DURING the summer the Inaugural Ceremonies of new Motor Life-boats have been held at the Lizard, Appledore, Peterhead, Brixham, Eastbourne and Bembridge. Of these, the Lizard boat went to her station in 1920, the Peter- head and Eastbourne boats last year, and those at Appledore, Brixham and Bembridge this year. In addition to these last three, another four Motor Life-boats have been completed and have gone to their stations, and it is hoped to hold their Inaugural Ceremonies later on. These four are the Boats for Barry Dock, Glamorganshire ; Buckie, Banff- shire ; Selsey, Sussex; and Sennen Cove, Cornwall.

The Lizard.

The Lizard Motor Life-boat is a self- righter, 38 feet by 9 feet 9 inches. She is fitted with a Tylor engine of 45 h.p., and is the gift of Mr. Frederick H. Pilley, of Upper Norwood, London, after whom she has been named. The Inaugural Ceremony took place in fine weather on 18th August, and besides the large num- ber of guests at the boathouse itself, the cliffs near the station were lined with visitors. The Mayor of Helston pre- sided, and all the Life-boat stations from Falmouth to Sennen Cove, as well as some of the North Cornish stations, were represented.

To his deep regret, neither Mr. Pilley nor Mrs. Pilley was able, on account of ill-health, to be present, and in his absence, Miss May Pilley presented the Boat to the Branch. Colonel Sir Cour- tenay Vyvyan, in the absence of the President, Lord Clifden, gratefully accepted her, and in doing so said: " Without those stout arms and willing hearts which man the Boat, and which time and again have faced all kinds of danger to save life, and bring help to people in sore need, the best boat in the world would be valueless. I am sure Miss Pilley will endorse what I say when I assure you that the value of her father's gift is very largely enhanced by the value of the services which will,;be given so cordially, willingly and bravely to make the gift all that its donor could desire." The opening prayer was recited by ;he Rev. H. 0. Barratt, the Rector of Landewednack, and the Boat was dedi- cated by the Rev. H. Vyvyan, Rector of Buan Minor, who, as Honorary Secretary of the Cadgwith Branch, has taken part '.n a number of services, and was wearing the silver medal awarded to him by the Institution in connexion with the ser- vice to the liner Suevic in 1907, when 456 ives were rescued. The vote of thanks to Miss Pilley and all who had taken part in the ceremony was proposed by bhe Honorary Secretary of the Branch, Mr. Claude M. Hart, and was seconded by the Vice-Chairman, Mr. John Hendy, who appealed for an increased number of annual subscribers in order that the station might become self-supporting.

Miss Pilley then named the Boat Frederick H. Pilley, Mrs. Claude M. Hart released her, and she glided swiftly down the 300 feet of slipway into the sea.

Appledore.

The Appledore Boat is also a self- righter, 40 feet by 10 feet 6 inches, and, like the Lizard Boat, fitted with a Tylor engine of 45 h.p. She is the gift of three benefactors of the Institution, all of whom bequeathed sums for the con- struction of Life-boats, Miss L. A. Mar- shall, of Hassocks, Sussex, Mr. Alfred Sleemin, of Plymouth, and Mr. Henry James Vagg, of Camberwell. Each of these legacies by itself was insufficient to provide a Motor Life-boat, and the executors gave permission for them to be amalgamated. The names desired by the three testators have all been in- scribed on a plate inside the Boat, which reads:— " The Ellen and James Vagg, The Sarah Sleemin, and The Cecilia Life-boat." The cost of this Boat was defrayed from the legacies of:— Mr. H. J. Vagg, Mr. Alfred Sleemin, Miss L. A. Marshall.

On the outside, the Boat has the initials " V. C. S." The Inaugural Ceremony took place on 18th August, in brilliant weather, in the presence of a large gathering of the residents of Appledore, Bideford and Instow, besides many visitors. The President of the Branoh, the Rev. J. B.

White, presided at the ceremony, Cap- tain Innes, R.N., District Inspector of Life-boats, presented the Boat to the Branch, and Captain Prideaux-Brune, the Chairman of the Committee, ac- cepted her. The Dedicating Service was conducted by the Venerable the Arch- deacon of Totnes, Canon T. Newton Leeke (formerly Rector of Bideford, and a member of the Life-boat Committee), with the help of the Rev. H. C. A. S.

