Lyme Regis.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 27th October, Dr. H. J.

Cooper, the Chairman of the Committee, being in the chair. The Annual Report for the year ending the 30th September last was presented, and showed that the Branch had raised a sum of £77 4s. lid., as compared with £32 Is.

in the previous year. Fifty pounds of this sum had been raised by the Life- boat Day, and it was decided to make this an annual event.

Sheringham.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 27th October, and the report for the year ending the 30th September last showed that a sum of £106 8s. 2a!. had been raised, as com- pared with £86 13s. 9 Z. in the previous year. The report also referred to the loss sustained by the Branch through the death of the President, Mr. H. M.

Upcher. His son, Mr. H. E. S. Upcher, was elected President, and the Com- mittee were re-elected, with the excep- tion of one member, who had resigned.

Grimsby.

At the invitation of the Countess of Yarborough a special meeting was 1 held on the 4th November last for the purpose of forming a Ladies' Life-boat Guild in Grimsby. Lady Yarborough herself was, unfortunately, unable to be present, and in her absence Lord Yarborough presided, being supported by the Mayor and Mayoress (Councillor and Mrs. F. Thornton), Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., the Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Management, and Commander Hubert Boothby, D.S.O., the Honorary Secretary of the Branch.

I Lord Yarborough said that Lady Yarborough was extremely anxious to impress on all the ladies of Grimsby the importance of giving their support to the Service by forming a local Ladies' Life-boat Guild. It was a Cause of especial interest to those living | in and around a great fishing-port like Grimsby, and a subscription list of £45, supplemented by a Life-boat Day, which raised £190, hardly seemed to be adequate support from a town of the size of Grimsby, which was so directly interested in the maintenance of an efficient Life-boat Service. He pointed out that a third of the funds of the Institution were raised through the efforts of women of Great Britain, and he appealed to the women of Grimsby to join the Guild, and to use all their influence to increase the town's support of the Institution. Sir Godfrey Baring gave a brief account of the history of the Institution, and described the im- portant mechanical developments now being made, for which increased funds were urgently needed. He contrasted the support which the Institution re- ceived from Grimsby with the much more generous support received from many inland towns. Lady Sleight proposed and Mrs. Markwell Holmes seconded the proposal that a Ladies' Life-boat Guild should be formed in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, with Lady Yarborough as President, and the Mayoress of Grimsby and the wife of the Chairman of the Cleethorpes Urban District Council as Patrons.

This proposal was unanimously adopted.

Stirling.

A Special Meeting of the Branch was held on the 4th November, when Mr.

John Jenkins, who has been the Hono- rary Secretary of the Branch for the long period of forty-five years, was pre- sented with the thanks of the Com- mittee, inscribed on Vellum, and Miss Helena Wilson, who has been Honorary Secretary of the Bannockburn Branch since it was founded in 1906, with a Framed Photograph entitled the " Life- boat," in recognition of their services to the Institution. The chair was taken by Provost McCulloch, and the presenta- tions were made by the Duchess of Montrose. In making the presentations the Duchess made an urgent appeal for increased help, in order that the Life- boat Service, which had always been so generously supported by the public, might not now suffer for lack of funds when the Institution was doing so much to increase its power to save life from shipwreck. Sir William Martin, the Organizing Secretary for Scotland, said that he was certain that if the ladies of Stirling would take up the work of collecting for the Life-boat Service with enthusiasm, they would have no difficulty at all in raising more money. He reminded them that Alloa had raised £260, a sum which he thought Stirling could easily equal, and he asked any ladies, who were willing to help, to join the Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

Lincoln.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 4th November, the chair being taken by the City Sheriff, Mr. J. W. Ashley, in the unavoidable absence of the Mayor. The Annual Report for the year ending the 30th September last was presented to the meeting, and showed that the sum of £210 was raised, as compared with £227 in the previous year, and, special reference was made to the splendid work of the ladies connected with the Branch, to whose efforts the great success of the Life-boat Day was mainly due. The Chairman spoke of the great interest taken by Mr. William Cottam, Chairman and Honorary Trea- surer of the Branch, in the work of the Institution. He was indeed the pioneer of the work in Lincoln, having organized the Branch in 1894. Mr. H. G.

