WHEN, in March, 1920, I paid my first visit to the Isle of Man, I did so for a double reason. I wanted to see all the Isle of Man Stations and to have the advantage of meeting the Honorary Secretaries and Committees. But the main object in my mind Was to visit Douglas, the scene of the most splendid so it was not without emotion that I laid on the vault of Sir William Hillary's tomb in St. George's church- yard a laurel-wreath emblematic of the veneration with which the Committee of Management of this Institution, and all its thousands of supporters, regard the man to whom they, and countless episodes in the life of Sir William Hillary, and the place which holds his tomb.

No one who has studied the life of this noble man in the accounts which are to be found scattered about in the Dictionary of National Biography, in the Records of the Institution, and in local journals, can fail to be deeply impressed by the example of practi- cal humanity, courage and devotion which mark every aspect of the gallant soldier's many-sided activities. And storm-beaten seafarers, owe the estab- lishment of an organized and efficient life-saving Service on the coasts of the United Kingdom.

I had heard vaguely that the tomb was not in a very good state of repair, but I had not received any report on the subject. I was, therefore, much surprised to find that the tomb of one who, though not a Manxman by birth, had probably done more for the town of Douglas, and, indeed, in his larger schemes, for the Island itself, than all but a very few of its own sons, had been left to take care of itself and had a very neglected air. On my return to Head- quarters I reported fully on the subject, and suggested that the Institution should do what neither Sir William Hillary's fellow-townsmen, nor, appar- ently, his family had done, and reno- vate the tomb and place a suitable in- scription on the grave of the chief founder of the Institution, and one of its eponymous heroes.

This the Committee of Management at once agreed to, and after very careful examination of the tomb, and considera- tion of the detailed report from Colonel Madoc, the Honorary Secretary, it was decided to entrust the renovation to Mr. J. H. Royston, a local architect.

The work was confined to securing the worthy restoration of the stone and iron- work, and the provision of a marble memorial tablet, with a suitable in- scription inserted in the wall of the vault. Even with these limitations the expense has been considerable, amount- ing to £165, but the Committee felt that it was right and proper to spend this sum in order to make good the strange neglect of years, a neglect to which Mr. S. Norris, an enthusiastic Manxman, had frequently called atten- tion in the past. Indeed, it appears that in 1897 the Committee of Management sent £20 to the Committee of the Douglas Branch as a contribution to the cost of renovating the tomb, but by a mischance which, as will be shown later, seems to have beset everything connected with Hillary's death, this sum was lost in the smash of DumbelPs Bank, and nothing was done locally or otherwise to set matters right.

Fortunately, as I have indicated, it has been found possible to make amends, and on the 1st April, Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Deputy-Chairman of the Institution, visited the Island to be present at the Annual Meeting of the Douglas Branch ; and, later in the day, at the unveiling of the Memorial Tablet at Sir William Hillary's tomb. His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir William Fry, presided at the Annual Meeting, and among others present were Lady Fry; Deemster Callow, the President of the Douglas Branch; Lieutenant-Colonel Madoc, the Honor- ary Secretary, and Mrs. Madoc ; the Speaker of the House of Keys and Mrs. Clucas; the Mayor of Douglas and Mrs. Kelly, and other distinguished representatives of the public life of the Island and of its capital. It was singu- larly fitting that, on an occasion of this kind, the Governor, in moving the adoption of the Report, was able to congratulate the Branch on an excep- tionally successful year, the total re- ceipts, including a balance of £383 brought forward, having amounted to £1,234.

Sir William Fry said that " all people in the Isle of Man knew, or ought to know, that Sir William Hillary was the founder of the Institution, and they would that day be assisting in seeing that his memory was retained in proper respect in the Island where he had spent the later years of his life." The resolution was seconded by the Speaker of the House of Keys, and, other formal business having been dis- posed of, the Deputy-Chairman ad- dressed the meeting and dwelt upon the honour which pertained to the town in having been the chief scene of the activities of Sir William Hillary, and thereby the birthplace of the Institution itself. He emphasized the fact that Sir William Hillary had not only inspired the foundation of the Institution and obtained promises of £25,000 at the first meeting in the City of London, but had himself been the greatest exemplar of the courage, endurance and humanity which were the essential qualities of the Life-boat Service. Sir Godfrey Baring pointed out that the lesson which Hillary had taught had been learned by our maritime people all round the coasts of the United Kingdom, and that to-day the Institution repre- sented a wonderful organization of practical humanity, building, control- ling and administering a fleet of 246 life-boats, many of them Motor Life- boats, and representing perhaps the most complete organization for life- saving service to be found anywhere in the world. And not only was it efficient, but it was extraordinarily cheap in comparison to similar services run by the State. Sir Godfrey concluded with a warm tribute to the Committee and workers of the Douglas Branch, and an earnest appeal for increased energy in presenting the claims of the Institu- tion to the residents and visitors in the Island.