Muller, Rector of Appledore, and the Rev. J. J. Nelson, the Baptist Minister.

The singing was led by the combined choirs of the Parish Church and the Non- conformist Churches, and was accom- panied by the Town Band. Among those present were Councillor W. J. Pursey, Chairman of the Northam Urban District Council, who proposed the vote of thanks, and Mr. H. C.

Whitehead, Honorary Secretary of the Branch.

In the course of his speech, Mr. White said that with such a Boat they could feel that everything had been done for the safety of the brave men who would man her, as well as for the succour of the shipwrecked. It was an honour to be entrusted with a Motor Life-boat, but extra honours always brought extra responsibilities, and they were now liable to be called upon to co-operate with a Welsh Boat and the Boat at Padstow in deep sea work. They would be expected to go great distances, and this was where additional responsibility was laid on the station. It was not necessary to tell his hearers that to build boats and stations cost a great deal of money; and he trusted that they would open their purse strings wide and give to the ut- most of their ability. They could do even better by becoming annual sub- scribers, if only to the extent of Qd. a year.

In accepting the Boat, Captain Pri- deaux-Brune warmly thanked the Insti- tution, and reminded his hearers that Appledore was one of the oldest Life- boat stations in the country, having been established in 1825, the year after the Institution itself was founded.

Miss White then named the Boat V.C.S. A strong wind was bringing the tide in very fast, and it was already lapping round the platform as the Boat took the water.

Peterhead.

The Peterhead Boat is of the Watson type, 45 feet by 12 feet 6 inches, being one of the largest and most powerful in the Institution's Fleet. She is fitted with a Tylor engine of 60 h.p., and showed a speed of over 8 knots on her trials. She has been presented and endowed by the United Grand Lodge of English Free- masons.

The Inaugural Ceremony was held on 28th August in brilliant weather, and practically the whole town took part.

The Duke of Atholl, as representative of the United Grand Lodge of England, presented the Boat to the Institution, and she was received on behalf of the Committee of Management by Sir Woodburn Kirby, who, in turn, presented her to the Branch. The Marquess of Aberdeen, the Lord Lieutenant, repre- sented Aberdeenshire, and ex-Baillie Duncan, the President of the Branch, presided over the ceremony. A pro- minent part was taken in it by the members of the Masonic Lodges in Peterhead and Aberdeenshire, among those present being Major W. E.

Hutchison, of Cairngall, Provincial Grand Master for Aberdeenshire East.

All the Fishing Fleet and other vessels of Peterhead were decorated for the occasion, and were stationed off the slip- way, and each drifter gave a cran of herrings to the funds of the Branch.

The neighbouring stations of Fraser- burgh and Newburgh were represented by their Honorary Secretaries and Com- mittees, and the Fraserburgh Motor Life-boat was present. The Rev. Canon Wilkinson, of St. Peter's, and the Rev.

Alexander Lourie conducted the religious service, and the Boat was named by Mrs. Dinnes. All the arrangements for the ceremony had been most successfully made by the Honorary Secretary of the Branch, Mr. James Henderson.

One very sad event marred the pleasure of the occasion. It was known that the Coxswain, John Geddes, was lying dangerously ill, with little hope of recovery, and while the hymn " For those in Peril on the Sea " was being sung he passed away.

Before the ceremony itself there was a procession through the town, con- sisting of the brethren of the Peterhead Masonic Lodges, in full regalia, the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, and all the schoolchildren of the district, the Peter- head Pulling and Sailing Life-boatGeorge Pickard, with the crew on board, the band of the Salvation Army, the ex- Servicemen's Pipe Band, and the Fisher- men's Fife and Drum Band.

The ceremony took place at noon, and the speeches were delivered from the George PwkarA. In introducing the Duke of Atholl, the Chairman said that they were met to inaugurate a new Motor Life-boat which was to take the place of that other lost so tragically, in the early days of the War, on the rocks just below where they stood. Tie mention of that tragedy would awaken very poignant memories in the hearts of some present, for they had lost on that occasion, not only a splendid Boat, but three gallant lives, in the effort to rescue the crew of one of His Majesty's boats which went ashore and was dashed to pieces in attempting to enter the har- bour.