Solomon, the District Organizing Secre- tary for the Midlands, on behalf of the Committee of Management, then pre- sented Mr. Cottam with an inscribed Aneroid Barometer, which had been awarded to him in recognition of his continuous and untiring work for the Life-boat Service. In making the pre- sentation, Mr. Solomon reminded the meeting that, some years before the Institution itself was founded, Lincoln had interested itself in the work of rescue from shipwreck and, in 1819, the Lincolnshire Shipwreck Association had been formed in that city. Mr.

Solomon paid tribute to the fine work of Mr. Cottam, and spoke of the eco- nomical way in which the Branch was conducted. In returning thanks, Mr.

Cottam spoke of the great help which he had received from the ladies of Lincoln in carrying on the work of the Branch, and said that he thought the Committee might well be proud of having raised £210 in a year of such acute depression of trade.

Cromer.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 8th November, the President, Lord Suffield, being in the chair. Mr.

F. H.Barclay,in presenting the report for the year ending the 30th September last, stated that although it had been a quiet year for the Cromer Life-boat, one of the services had been the longest on record, lasting over four days. The Slipway for the new Motor Life-boat was nearing completion, and the work of the Life-boat House itself will soon be started, and it was hoped that the new Motor Life-boat, for which these preparations were being made, would be ready to go to the Station before the summer of 1922. The report also re- ferred to the record Life-boat Day Collection, and the Committee expressed their warm thanks to Miss Taylor for again undertaking its organization, and to all those who had worked with her.

The total receipts for the year amounted to £569, as compared with £386 in 1920, while the expenditure amounted to £439, and the record amount of £150 had been remitted to the Institution.

Owing to the coal strike and the late arrival of visitors in the town, the amount collected at the Life-boat House itself (£91) was smaller than in the previous year, but over 4,000 picture postcards had been sold at the Life- boat House, and over 200 Life-boat books. The report and accounts were adopted. Lord Suffield was re-elected President, and Miss Taylor, Mrs. Colli- son, Miss Barclay, and Chief Officer Maguire, the newly-appointed Coast- guard officer, were added to the Com- mittee. A special vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Barclay for his great services to the Branch during many years as its Honorary Secretary and Treasurer.

Clacton-on-Sea.

A meeting of the Committee was held on the 8th November for the purpose of resenting Mr. S. J. R. L egeitcn with a Silver Model of a Life-boat and the Thanks of the Committee of Management inscribed on Vellum, in recognition of his services to the Institu- tion for twenty-one years as Honorary Secretary of the Branch. Mr. George B.

Fieldgate, the Chairman of the Com- mittee, who presided, recalled the fact that Mr. Legerton had been the Cox- swain of the Boat before undertaking the duties of Honorary Secretary, and that during his term of office the amount raised by the Branch had been increased from under £20 to nearly £300 annually.

Mr. E. J. Gilders, the President of the Branch, also paid tribute to Mr. Leger- ton's splendid services for the Institu- tion, and the presentation was made by Lieutenant F. W. Hayes, E.N.E., the Inspector of Life-boats for the Southern District. In returning thanks, Mr.

Legerton spoke of the valuable help which he had received from Mrs.

Coleman in the organization of the Annual Life-boat Day.

Bath.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 15th November, the chair being taken by Commander Target, R.N. The statement of accounts for the year ending the 30th September last was presented by the Honorary Treasurer, Captain H. J. D. Laxton, and showed that a sum of £361 had been raised, as compared with £342 in 1920.

The report stated that of this sum £90 had been obtained by the Life- boat Day, a falling off of £50, and that £95 had been raised by the theatrical entertainment arranged by Miss Adair.

The Treasurer expressed the hope that the Life-boat Day would be more successful next year, and that the idea of a theatrical performance would be continued and, if possible, extended.

