LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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Summary of the Meetings of the Committee of Management

Friday, 15th June, 1923.

Sir GODFREY BARING, Bt., in the Chair.

Elected His Grace the DUKE OF ATHOLL, K.T., a Vice-President of the Institution.

Decided that the House of the Institution be known in future as " Life-Boat House." Reported the receipt of the following special contributions:— £ *. d.

CIVIL SERVICE LIFE-BOAT FUND (per W. Fortescue Barratt, Esq.), expenditure connected with Civil Service Life-boats in 1922 1,790 7 5 THE MISSES EDDY, towards cost of alterations to Penlee Station to accommodate The Brothers Life-boat (balance).... 1,000 - - ANONYMOUS 1,000 - - ANONYMOUS 150 - - J. W. ARCHER, Esq. ... 50 - - Miss REID 50 - - W. J. MACANDREW, Esq. . . 50 - - —To be thanked.

Paid, £19,646 16s. 10 Z. for sundry charges in connexion with the construction of Life- boats, Life-boat Houses and Slipways, and the maintenance of the various Life-boat establish- ments.

Voted £24 9s. to pay the expenses of the following Life-boat services :—• Lives Lifeboat. Vessel. rescued.

Appledore . . Motor vessel Fimmo, (Boarding boat). of Geestemunde.

Landed 9.

Clacton-on-Sea . Yacht Irene, of Roches- (Motor) ter. Saved vessel and 2 Voted £131 12s. lid. to pay the expenses of the following Life-boat launches, assemblies of crews, etc., with a view to assisting persons on vessels in distress :—Aldeburgh No. 1, Berwick- on-Tweed, Caister, Dunbar, Penlee (Motor), Rhoseolyn, Sennen Cove (Motor), Weymouth, and Wicklow (Motor).

Voted a compassionate grant of £3 to WM. THOMAS who was in poor circumstances, and was resigning after being a member of the Porthdinllaen Life-boat crew for twenty years.

Voted £1 10s. to three Life-boat men, and sent a Letter of Thanks to Mr. W. H. NORRIS, Honorary Secretary, for putting off in a motor boat and assisting a sailing boat, which was in difficulties, off Weymouth, on the 12th May.

Also granted 10s. to cover the cost of petrol used.

Friday, 20th July, 1923.

Sir GODFREY BARING, Bt., in the Chair.

Reported the receipt of the following special contribution:— £ s d " BATH " (additional donation) . 1,000 - - —To be thanked.

Paid £21,580 19s. lOd. for sundry charges in connexion with the construction of Life-boats, Life-boat Houses and Slipways, and the main- tenance of the various Life-boat establish- ments.

Voted £79 16s. to pay the expenses of the following Life-boat services :— Lives Life-boat. Vessel. rescued.

Cullercoats . . Coble Isabella, of Sun- derland .... 3 The Lizard . . S.S. Nivelle, of London 20 (Motor) Lowestoft . . Shrimp boat Boy (Motor) Arthur, of Lowestoft.

Saved boat and . 2 Selsey (Motor) . Spanish cruiser Cata- luna. Rendered assistance.

Sunderland . . A fishing boat .of (Motor) Whitburn ... 3 Also voted £189 Is. to pay the expenses of the following Life-boat launches, assemblies of crews, etc., with a view to assisting persons on vessels in distress:—Caister, Donaghadee (Motor), Fraserburgh, Hoylake, Johnshaven, Lossiemouth, New Brighton, Penlee (Motor), Porthleven, Ramsgate, and Wells.

The Rhyl Life-boat crew were also assembled for service.

Specially recognized the services of Mr. WM. HAYSOM, on his retirement from the office of Honorary Secretary of the Swanage Branch, which position he had held for nearly twenty years.

Reported that a Letter had been sent to Rhyl expressing appreciation of the very smart assembly of the Life-boat crew, on the 12th June, 1923.

Also reported that a Letter of Thanks had been sent to Captain W. J. OLIVER, Joint Honorary Secretary at Sunderland, who went out in the Life-boat on service on the 10th June.

Granted an additional reward to each of the crew of the Cullercoats Life-boat as compen- sation for damage to clothes sustained when on service in the Life-boat on Sunday, 10th June.

