the town, I rejoined the crowd of watchers there, who gazed with eager intensity as the Life-boat, looking fearfully small and frail, throbbed her way towards the wreck. Nearer and nearer she got; and then, when within 200 yards of the Rohlla, she turned seawards.

" Presently, when she had passed a few fathoms beyond and away from the wreck, she stopped dead, and discharged over the boiling sea gallons and gallons of oil. It seemed that the ocean must laugh at these puny drops, yet the effect was remarkable; within a few seconds the oil spread over the surface of the water, and the waves appeared suddenly to be flattened down as by a miracle. In the meantime the Life- boat turned about, raced at full speed past the stern of the wreck, and then turned directly towards the shore. The most dangerous moment came when she was inside the surf and broadside on to the waves; but, guided with splendid skill and courage, she moved forward steadily, and a cheer of relief went out from the shore when she reached the lee of the wreck, immediately beneath the crowded bridge.

" But there was not a moment to be lost, for already the effects of the oil were beginning to pass off, and the waves were noticeably higher. Quicker than thought a rope was let down to the Life-boat, and immediately figures could be discerned scrambling down into the boat. In less than a quarter of an hour more than forty men had been rescued. While the rest were preparing to leave the wreck, two enormous waves swept over the wreck and enveloped the Life-boat. Each time the tough little craft disappeared for a moment, re- appeared, tottered, and righted herself gamely. Indeed, not a man was lost, not a splinter broken. Closer still she hugged the vessel's side till every man aboard—fifty of them in all—had been hauled into the rescuing boat.

" The last man to leave his lost ship was the captain, and as he slipped into the Life-boat the crew of the latter gave a rousing cheer that was echoed again and again by the people ashore.

" But the peril was not yet over; another crisis had to be met before anxiety was allayed. As the Life-boat shot past the wreck on her return journey she was struck broadside on by a great wave that threatened to throw her on her beam ends; but once more she manfully withstood the shock, and swept gaily out to sea in a wide semi-circle that brought her safely to the harbour mouth.

k " Cheer after cheer rent the air from the people on the quayside, and these were answered by the boat's crew and by many of the survivors. When the boat drew up alongside the quay, men ran down the steps to assist the rescued; and the pathetic procession up the steps moved men as well as women to tears." A few days after the rescue, Capt.

Burton received the official thanks of the Admiralty for his and the Life- boatmen's services; and he and Coxswain Smith, of Tynemouth, and Coxswain Langlands, of Whitby, were awarded the Gold Medal of the Institution, the highest award which it is in its power to confer.

Crail and St. Andrews (Fifeshire).

During a severe S.E. gale on the 27th December, 1914, the Torpedo-boat Destroyer Success ran ashore on the rocky coast at Kingsbarns, about six miles from St. Andrews. The vessel was steaming south, and in the darkness, without any shore lights to guide her, she lost her bearings. Signals of distress were made, and the Coastguard called up Andrew Cunningham, Coxswain of the Crail Life-boat Edwin Kay, who at once Summoned the crew. The boat was launched at about 6 A.M. when the gale was at its height. The Coxswain handled the boat admirably, and dis- played skilful seamanship in keeping the boat from being dashed to pieces on the rocks which surrounded the vessel.

Unfortunately, in spite of all care, the Life-boat was badly holed whilst on its way to the vessel, and owing to the heavy seas Coxswain Cunningham and another member of the crew were washed out of the boat. Happily, owing to their having their life-belts on, they were saved by the other members of the crew, who succeeded in getting hold of them and pulling them back into the boat. With great courage Coxswain Cunningham, in spite of his exciting adventure, continued the work of rescue. When the boat arrived twenty of the crew were taken off and at once conveyed ashore. Although the boat was damaged the Coxswain put off again, and in the course of two more journeys brought thirty-four more men into safety.

The St. Andrews Life-boat then arrived upon the scene. This boat took off the remainder of the crew, thirteen in number, and as there was no neces- sity for any further action on the part of the Crail Life-boat, she was hauled up into safety.

In recognition of this fine service and the indomitable pluck displayed both by Coxswain Cunningham and the crew in continuing their task in a damaged boat, the Committee of Management awarded the former the Silver Medal of the Institution and gave him and each of the other members of the crew an additional monetary reward.

Later, letters of thanks were received from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and from the Admiral Com- manding the Coast of Scotland express- ing their appreciation and thanks for the services rendered by the crews of the Crail and St. Andrews boats.