Mr. P.S. Farrant, the District Organizing Secretary in the South-West of England, paid special tribute to the work of Mrs.

Allon Tucker, the Honorary Secretary of the Ladies' Committee, and described the foundation and objects of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild. He proposed that the Ladies' Committee of the Branch should be transformed into the' Ladies' Life- boat Guild of Bath, with Mrs. Allon Tucker as its Honorary Secretary. In thanking Mr. Farrant for his address, Captain Laxton promised that Bath would make a special effort in the coming year. The Committee was re-elected.

Appledore.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 16th November, the chair being taken by the Rev. J. P.

White, the President of the Branch.

The report for the year ending the 30th September last showed that a sum of £241 Is. 6d. had been raised, including a donation of £100, as compared with £140 18s. 2cL in the previous year.

The report stated that the alterations to the Slipway and the reconstruction of the Boat House for the housing of the new Motor Life-boat, which was ex- pected to be ready to go to her Station early in 1922, were nearing completion.

It also expressed the thanks of the Committee for the help which it had received from the members of the Ladies' Collecting Committee. The Rev. J. B.

White was re-elected President, Mr.

H. C. Whitehead, Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, and Sir Cecil Moon, Colonel Didham, and the new Vicar of Appledore were elected to the Com- mittee.

Edinburgh, Leith and Granton.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 17th November, the chair being taken by Lord Provost Hutchison, and a special address was delivered by the Duchess of Atholl.

The report for the year ending the 30th September last was presented and showed that the Branch had raised a sum of £2,290, including a special donation from Mr. T. J. S. Roberts, Sel- kirk, of £1,000 of War Loan Stock, at £852 10s., as compared with £1,453 in 1920. The Lord Provost said the Branch might congratulate itself on having had a fairly successful year, and he hoped that, trying as the times were, the support of the citizens of Edinburgh would not be wanting, since it was more urgently needed by the Institution at the present day than at any previous time in its history.

It was, he said, a notable fact that the sum of £590, realized by the Life- boat Day, had been largely collected in copper. This showed what a wonderful hold the Life-boat Service had on the j imagination and affection of the man- i j in-the-street. In moving the adoption ; of the report, the Duchess of Atholl spoke oi the splendid record of the Liie- boat Service, and of the mechanical | developments which it was now making.

She expressed in particular her admira- tion of the fact that the Life-boat Service was entirely maintained by voluntary contributions. The motion was seconded | by Mr. R. Addison Smith, and the report j was unanimously approved.

I Bradford.

The twenty-second Life-boat Matinee was held at the Alhambra on the 23rd November. It was again organized by Mr. Francis Laidler, the Managing Director, and many artistes from the local theatres gave their services. Some, in fact, were appearing at the Matinee for the third time. Sir William Priestly, the Chairman of the Branch, and Mr.

Johnson, the District Organizing Secre- tary for the North of England, expressed the thanks of the Life-boat Service to Mr. Laidler, and to all those who con- tributed to the Matinee's success, and the Lord Mayor (Mr. Thomas Ely the) made an earnest appeal for increased support. Altogether, the sum of £473 was realized, which, although rather less than the result of the previous year, was felt, in the exceptionally difficult circumstances of 1921, to be a splendid result.

Folkestone.

The Annual Meeting was held on the 24th November, the chair being taken by Colonel Sir Stephen Penfold, J.P., the Vice-President of the Branch. The annual report and statement of accounts for the year ending the 30th September last were presented by Mr. Richard White, the Honorary Secretary, and ! showed that a sum of just under £20 ; had been obtained by subscriptions, over £70 by the Life-boat Day, and over 1 £118 by the contribution boxes. The sum raised by the collecting boxes was ' considerably larger than that of the previous year, and it was felt that the financial result was very satisfactory.

Special reference was made to the caretaker at the Boat House for his good work in interesting visitors in the Station.

Penlee (Penzance Branch).