The Duke of Atholl said that as the representative of Scottish Freemasons near the Grand Lodge of England, he had been asked to present the Life-boat to the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. She was to be named the Duke of Connaught, and was a gift from the Freemasons of England as a thank- offering for the safe return of His Royal Highness the Grand Master Mason of England, after a distinguished period of service as Governor-General of Canada.

No one knew better than the people of Peterhead the need for a Life-boat.

Landsmen like himself, who lived far inland, did not always appreciate the troubles and dangers that beset those who lived by the sea. They were apt toforget that they were an island, depen- dent almost for their very existence on what their ships brought to them. They forgot the risks that those who manned ships had to run. Few of them, when they grumbled over their breakfast, ever thought of how that breakfast arrived ; the tea from India or China, the coffee from Ceylon ; the flour with which to make the scones from the United States ; maybe butter and eggs from Denmark; bacon from across the Atlantic ; pepper and sugar from their Dominions. Even the kipper started its life in the sea.

That was an ordinary breakfast-table, but it came from the four corners of the world, and sometimes cost the lives of the bringers.

During the War where were their Peterhead trawlers ? Where were the fishermen ? Messing about as con- scientious objectors ? No ; out wherever there was danger, fishing for more dangerous stuff than herrings. He had seen them from one end of the Mediter- ranean to the other, bobbing about in the Adriatic. Where other ships feared to go, there the Aberdeenshire trawler was sure to be found. They kept our trade routes open, and they helped to save this country from starvation.

It was not too much, he continued, to ask the people of Great Britain to sup- port the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITU- TION, which carried on its splendid ser- vice without one penny of help from the State. It had made a pledge, and kept it, that it would place a Life-boat on every spot where necessity could be proved.

It gave rewards for every rescue or attempted rescue from shipwreck, and since it had been in existence, it had given rewards for the saving of over 58,000 lives, the great majority of whom had been British seamen and fishermen.

Last year it spent on its work over £300,000, and at that moment it wanted help more than ever before, not so much because of high prices or inflated cur- rency, but because it must be up to date, and because nothing could be considered as too costly which could help to save life at sea.

In acknowledging the gift of the Boat on behalf of the Institution, and thank- ing the Duke of Atholl for his admirable address, Sir Woodburn Kirby said that as long ago as 1916, he was in Grand Lodge in London, when the question of commemorating the return of the Duke of Connaught from Canada was under consideration, and it was then unani- mously resolved by some 500 or 600 representatives of Masonic bodies in Grand Lodge to present the new Boat which was to be launched that day. He was very glad to see so many Masons present, and to be able to tell them that that was not the first occasion on which the Masons had made a handsome gift to the Life-boat Institution. In 1877 two Life-boats were presented by the United Grand Lodge as a thank-offering for the safe return of the Grand Master (Edward VII., then Prince of Wales) from his Indian tour. These" two Life- boats, Albert Edward and Alexandra, were stationed at Clacton-on-Sea and Hope Cove, in Devon. Like them, the Peterhead Life-boat had not only been presented by the United Grand Lodge, but had been endowed in perpetuity, so that there would always be a Duke of Connaught in the Institution's Fleet.

In conclusion, Sir Woodburn Kirby spoke of the serious financial position of the Institution, with an expenditure in- creasing much more rapidly than its income, and appealed to the great ship- ping firms and the great trawling com- panies of Great Britain to open their purses, and give it their generous sup- port. It was a deplorable fact that the shipping community of the United Kingdom contributed last year an amount which represented something .ess than 1 per cent, of the whole expen- diture. He hoped some of the shipping irms would follow the noble example set by the Masons, and contribute Motor Boats or their equivalent, so that they might be able to complete their big pro- gramme, and put such Boats wherever bhey were required round the coast.

The Chairman then gratefully ac- cepted the new Boat on behalf of the Branch, and she was dedicated by Canon Wilkinson. The hymn " Eternal Father, Strong to Save," was sung, and the Chairman then announced that news lad just been brought to him of the death of Coxswain Geddes.