A Magnificent Service in 1917. I' On the 9th January, 1917, one of the most gallant rescues in the annals of j the Life-boat Service was performed at ! Cromer. During a heavy N.E. gale, | the small Greek steamer Pyrin signalled : for assistance. The Life-boat was ! launched with difficulty. Thanks, how- ever, to a huge crowd of willing soldiers, ! many of whom went into the water up 1 to their waists, the difficulty was sur- mounted. Then began a long tussle ; with the heavy breaking seas; and at ! last the boat reached the distressed j vessel, and saved the whole crew of sixteen hands. It was just as she was reaching the shore that an explosion took place on board the Swedish s.s.

Fernebo, breaking the vessel in two halves, which floated off independently.

The Life-boatmen were much ex- hausted, especially the older members, but they pluckily determined to make another attempt. For half an hour they strove in vain to get beyond the breakers.

j During this attempt a small boat i which had left the Fernebo with six hands on board was capsized in the surf, but all the occupants were saved by soldiers and others, one of the former, Private Stewart Holmes, of the Seaforth Highlanders, behaving in a par- ticularly brave manner, and narrowly escaping with his own life in his efforts at rescue.

By this time the halves of the vessel had stranded, with the crew on board the after end. The rocket apparatus was unable to help them.

Shortly after 9 o'clock, the Coxswain and crew, notwithstanding their earlier exertions, were eager to make another attempt, and the boat was launched.

For half an hour these splendid men made the most gallant attempt to reach the vessel—over and over again the boat was swept back into the shallow water inshore, but each time they succeeded in pulling her out again.

Bathed in the brilliant beam of a searchlight lent by the military, one moment standing on end as she mounted the crest of a huge breaker, at another with her nose buried in the trough of the sea, or completely lost to sight as a sea broke right over her, the Life-boat made a sight which will never be for- gotten by the hundreds of spell-bound spectators who lined the beach. It was not till five oars had been broken and others lost that the Coxswain gave up and came ashore.

But the Life-boatmen, nothing daunted, decided to make another at- tempt as soon as they had tested a little and spare oars had been procured.

Once more the boat was launched, once more the hard struggle began, this time to end in success, and the remainder of the crew, eleven in number, were saved.

In estimating the merit of this service, it is necessary to bear in mind the age of the men who performed it, the average age of the crew being at least fifty. More even than is usual in such cases, it was thanks to the Coxswain, Henry Blogg, that this fine service was possible. It was his own remarkable personality and really great qualities of leadership which magnetised tired and somewhat dispirited men into launching, and when the boat was launched it was the consummate skill with which he managed her and the encouragement he gave his crew which brought their efforts to such a successful conclusion. The service earned for him the award of the Gold Medal of the Institution.

A Fine Group of Services.

19th-21st November, 1916.

Seldom, if ever, has there been con- centrated within three days of Life-boat work a more splendid series of achieve- ments than those which are briefly described below.

On Sunday, the 19th November, the gale which had sprung up off the Kentish coast on the 17th, and which is described as the worst known for many years past, was at its height, the wind blowing with almost hurricane force.

At 10 P.M. the Deal Life-boat was launched, and reached a steamer, which proved to be the Val Saliee, about mid- night, in intense darkness and in blinding rain squalls. The boat was veered down to the vessel, and with great difficulty the whole crew of 30 men were rescued, the operation being greatly assisted by the guardship, which threw her searchlight on the steamer, the first time on record that a rescue has been carried out under these conditions.

The success of the rescue is described as little short of miraculous, as the seas at times lifted the Life-boat almost to the level of the steamer's mastheads, the men having to be pulled aboard the Life-boat just at the right moment.

On the morning of the 20th, signals of distress were again seen from a large steamer—the Sibiria—which had gone aground on the Goodwins. The Deal Reserve boat was at once towed out to the sands, the weather being even worse than on the previous day.

Again and again the coxswain tried to get alongside. Three times the Life- boat nearly capsized, and the fourth time she was thrown on her beams ends, the mast and sails going under water.

As she righted herself the weight of water on the sail tore the mizzen mast and sail right out of her and carried away the thwart. Several of the men were injured, and the Coxswain was compelled to make for Deal.