The Annual Meeting was held on the 24th November, the chair being taken by Alderman George Poole, in the absence of the Mayor who is Chairman of the Branch. The report for the year ending the 30th September last, and the statements of accounts showed that the subscriptions had fallen from £93 to 69, but Mr. G. C. L. Poole expressed the hope that those who had reduced their subscriptions in 1921 would subscribe double the following year. Although subscriptions had fallen off, the contribution boxes showed the same amount, while over £130, a larger sum than in the previous year, had been realized by the Life-boat Day held not only in Penzance itself, but in Lamorna, Mousehole, Paul, Gulval, and Marazion, and by the Carnival which had been organized at Newlyn. Last year's officers were re-elected, and Mr. Donoghue and Captain Reynolds, Superintendent of the Trinity Service, were elected members of the Committee, the latter in place of Captain Williams, the late Superintendent.

Dundee.

The Annual Meeting was held on the 29th November, the chair being taken by Mr. A. B. Gilroy, President of the Local Committee. The annual report for the year ending the 30th September last referred to the fine service of the Broughty Ferry Life-boat in April, 1920, when she went to the help of the pilot cutter Day Dream* and to the new and more powerful Motor Life-boat John Riburn, which was permanently placed at the Station in July. The accounts showed that a sum of over £459 had been raised during the year, and that the Ladies' Auxiliary had raised over £31 more than in the previous year.

Coxswain John Gawl was presented with a Bronze Medal and Certificate, awarded to him by the Committee of Management for the service to the Day Dream. Captain Yule was elected Chairman in succession to Mr. J. Hunter * A full account, of this service appeared in The Life-Boat for August, 1920.Mitchell, and the other office holders were re-elected. Sir William Martin, the Organizing Secretary for Scotland, described the formation and objects of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

Worthing.

The Annual Meeting was held on the 1st December, the chair being taken by Mr. Harry Hargood, O.B.E., the President of the Branch and a member of the Committee of Management. He was supported by Admiral Sir Stanley Colville, Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt.(Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Management), the Mayor of Worthing (Alderman Mrs.Chapman), and Lord Winterton (Member of Parliament for Horsham and Worthing). The Annual Keport | for the year ending the 30th September .last showed that £180 had been raised by subscriptions as compared with £159 in the previous year, and £198 by donations, as compared with £166 in the previous year, while the Garden Fete, of which an account was given in the last issue of the The Life-Boat, realized a sum of £146. Sir Stanley Colville, who was formerly Commander-in-duef at Portsmouth, spoke of the value of the Life-boats, and expressed his surprise at the apathy of the shipping community in England towards Life-boat work, contrasting its annual contribution to the Institution of £4,300 * with the £10,000 a year which Norwegian shipowners subscribe to their Life-boat Service, and the £25,000 which had been contributed by shipping firms in Holland in response to the special appeal for £50,000 for the construction of more Motor Boats. Sir Godfrey Baring paid a tribute to Mr. Hargood's services to the Life-boat Cause, and spoke of the splendid support which it received from the officers and men of the Royal Navy.

Lord Winterton proposed the re-election of the officers. Councillor Ivens was added to the Committee, and Lady de Gex, Mrs. Paton, and Mrs. Ravenscourt were added to the Ladies' Committee.

Winchester.

A Special Meeting of the Branch was held on the 1st December at the Royal i * This is the figure for 1920. For 1921 it is under £2,000.Theatre, the chair being taken by the ex-Mayor (Alderman A. R. Dyer), and an address, followed by a display of Life-boat films, was delivered by Mr.

George F. Shee, M.A., the Secretary of the Institution. Mr. Dyer referred to the interest which Winchester had taken in the past in the Life-boat Service, as shown by the sum which was raised towards the provision of the City of Winchester Life-boat. He also urged his hearers to be " one of the million " five-shilling subscribers for whom the Institution is appealing. In the course of his address Mr. Shee said that, great as was the anxiety with regard to the state of the world to-day, the Life-boat Service was a Cause from which it was always possible to draw encouragement, for it united all classes in a common ideal, and its records were full of stories of the unselfish devotion of men and women. The Institution was unique in being the only charitable society in the British Isles which main- tained an indispensable and ever-active national service. It was now in grave need of increased support, and he re- minded his audience that, while Win- chester's contribution towards the City of Winchester Life-boat, now stationed at Aldeburgh, had been £750, the Boat had actually cost £2,500 to build. He felt that, in these circumstances, the Institution had a special claim, on the generosity of Winchester people, and he appealed to the City to raise the £250 a year required to maintain the Boat.

