A GOVERNMENT Service for the pre- vention of smuggling, from which the present Coast-guard Service has evolved, was already in existence in this country in the early part of the eighteenth century. In those days a consider- able force was employed afloat; a large fleet of small vessels, heavily armed, being kept in commission for the purpose of capturing or destroyingsmuggling craft. In addition, Com- manders of Men-of-War were instructed by the Admiralty to assist the Customs officers in carrying out these duties.

Later in the century the Admiralty took a more active part in the work by appointing a number of small vessels to cruise on the coasts of the United Kingdom for the prevention of smug- gling- In 1816 all the Revenue Cruisers were transferred to the Admiralty— although their crews continued to be paid by the Board of Customs—and aCaptain of the Royal Navy was, for the first time, appointed to be Superin- tendent of the Revenue Service, all preventive boats and stationary vessels being placed under his orders. Then in 1882 the Revenue Cruisers and the whole of the Preventive Waterguard were again placed under the authority of the Board of Customs, and the term " Coast-guard" was substituted forthat of " Preventive Service." A con- siderable number of Naval Officers were at this time employed in the Coast- guard, and in 1831 a regulation, by which seamen in the Navy were ad- mitted into the Service, came into force.

Later, orders were issued that the arrangements for filling all vacancies by the appointment of seamen from the Navy were to be strictly adhered to.

In 1845 the Admiralty first required nominees for the Coast-guard from amongst the seamen in the Navy to enter into a written agreement to serve in the Fleet should their services be required in an emergency. In 1848 a number of Coast-guard men were em- barked for service in vessels on the coast of Ireland ; and in the spring of 1854, 3,000 were drafted to the Fleet during the Russian War.

In 1857 the Coast-guard was once again transferred from the Board of Customs to the Admiralty, under whose control it still remains, and in 1869 arrangements were made by the Ad- miralty for dispensing with the services of all civilians employed in the Service.Since the carrying out of this order, the Coast-guard has been manned exclusively by officers and men from the Royal Navy.

From the time the Coast-guard was brought under the entire control of the Admiralty down to the outbreak of the Great War, officers and men were em- barked in the Fleet periodically for train- ing. They were kept always in readiness for instant mobilisation, and formed the First Reserve for the Fleet. On the outbreak of the war a considerable number were drafted to sea. for service,their places on shore being filled as necessary by civilians. Those whose services could not be spared were em- ployed for the most part at the War Signal Stations on the coasts and the Wireless Stations in the United j Kingdom, where their numbers were 1 augmented by newly-enrolled men of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, At the conclusion of hostilities the Force was so far depleted by casualties sustained in action, deaths, and in- validing due to exposure and war strain, and the discharge of men who hadreached the age limit, that it was some 1,200 below strength. Owing partly to this, and in order to obviate in future the loss of efficiency which was the result of so many men being drafted to the Fleet, it was decided to re-organise the Force on a pensioner basis, so that the personnel would not be required to serve afloat in the event of war, but would remain available as in peace. It was also decided to admit pensioners from the Royal Marines, for the tirst time, into the Force.

This re-organisation is now complete.

All new entries are either Naval or Marine Pensioners who have completed the full period of their engagements in the Royal Navy or Royal Marines.

There is still some of the Old Force remaining, consisting mostly of men who have not yet completed the time for their pensions and, for that reason, are not eligible to join the new force.

They are, however, a rapidly dwindling body, and in a few years the Coast- guard man dressed as a bluejacket will have disappeared from our coasts.

The connexion of the Coast-guardwith Life-saving dates back many years.

Soon after 1824, the year in which dwell- ing houses for the crews of Stations were first built, orders were issued that on a wreck taking place every individual on the spot'or within reasonable distance was to use his utmost endeavours to save the lives of the persons on board ; and a list comprising a full set of "apparatus for saving life" was promul- gated at the same time. This apparatus was the property of the Crown, and was administered by the Board of Customs.

It has nothing in common with the apparatus in use at the present timeAbout the year 1864 the Board of Trade took over the administration of the Life-saving Apparatus, and the provision of the present efficient, well equipped Life-saving Stations around our coasts was proceeded with. The substitution of Rockets for the Mortars which had hitherto been used in firing a line over wrecked vessels was also carried out about this time.

The Life-saving Apparatus (L.S.A.) in its present form is exceedingly mo- bile. It is kept ready for immediate use in either cart or wagon, whicheveris more suitable for the nature of the coast at the place where it is stationed, and in this cart or wagon the rockets, lines, whips, ladders, hawser, lights, lifebuoy, breeches buoy, etc., are stowed.

The apparatus is taken in the cart or wagon to the scene of the wreck, and if it is necessary for it to be brought into action at a spot which the vehicle cannot reach, the several parts com- prising the apparatus can be readily carried where required by the men forming its crew. Arrangements are made in cases vrhere a wreck occurs at a considerable distance from a station, to transfer the gear to a motor vehicle for rapid transport.

The Life-saving Apparatus can only be used when a wreck occurs close to the shore, its range being limited. It is specially useful where, owing to the rocky nature of the coast, it is im- possible or extremely hazardous for the Life-boat to approach a wreck. Volun- teer companies assist the Coast-guard in working the Life-saving Apparatus, and the service has reached a high state of efficiency. By its means, upwards of 11,000 lives have been saved from ship- wreck since 1870.

The crew of the Life-saving Apparatus is made up of Coast-guard ratings and " enrolled " or volunteer members, and they are exercised once a quarter at a dummy wreck, when everything is carried out as far as possible to repre- sent a vessel driven ashore. The crew usually consists of from fifteen to twenty-five men including the Coast- guard, and its strength depends prin- cipally on the locality and the number of available men. In addition to their care of some 300 Life-saving Stations, the Coast guard assist to man the Life-boatsat a number of places, and also assist to launch the Life-boats at many others.

Keeping a strict look-out for shipping casualties and passing early information to the Life-boat authorities respecting them is an important duty of the Coast- guard. Close co-operation between the two Services has been maintained for many years in their efforts to save life from shipwreck. A few years before the war the Board of Trade decided to construct watch huts on various exposed headlands and at points where casual- ties were considered likely to occur.

These watch huts were erected on sites selected by Inspectors of Life-saving under the Board of Trade, assisted by Coast-guard Officers. The huts are in almost all cases connected by telephone to the nearest Coast-guard Station, and thus early warning can be given to the Life-boats and to the Rocket Apparatus crews. When a Life-boat is launched, the fact is communicated by the Coast- guard telephone system to the Life-boats on either side, in order that they may hold themselves in readiness, and news of her return is sent to them in the same way..