Meanwhile the Ramsgate Life-boat was engaged in an equally splendid attempt to rescue this crew. Leaving Ramsgate in tow of the Aid, she found a terrific sea on the sands. In attempt- ing to reach the vessel, the Life-boat was constantly filled with water and several times nearly capsized. One of the bollards was wrenched out, injuring two of the crew, and finally the cable parted and the Coxswain was compelled to return home. Later on an urgent message was sent asking that another attempt should be made to save the crew of fifty-two of the Sibiria, her decks now being nearly under water.

Undaunted by their earlier tremendous efforts, the crew again set out at 7.15 P.M., but found that the whole crew had just been taken out by the Kingsdowne Life-boat.

This boat was launched at 7.10 P.M.

with the greatest difficulty, and saved the whole of the crew of the Sibiria, who were assembled on the bridge, while heavy seas broke over the vessel and poured into the Life-boat, which was swamped, two of the men being injured. The Life-boat reached Kings- downe at 12.45 A.M. on the 21st with her precious freight of sixty-eight men, eighty-two lives being thus rescued in twenty-four hours.

Lowestoft.

On the 30th September, 1918, the j Life-boat crew were called out to go to the assistance of a vessel ashore about five miles from Southwold, the Life-boat | at that place not being available and it j being impossible to launch the boat at ; Aldeburgh owing to the state of the • weather. A vessel, which proved to be one of His Majesty's sloops, carrying j a crew of twelve hands, had stranded : in a whole N.E. gale and a very heavy j sea. The position is seventeen miles from Lowestoft, but, other help not being forthcoming, a telephone message I was sent to Lowestoft. In response j Coxswain Swan at once fired the assembly guns and did what he could to collect a crew. He succeeded in obtaining the requisite eighteen men, of | whom two were over seventy years of j age, twelve were over sixty, and the ; remaining four over fifty. Nothwith-standing the severity of the gale, thick .

rain and very cold weather, the brave crew put off without hesitation to the help of the imperilled men. Lowestoft Harbour was left a few minutes after five in the morning, and some two hours later the Boat reached the wreck, which was completely under water, with four men taking refuge on the top of | the wheel-house and five others on the j foremast. A terrific,sea was running j and the first two attempts to get near to j the vessel failed, as the wind and tide carried the Boat away from her. Un- daunted, however, by their failure, the men decided to make another try.

The Boat was hauled off and a spring was put on the cable, and by this means the Boat was brought near enough to the wreck for grapnels to be thrown into the rigging. The Boat was then hauled near to the mast of the vessel, and the five men one by one dropped into the Boat as opportunity occurred.

One man while so doing fell on to one of the Life-boat's crew, but fortunately the injury inflicted was not serious.

Another fell short of the Boat and went into the sea, but the prompt use of the boat-hook prevented his being drowned, and he was hauled into the Boat. As soon as the five men were safe on board the Boat was hauled toward the wheel-house. A line was thrown to the men enabling them to make an endless rope, and by this means the four men on the wheel-house were dragged through the water into the Boat, it being quite impossible to get them in any other way. As soon as the nine men were rescued the Boat started on her homeward journey.

Unfortunately the skipper of the vessel has been washed overboard previous to the arrival of the Life-boat, and was not seen again. Two other men were also washed overboard, but happily they were rescued from the shore.

It is reported that while the actual work of rescue was being carried out, the Life-boat struck the ground in the hollow of the sea, and during the whole time she was endeavouring to get along- side the sunken vessel she was practi- cally under water; By the time the Life-boat got back to her Station the whole of her crew were very exhausted after their arduous work, and it was necessary for some of the rescued men to be removed to the local hospital owing to their injuries whilst on board the wrecked vessel.

John T. Swan, the Coxswain, under whose leadership the rescue was per- formed, already holds a fine record for saving life, and in 1914 he was awarded the Silver Medal of the Institution for saving the crew of another of His Majesty's vessels under very perilous conditions.

A striking fact on this occasion is that the service was carried out by such a veteran crew, showing that in their old age these men are no less courageous when called upon to carry out their humane task than their sons away on service. It is reported that it was a most impressive sight to see these old men, grey-haired and bent and the majority afflicted with the attendant ills of old age, struggling in the dark- ness against the wind and rain in order to answer to the call of the assembly guns and take their places in the Life- boat, without a moment's thought of the dangers that they had to face, determined to give what assistance they could to their brother seamen whom misfortune had overtaken.