During the afternoon a considerable congregation gathered at St. George's Church to dedicate the renovated tomb.

The Bishop of Sodor and Man officiated, assisted by his chaplain, the Rural Dean, the Vicar of St. George's and the Rev. Canon Kermode; and the full choir assisted in the singing. The Bishop paid eloquent tribute to Sir William Hillary's noble and splendid career, and referred to the outstanding qualities of his character, sympathy, courage and faith. At the close of the service, the clergy and choir formed a procession to the tomb of Sir William and Lady Hillary, where the Governor drew aside the Union Jack, disclosing the Memorial Tablet, with the following inscription :— To the Honoured Memory of LIEUTENANT-COLONEL SIR WILLIAM HILLARY, BARONET, of Yorkshire, Essex, and Isle of Man.

Lieutenant Turcopolier of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem.

Born 1771. Died 1847.

Soldier. Author. Philanthropist.

He founded in the year 1824 THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTI- TUTION, and in 1832 built the Tower of Refuge in Douglas Bay.

Fearless himself in the work of rescue from shipwreck, he helped to save 305 lives, and was three times awarded the Gold Medal of the Institution for great gallantry.

"... What his wisdom planned and power enforced, More potent still his great example showed." —THOMPSON.

A few brief words from His Excel- lency brought a worthy and memorable ceremonial to a close.

Later on in the afternoon the Life- boat was launched and cruised oft the coast.

The events which we have briefly described offer a suitable opportunity for recalling the main facts of Sir William Hillary's life. Born in 1771 of the ancient family of Hillary, which was of high nobility in France long before William the Conqueror, William Hillary came of Yorkshire stock. He married first, in 1800,Frances Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Louis Disney- Fytche, Esq., of Flinton, Notts., and of Swinderby, Lincoln. Through his lady he appears to have come into possession of Danbury Place, Essex, and he had twin children, a son, who succeeded to the baronetcy, and a daughter, Elizabeth Mary, who married a Captain Preston, but, though she had children, I have, so far, been unable to trace her descendants.

In 1813 he married again, and on this occasion a daughter of R. Tobin, of the Isle of Man. The second baronet, Sir Augustus, also married, in 1829, a Manxwoman, the daughter of J. Chris- tian, the Deemster, of Unerigg Hall, Cumberland, and died in 1854, without issue.

Hillary passed much of his early life on the Continent of Europe with H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex, one of the brothers of George III., to whom he was equerry.

He was in Italy during Napoleon's Italian campaign of 1796, and in the course of his wanderings sailed round Sicily and Malta in an open boat. He returned to England at the conclusion of peace, and settled in Essex, but on the renewal of the war in 1803 he raised and commanded the first Essex Legion of infantry and cavalry for coast defence. It numbered 1,400 men, and was the largest force raised by any private individual. He spent upwards of £20,000 in raising this force, and was made a baronet for his services.

About 1808 he left Essex, having lost a great deal of property, partly owing to the failure of sugar plantations in the West Indies and partly owing to his expenditure for the public service, and settled in the Isle of Man, which, even in those days, was in the happy position of being free from many, of the Imperial taxes and a place where gentlemen might live comfortably in very reduced circumstances. It is not quite clear where Sir William Hillary lived during the early part of his residence in the Island, but in the later period he un- doubtedly resided at Fort Anne, now the Fort Anne Hotel, and it is certain that it is to his sojourn there that THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE - BOAT INSTITUTION owes its birth. For his strong and sympathetic nature was moved to an almost indignant deter- mination to do something to diminish the terrible loss of life and property which was the immediate result of every great storm that visited our coasts, and especially the Isle of Man.

The year 1822 witnessed a rapid succession of serious wrecks off the Island, in many of which Sir William Hillary played a prominent part in saving life. Thus H.M. cutter Vigilant and H.M. brig Racehorse were wrecked, fifty-four lives being saved from the former and 100 from the latter ; The Sisters, brig, and nine other vessels were all wrecked in the same year, in the course of which Sir William Hillary assisted to save eighty-four lives.

To a man of his active and eager mind, and one who was a practical mariner withal, it must have been terrible to see shipwrecked men dropping off the rigging in the seething water after hours of hope- less struggle, or hurled on to the rocks in Douglas Bay to be crushed and mangled.