Hull.

A Matinee was held on the 1st December, at the Palace Theatre, in aid of the funds of the Institution. The Matinee was organized by the Lady Mayoress, and artistes from all the local theatres gave their services. The Penlee Life-boat Film was also shown. The Matinee proved a great success, and the sum of £ 119 was realized. On behalf of the Institution the District Organizing Secretary for the North of England cordially thanked Messrs Moss Empires, Ltd., and the artistes for their generous help to the Life-boat Cause. In acknow- ledging the vote of thanks, the Manager said that they were always willing to help the cause of charity, especiallyI such a deserving cause as the Life-boat ; Service.

I Bermondsey.

A Special Meeting was held on the 6th December at the Town Hall, with Mr. Charles Oscar Gridley, the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, in the chair, for the purpose of presenting to the Mayoress, Mrs. Bustin, a Framed Photo- graph of a Life-boat service, in recog- nition of her efforts in carrying out, with the help of her lady workers, the Bermondsey Life-boat Day during the | past two years. The Chairman said that i he had worked in the past with many Mayors and Mayoresses, but with none more happily than the present holders of the office. He also pointed out that | Bermondsey occupied a proud position among the London Boroughs which col- I lected for the Life-boat Service, for, | with the exception of the City, which stood alone, Bermondsey had con- j tributed more than any other. The pre- j sentation was made by Lieut.-Colonel | A. S. Murray, O.B.E., the Organizing j Secretary for Greater London, who said that the Photograph was a very small mark of the Committee of Management's deep appreciation of most generous and most successful services. The large sums which Bermondsey had been able to contribute to the Institution in spite of the exceptional difficulties of 1921 and ''the terrible unemployment, was proof, not only of the affection and admiration which the British people felt for their Life-boat Service, but also of what could be done, even in the most difficult circumstances, by real enthu- siasm, for a fine cause. The Mayoress, in returning thanks, said that she could not speak highly enough of the unselfish help of those who had worked with her, and that the presentation would be an encouragement to them all to continue their work for the Life-boat Cause.

Eastbourne.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 6th December, the chair being taken by the Chairman of the Branch, Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Prendergast, K.C.B., supported by the Vice-Chairman, Mr. A. J. Bowen, and Colonel Sir Henry McMahon, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O.. a member of the Committeeof Management. The report and balance sheet for the year ending the 30th j September last were presented by the Honorary Secretary, Mr. J. Cowper Smith, and showed that a record sum of over £937 had been raised during the year, of which sum £600 had been re- mitted to Headquarters. The report paid a tribute to the splendid work of Mrs. Astley Roberts, President of the Ladies' Committee. The officers were re-elected, and it was proposed and carried that, as there were now some fifty people on the General Committee, two Sub-Committees should be set up, one to be known as the Boats and Building Committee, and the other as the General Purposes Committee. In the course of an address on the work of the Service Sir Henry McMahon thanked the Eastbourne Committee on behalf of the Committee of Manage- ment for their most valuable work, specially mentioning Mrs. Astley Roberts, Mr. Bowen, Mr. Cowper Smith, and Mr. Mark Hookham, the Honorary Secretary of the Special Effort. Mrs, Astley Roberts said that she was very anxious to form a strong Ladies' Life- boat Guild in Eastbourne, and an- nounced that forty-nine members of the Ladies' Auxiliary had already joined, and fifteen new members.

St. Anne's.