In moving votes of thanks to all who iad taken part in the ceremony, theMarquess of Aberdeen said that it was an occasion of much more than local interest. Peterhead had a position geographically, historically, and com- mercially, which caused its career to be a source of interest to the whole county to which it belonged. As His Majesty's representative in the county, he was sure that that inauguration would be regarded with special approbation and goodwill by the King, and all the more because that assembly at one of the chief headquarters of the fishing industry on the East coast—and they were not for- getting Fraserburgh in that connexion— called to mind the splendid services rendered by fishermen during the War.

; The Marquess also said that he would : like to congratulate the organisers on the prominent position which they had given to children in the ceremony, and asked to be allowed to offer twelve • medals as prizes for the twelve best ; essays by the children present de- scribing this memorable occasion.

Major Hutchison seconded the votes of thanks, and the Boat was then launched, the Duke of Atholl slipping the chain, and Mrs. Dinnes naming her Duke of Connaught. The drifters and other vessels had formed two lines from the toe of the slipway, and between these the Duke of Connaught passed, welcomed by the hooters and sirens of all the shipping of Peterhead.

After the ceremony the guests were ! entertained to luncheon by the Peter- head Committee, and the crew were entertained to a supper and concert in the evening.

Three days later Coxswain Gsddes was buried. The funeral was very largely attended. Among those who i followed the coffin were the crew in their service dress, members of the local Com- ; mittee, and representatives of the Masonic lodges.

: Eastbourne.

I This ceremony took place on 27th September in the presence of several thousand people, and was especially interesting for the reason that it was the launch of an entirely new type of Motor Life-boat. Until this Boat was built all Motor Life-boats had been of a size and weight which made it essential to use a slipway for launching, or to keep the Boat at moorings. As the foreshore at Eastbourne made either of these methods impossible, tie Com- mittee of Management decided, as a result of representations from the East- bourne Committee, to design a new type of Motor Life-boat, light enough to be launched from a carriage. This Boat was built simply as an experiment, but before the Inaugural Ceremony took place she had justified herself sufficiently to decide the Institution to lay down a similar Boat for Scarborough.

The Eastbourne Boat is of the self- righting type, 35 ft. by 8 ft. 6 inches, and is fitted with an auxiliary engine of 15 h.p. The total weight of the Boat and engine is less than 6 tons, as com- pared with over 9| tons, which is the weight of the next lightest type. She has a speed of 6 knots and a radius of action of 80 miles.

The greater part of the cost of this Boat has been defrayed by a legacy received from the late Mr. Edward Macbean, of Helensburgh and Glasgow.

Mr. A. J. Bowen, Deputy Chairman of the Eastbourne Committee, presided.

The Boat was presented to the Branch on behalf of the Donor's relatives by the Hon. George Colville, a member of the Committee of Management, and was accepted on behalf of the Branch by the Mayor of Eastbourne, Alderman H. W. Keay, J.P. The religious cere- mony was conducted by the Right Rev.

Dr. Southwell, Bishop of Lewes, who dedicated the Boat, by Canon W. C.

Streatfield, Vicar of Eastbourne, and the Rev. W. Macfadyean Scott, and the Boat was named Priscilla Macbean by MH. Astley Roberts, President of the Eastbourne Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

Among those present were Mr. J. L.

Ferguson and Mr. A. B. Carr, partners in the firm of Messrs. Edward Macbean & Co., of Glasgow, manufacturers of oilskin clothing, of which Mr. Macbean was the founder, Mr. George F. Shee, M.A., Secretary of the Institution, Alderman E. Daks, J.P., and Mr. J. Cowper Smith, Hon. Secretary of the Branch, who had made all the arrange- ments for tha csrsmany. Tha singing was led by the choir of All Saints' Church.

Mr. Bowen said, in his introductory address, that the Eastbourne Branch was one of the oldest in the kingdom.

It had been founded in 1822, two years before the Institution itself, so that they were celebrating their Centenary as well as inaugurating a new Life-boat. He also expressed the thanks of the Branch to Mrs. Astley Roberts, President of the Eastbourne Ladies' Life-Boat Guild, and to the ladies of Eastbourne, for their enthusiastic work which had enabled the Branch to increase its annual income from £87 in 1910 to £259 in 1921, and besides maintaining the Station to make substantial con- tributions each year to the general funds of the Institution. In conclusion, Mr.