Too often he and others were obliged to witness such scenes, full of eagerness to help, but without the means to do so. It would appear that the experiences of this year finally impelled Sir William Hillary to issue his appeal to the Nation.

He knew that the first Life-boat Station had been founded at South Shields in 1790, Greathead's Life-boat, The Ori- ginal, being the boat with which practi- cal life-saving work was inaugurated in that year. Within the next thirteen years Greathead, working on the basis of the models originated by Lukin of London, and Wouldhave of South Shields, had built thirty-one more Life- boats, of which eighteen were for the English, and five for the Scottish coast.

By 1834 there were thirty-eight Life- boats on all the coasts of the United Kingdom, but this number was, of course, hopelessly inadequate for the purpose, nor was there any organiza- tion of a national character to provide and maintain the Life-boat Service or to co-ordinate the efforts of the generous individuals and societies Who aimed at creating such a service, at least locally.

Moved by these considerations, Hil- lary published his pamphlet in 1823.

In its manly and lofty eloquence, and in the practical nature of its proposals, it reflects the author's temperament and habit. Urging the claims of a Life-boat Service on every citizen, he points out that " from the calamity of shipwreck no man can say that he may at all times remain free, and while he is now providing only for the safety of others, a day may come which will render the Cause his own," a Cause, he proceeds, " which contemplates the rescue of thousands of human beings now in existence, and an incalculable number yet unborn, from one of the most tre- mendous of all perils. It is a cause which extends from the palace to the cottage, in which politics and party cannot have any share, and which addresses itself with equal force to all the best feelings of every class in the State." It would be difficult to put the case for national and generous support for the Institution better than in these words.

Two of the six objects which Hillary laid down for the Institution are now performed by other organizations, the care of mariners after shipwreck being undertaken by the " Shipwrecked Mariners," and the prevention of plunder from shipwrecked vessels being a function of the Coast-guard. But every other object aimed at by Sir William Hillary is fully and thoroughly provided for by the Institution which he founded ; and it is interesting to note that it has consistently maintained the principle that " the people and vessels of every nation, whether in peace or in war, be equally the objects of this Institution." Thus, during 1920, more than a third of the lives saved were rescued from foreign vessels. Hillary's appeal met with prompt sympathy from the public ; but it is to be feared that matters might have gone no further than the evocation of this sentiment, but for the fortunate accident that the practical nature of his noble project was at once recognized by Mr. Thomas Wilson, a London merchant and an M.P. for the City of London.

This gentleman, feeling that there was a sort of claim on those engaged in foreign commerce, from that moment onward made the Cause his own, and ultimately became Chairman of the Institution, a position which he held till his death, in his eighty-fifth year, in 1852.

Having called and presided at a pre- liminary meeting on the 12th February, 1824, a formal and general meeting was held, at his instance, at the London Tavern on the 4th March, 1824, at which Dr. Manners Sutton, the Arch- bishop of Canterbury, presided ; among others present being the Bishops of London and Chester, Mr. W. Wilber- force, M.P. (the champion of the Aboli- tion of Slavery), Captain Manby (who invented the Rocket Apparatus), and many other distinguished men. At this meeting it was resolved to form the " National Shipwreck Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck on the coasts of the United Kingdom." Lord Liverpool, the Prime Minister, became the first President, and this high office has since been shared between the Prince of Wales for the time being and the Dukes of Northumberland, who have so long and honourable an association with the history of the Institution, with which, however, we are not directly con- cerned here.

Not satisfied with founding the In- stitution, Hillary at once set to work to form a district Life-boat Association in the Isle of Man. This was fully estab- lished in 1826, the first boat being stationed, as was only fitting, in Douglas Bay. A year later one was placed at Castle town, another at Peel in 1828, and a fourth at Ramsay in 1829.

Nothing could be more characteristic of the creative energy of the man and the driving power of his eloquence and practical example, than that the com- paratively short stretch of coast which encircles the Isle of Man should have been provided with four Life-boats within six years of the foundation of the Institution, at a time when the whole coast of the United Kingdom had little more than forty-five. True, the Island boats had only too ample scope for their beneficent activities, for between 1821 and 1846 no less than 144 wrecks occurred off the Island.

But to found a great Institution, and to establish several of its life-saving boats around his own dangerous coast, was far from satisfying Hillary's noble and eager spirit. We have seen that in 1822 he had already placed his services at the disposal of shipwrecked seafarers, and hardly a year passed without his turning to splendid account the intimate know- ledge of handling small craft which he had acquired in his lonely cruises in the Mediterranean. In the course of this work he frequently risked his life, and actually won the Institution's Gold Medal, its highest award for gallant and conspicuous service, three times, in addition to the Gold Medal which had been presented to him in recognition of his services as founder.