The Annual Meeting was held on the 9th December, the chair being taken by the Chairman of the Committee, Sir Charles W. Macara, Bt. The report and statement of accounts for the year ending the 30th September last, which were presented by Mr. Thomas Bradley, the Honorary Secretary, showed that the sum of £169 5s. $d. had been raised during the year, of which £150 had been sent to Headquarters. In moving the adoption of the reports, Sir Charles Macara paid a tribute to the work of the new Coxswain, and referred to the growing difficulties of Life-boat work on that coast due to the dwindling number of fishermen. Referring to the Motor Life-boat programme, Sir Charles Macara made an earnest appeal for increased support, and welcomed the formation of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild, which he felt would do much to help in raising the increased funds required.

Poole and Bournemouth.

The Annual Meeting of the Poole, Bournemouth, Wimbourne and Christ- church Branch was held on the 12th December, the chair being taken by the Mayor of Poole (Councillor J. C. W.

Julyan). The Annual Report for the year ending the 30th September last, was presented by Mr. H. E. Shave, the i Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, and showed that during the year a sum of over £598 had been raised, Poole ' contributing £34, Bournemouth £500, 1 Wimborne £13, Christchurch £31, and Milton £18. The officers and Com- j mittee were re-elected, and a special I vote of thanks to Mr. Shave was pro- i posed by the Chairman of the Commit- tee, Mr. Henry Burden, who urged that for the future Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole should have a common Life-boat Day.

Southampton.

The Annual Meeting was held on the 9th January, the chair being taken by the Mayor of Southampton (Councillor F. Bath), who was supported by Sir ; Godfrey Baring, Bt., the Deputy Chair- man of the Committee of Management.

The annual report and statement of accounts for the year ending the 30th September last were presented by the Honorary Secretary, Mr. P. B. Ingoldby, i and showed that a sum of £191 had been [ raised by subscriptions, donations, and ! collections, and £541 by the Flag Day, I making a total of £732. Out of this sum j £716 had been sent to Headquarters.

Sir Godfrey Baring, in the course of an address on the work of the Service, expressed the warm thanks of the Com- mittee of Management to the Branch, and congratulated it on having raised a record sum for the second year in suc- cession. Dealing with the increasing cost of the Service, Sir Godfrey said that in the administration of the Service all extravagance was avoided, but that there was one thing in which they could not afford to be economical, and that was in the provision and equipment of the Life-boats. In the Boats everything had to be of the best possible, because { on this the lives of men depended. SirGodfrey also spoke of the Ladies' Life- boat Guild, which was being adopted in every part of the country, and at a later stage of the meeting it was unani- mously decided to form a Guild in Southampton, Lady Emma Crichton having consented to become its first President. The Mayor was elected President of the Branch, and the other officials and the Committee were re- elected.

Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton.

The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held on the 10th January, the chair being taken by Captain A. B. Grenfell, R.N. The report and statement of accounts for the year ending the 30th September last were presented by Captain W. H. Taylor, E.N., the Honorary Secretary, and showed that subscriptions and donations received amounted to over £85, and that, in addition, thanks to the Checkstone Sailing Club, a most successful Life-boat Day had been held, which had been the means of raising over £155 in Exmouth, while £40 had been raised in Budleigh Salterton. The Secretary stated that money received from the Day had been i sent direct to Headquarters, and that ! he hoped that with the remaining funds the Branch would be able to carry on its work in the next year without drawing upon Headquarters. The officers and Committee were re-elected, and special reference was made to the loss which the Branch had sustained by the death of Colonel C. Lacon Harvey, one of its oldest subscribers.

Coventry.

The annual meeting of the Branch was held on the 21st February, the Mayor (Alderman W. H. Grant) pre- siding. The annual report and balance- sheet were presented, the accounts showing that the total amount raised was £329, as compared with £417 in 1920. The Mayor moved the adoption of the report, and Alderman Drink- water, Chairman of the Branch, in seconding, said he looked upon the result as very satisfactory, considering the conditions which had prevailed in the city during the past eighteen months. The report was adopted. The Mayor was re-elected President. Alder- man Drinkwater and the other officers were also re-elected, and heartily thanked for their past services.

NOTE.—Reports of Meetings of many Branches are held over until the next issue for lack of space..