Bowen pointed out that, splendid as were the results of their Life-boat Days, reaching a record of £701 in 1918, the backbone of the Branch was the annual subscriptions, and he asked that still more residents of Eastbourne should give their support in that way.

Mr. Colville, in presenting the Boat to the Branch, expressed the gratitude of the Institution to Mr. Edward Macbean, and their pleasure that two representatives of his firm were present at the ceremony. He congratulated Eastbourne on its fine record, both as a Station and as a Financial Branch, and spoke of the Committee of Manage- ment's plans for stationing Motor Life- boats all round the 5,000 miles of the coast of the British Isles at those points where inquiry showed that these costly Boats were necessary and the conditions suitable.

In accepting the Boat the Mayor said that he was sure not only that the Crew would continue to do their duty, but that the new Boat would increase the zeal of all who were working for the Life-boat Cause.

Lieutenant Hayes, R.N.R., District Inspector of Life-boats, gave details of the new Boat, and after Mr. Shee had proposed and Alderman Duke had seconded a vote of thanks to the Com- mittee and Officers of the Branch, Mrs. Astley Roberts named the Boat Priscilla Macbean, and she was launched.

Brixham.

The Brixham Motor Life-boat is a sister boat to the Appledore Life-boat.

The Boat herself has been built out of a legacy from the late Mr. Alfred J. Heath, of London, and the engine out of a legacy from the late Mrs. Augusta H.

Tozer, of Oxford. The Inaugural Cere- mony took place on 9th September, and a Life-boat Day was held in Brixham on the same day. The joint effort was most successfully organised by the Honorary Secretary of the Branch, Mr. W. H. K.

Brewer, and the Honorary Secretary of the newly-formed Brixham Ladies' Life- boat Guild. Miss Lillian Shears, and a sum of £86 was collected.

Captain Manley, the Chairman of the Committee, presided, and the Boat was presented to the Branch on behalf of the relatives of the donors by Mr. Harold D. P. Clayton, a member of the Committee of Management. I n accepting the Boat, Lord Churston, President of the Branch, expressed the gratitude of Brixham to the Institution in providing the Station with one of the latest types of Motor Life-boat.

The Boat was dedicated by the Venerable T. N. Leeke, Archdeacon of Totnes, and the singing at the religious ceremony was led by the Salvation Army Band and a choir from the British Sea- men's Orphan Boys' Home.

Captain Hay Matthay proposed the vote of thanks to all who had contributed to the success of the ceremony, and the Rev. T. L. Brown, chaplain of the British Seamen's Orphan Boys' Home, seconded.

Lady Churston then named the Boat Alfred and Clara Heath, in memory of the donor and his wife, and the engine Mary and Katherine after the sister and niece of the donor, and the Boat was launched.

Bembridge.

The Bembridge Motor Life-boat is a sister boat to the App]edore and Brixham boats, and is the first Motor Life-boat to be stationed in the Isle of Wight. She has been built out of a legacy received ! from the late Mr. T. G. Langham, of London and Great Wigston, Leicester, and the Institution is much indebted to the executors of Mr. Langham's estate, who, when it was pointed out to them that the original legacy was in- sufficient for the purpose for which it had been left to the Institution, made it up to the full cost of the Boat out of the residue of the estate, which had been left for general charitable purposes.

The Inaugural Ceremony took place on 5th October. Sir Charles Seely, Bt., President of the Isle of Wight Branch, took the chair, and the Boat was pre- sented to the Station on behalf of the donor's relatives by Mr. L. J. Thrupp Chidell, of the firm of Messrs. Thrupp Chidell & Sharp, the solicitors of Mr. Langham's estate. Mr. R. S. Saule, J.P., received the Boat on behalf of the Branch, and Mrs. Thrupp Chidell named her the Langham in commemoration of the donor's generosity. Among those pre- sent were Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Management, who proposed the vote of thanks, the Hon. George Colvile, who seconded it, and Mr. W. Couldrey, the Honorary Secretary of the Branch.

The Bembridge Motor Life-boat illus- trates in a very clear and interesting way | the general policy of the Institution with regard to the construction of Motor Life- boats, and is discussed by the Secretary in his " Notes and News " on another page of this issue..