We have only space to mention, briefly, a few of his exploits. In 1825 he helped to rescue sixty-two persons from The City of Glasgow, eleven from the brig Leopard, and nine from the sloop Fancy. His most brilliant service was performed in 1830, when the Royal Mail steamer St. George was wrecked in Douglas Bay on the 20th November.

Her cable parted and she drove on the rocks. The Life-boat was new and not ! yet ready for service, but Hillary put off, with sixteen other men, and rescued the whole of the twenty-two persons on board. He himself, with three others, was washed overboard. He was rescued with difficulty, and though his chest was crushed and six ribs were broken, | he stuck bravely to his task. This is one I of the services for which he received the ; Gold Medal of the Institution.

| In spite of his serious injuries, and, although now sixty-three years of age, he was foremost again in saving life at the Wrecks of two vessels in 1831. The next year he again helped to rescue fifty-four men from the Liverpool ship Parkfield. This was the last service in | which he took part. Altogether he i helped to save no fewer thazj 305 lives from shipwreck, and to the end of his I life in 1847, at the age of seventy-eight, I he was constantly active in his work on behalf of those in peril on the sea. In recognition of his splendid courage and humanity he had been made a Chevalier I of St. John of Jerusalem in 1836, and i in 1840 he was raised to the high dignity of Lieutenant Turcopolier of the same Order.

The activities which I have described would have sufficed to fill the life of most men, but they did not exhaust Hillary's vital energy or his interest in everything which appeared to him to offer a prospect of securing the well- being of mankind, and especially of his fellow-countrymen.

He was most anxious to establish a Harbour of Refuge for the Irish Sea at Douglas, and, in 1826, he published an important pamphlet to advocate tmeasure, accompanied by a plan of the suggested breakwater and harbour works at Douglas. It is a remarkable tribute to Ms foresight and real ability that in June, 1907, the Speaker of the House of Keys, referring to the latest proposals for harbour improvements at Douglas, said that they were, to some extent, based on Hillary's plans, and that had the latter been adopted at first, the harbour would have been all that was aimed at now. We know that, as a matter of fact, the harbour still lacks adequate protection, and that the Royal Yacht was unable to put in at Douglas when the King visited the Island in 1920.

Another achievement which Douglas owes to Hillary's enterprise, energy, and generosity, and which was directly in- tended to benefit mariners entering the then dangerous harbour, was the Tower of Refuge, which was built on Conister (or St. Mary's) Rock, and was formally inaugurated by Lady Hillary in 1832.

Recognizing the immense value of scientific training in navigation in the prevention of loss of life and property by shipwreck, Hillary wrote a pamphlet in which he advocated the establishment of a School of Navigation, in connexion with the founding of a college in the Isle of Man. Here again he showed his eagerness to further the interests of the Manx people, for he saw that, while they contributed a very large number of men and boys to the mercantile marine and the Navy, the lack of a knowledge of navigation prevented their reaching the positions of responsibility and command for which they were other- wise so well qualified by their early training. How keenly he had at heart the interests of the Institution is shown by the suggestion embodied in his pamphlet, that the Institution " should have the right to introduce a number of pupils at a reduced rate, these pupils to be the sons of those brave men who had unhappily perished in their meri- torious attempts to save the lives of their fellow-creatures from shipwreck, or whose parents should have distinguished themselves on such occasions," but who were too poor to educate their children.

Other pamphlets dealt with subjects which showed how wide was the scope of Hillary's interests, and how far- sighted was his mental outlook. Indeed, some of his proposals have a curiously up-to-date sound to-day. For they advocated the placing of Palestine under the control and government of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem — we seem to hear the Peace Conference assigning a " mandate " to the Order ; the Beautification of London — no doubt the Times would give Hillary's contri- bution the honour of large type ; and, as if nothing could escape his incisive and prophetic touch, the better govern- ment of Ireland ! In this latter pamphlet we find the same broad, humane mind, far ahead of its time, deprecating the religious and political prejudices with which Irish questions had been ap- proached, approving Catholic Eman- cipation, and attacking with impartial vigour absentee landlordism and past misgovernment on the one hand, and ridiculing the current cant which affected to regard over-population as the cause of Ireland's misfortunes, while, on the other, he condemned sedition and rebellion as both futile in themselves and disastrous to Ireland.

The latter part of Hillary's life Was destined to be clouded by misfortune.

In July, 1845, Lady Hillary died, at the age of sixty-two, and the deep affection which united them is seen in the in- scription, drawn up by Sir William Hillary himself, which may be read to this day on the cover of the vault. It expresses at once the depth of his feel- ings and his religious faith : — Within this Vault repose the remains of KMMA, LADY HILLARY, the youngest child of Patrick Tobin, Esq., of Middle, in this Island, and the dearly lamented wife of the Hon.

Sir William Hillary, Baronet. To him who has survived the affectionate and devoted partner of his life, her loss is irreparable. The remembrance of her many virtues inspires him with the firm belief that through the Divine Mercy there is awarded to her a peace and an everlasting resting-place which he humbly hopes to be permitted to share with her beyond the grave. She departed this life at Fort Anne, on the 20th June, 1845, aged 62 years.

Unfortunately, a further calamity appears to have overtaken the gallant old man in the winter of his days. I have not succeeded in ascertaining the exact details of what occurred, but he , with other gentlemen, a director or partner in a local bank. This concern failed lamentably, though it is not known to what the bankruptcy was due. At that time the liability of directors was unlimited, and Sir William was ruined.

Nor did he long survive this blow, for he died at Woodville, Douglas (to which he had evidently been obliged to move from his fine house at Fort Anne), on the 5th January, 1847, aged seventy-seven, and was followed to the grave by a great procession of those who had been witnesses of his life and character. The i extraordinary fact that no inscription was placed on his tomb to show that he : was himself buried there has been attri- buted, perhaps erroneously, to the cir- cumstance that, as a bankrupt, his body could be seized by the creditors; and it is suggested that the burial took place at night, and that it was thought proper not to have any inscription on the vault.

Be this as it may, it is a strange and pathetic circumstance that this heroic figure, whose life had been given to the service of the State, of his country, and of mankind, should have ended his days in financial ruin, and, apparently, even without the public honour which he had so well deserved, and which his high distinctions almost demanded. I regret to add that as soon as his inspired leadership and courageous example had gone, the Isle of Man Stations which he had founded were allowed to fall into decay almost at once, for, in the short memoir of him which appeared in the fourth number of The Life-Boat (July, 1852), the following passage occurs :— " The questions will naturally arise, what has been done to perpetuate the memory of the projector of the National Shipwreck Institution ? and in what state are the Isle of Man Life-boats ? It is grievous to be obliged to record that hardly a vestige of them exists, and what may remain is quite unfit for use. But surely it is not too late to repair an error, and we believe we have full authority to state that a Life- boat, of the most improved construc- tion, to bear the respected name of Sir William Hillary, will be immedi- ately built by the Parent Institution, and be forwarded to Douglas. And we feel satisfied that the residents of the Isle of Man will organize a Life- boat's crew and maintain the Boat in an efficient state ready for immediate service, in greatful remembrance of the labours of one who assisted in saving 300 lives in Douglas Bay, and who always had the welfare of the Island at j i heart." j; The boat was ready to go to her Station early in 1853, and in 1855 the Castletown Station was re-opened and a new boat built for it.

One honour, at any rate, Hillary received during his lifetime, and that was a Sonnet which Wordsworth wrote when he visited the Island in 1833, the year after the Tower of Refuge was completed.

" The feudal keep, the bastions of Cohorn, Even when they rose to check or to repel Tides of aggressive war, oft served as well Greedy ambition; armed to treat with scorn Just limits ; but yon Tower, whose smiles adorn This perilous bay, stand clear of all offence ; Blest work it is of love and innocence, A Tower of Refuge to the else forlorn.

Spare it ye waves, and lift the mariner, Struggling for life, into its saving arms ! Spare too the human helpers. Do they stir 'Mid your fierce shock like men afraid to die ? No ! their dread service nerves the heart it warms, And they are led by noble Hillary ! " But his noblest monument is to be found in the splendid Institution, which has now been carrying on its, and Ms, great work for nearly a hundred years.

Well might we say in his case : "Si monumentum requiris, circumspice." Look out over the map of the United Kingdom, or better still, visit the coast yourself, and you will see at every danger spot, where the peril to shipping and life is shown by the number of casualties, and where a crew can be obtained, a Life-boat, representing the finest instrument of life-saving which the progress of science has been able to produce, and which money can provide.

You will find also crews formed of the same splendid stuff which aroused Hillary's sympathy and admiration, imbued by the high courage and tenacity, and inspired by the traditions of personal service, of which, as the words now inscribed on his tomb testify, he himself was the great founder and exemplar.