Awarded the Thanks of the Institution, inscribed on Vellum, and the sum of £3 10s. to Mr. JOHN MITTEN, also a Vellum and £2 10s. each to Messrs. W. FITZPATRICK, JAMES MITTEN, JOHN BRIEN, and T. MARSHALL, in recognition of tieir meritorious conduct in saving, at considerable personal risk, the crew of three hands, of the schooner Gilbert Oreenatt, of Carnarvon, on the 25th March, 1923. The vessel stranded on the Rusk Bank, off Morris Castle, Co. Wexford, during a moderate S.E.

gale. The sea was rough, and was breajdng completely over her. An attempt was made to launch the ship's boat, but she was swamped, and as the vessel began to break up, her crew took to the rigging. In response to signals of distress, John Mitten, with the four other men, launched his boat. The first attempt at a rescue failed, the boat being nearly swamped, but at the second attempt one man was rescued, and finally, with considerable difficulty, the other men were also taken off.

Voted £1 to Mr. PETER SHEARER for his services in piloting a steam drifter to the scene of the wreck of the drifter Comelybank, at Papa Stronsay, on 8th February. (The other rewards in connexion with this service were granted in April, and are reported in the June issue of The Life-Boat.) Voted £3 to three men for saving the two occupants of a small boat which capsized ofl Whitehaven on the 13th May. Also granted 10s. for the use of the motor boat in which the rescue was carried out. The small boat was making for the harbour loaded with fish when she capsized, and the two men were found clinging to the keel. Only slight risk was incurred by the salvors, but their promptness saved the imperilled men, who were almost exhausted when rescued. A westerly breeze was blowing with a moderate sea.

Voted £3 to six men for saving two other men whose boat was drifting out to sea, off Culler- coats, on the 10th June. Also granted 5*. for the use of the motor boat in which the rescue was carried out. The two men had put off in a ship's boat to go to Whitley Bay, but were overtaken by a strong S.W. wind and lost control of the boat. When their peril was seen a motor coble went out to their help, and over- took them when they were already six miles out at sea. They were taken on board the coble, but owing to the strong wind their own boat had to be left adrift.

Thursday, 13th September, 1923.

Sir GODFREY BARING, Bt., in the Chair.

Reported the closing of the Life-boat Station at Point of Ayr.

Reported the receipt of the following special contributions :— £ s. d.

ANONYMOUS 600 - - EXORS. OP THE LATE MR. C. A. BANNISTER 200 - - RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION, to com- memorate the Centenary of the Rugby Game of Football and also the Centenary of the Insti- tution 100 - - WHITE STAR LINE, being a portion of the contributions made by passengers on their steamers . 100 - - Miss MOSEB 100 - - PROFESSOR COURTNEY KENNY, LL.D., F.B.A 50 - - EXORS. OF THE LATE MR. T. G. LANGHAM (additional) ... 20 - - —To be thanked.

Paid £18,447 17s. lid. for sundry charges in connexion with the construction of Life-boats, Life-boat Houses and Slipways, and the main- tenance of the various Life-boat establish- ments.

Voted £178 Is. 5d. to pay the expenses of the following Life-boat services :— Lives Lifeboat. Vessel. rescued.

Bembridge . . Yacht Quickstep, of (Motor) Hayling Island . . 1 Eyemouth . . S.S. East Neuk, of Aberdeen ... 5 Gorleston No. 1. Boat of trawler Iverno, of Lowestoft . . 3 Hilbre Island . Yacht Welcome, of Liverpool. Saved vessel and ... 3 Minehead . . Sailing boat Silver Spray, of Minehead . 1 Moelfre ... A fishing boat of Benl- lech 3 Porthdinllaen . A small rowing boat . 5 Port St. Mary . Ketch Jessamine, of Annalong ... 4 Rhoscolyn . . A small boat ... 1 Runswick . . Ketch Potty, of Blyth.

Rendered assistance.

Spurn (Motor) . Sloop Spring, of Hull.

Saved vessel and . 3 Whitby (Motor) Coble Pansy, of Whit- by 2 Cobles Providence and Maria, of Whitby.

Stood by and es- corted cobles into harbour.

The Cromer (Motor) Life-boat assisted the smack Hepatica, of Lowestoft; the Palling No. 1 Life-boat rendered assistance to the barge Aubrey, of Faversham ; the Pwllheli Life-boat saved the motor boat Moonbeam, of Liverpool ; and the Walton-on-the-Naze (Motor) Life-boat saved the barge Oceanic, of London, and rescued her crew of three.

Also voted 1512 5s. 6d. to pay the expenses of the following Life-boat launches, assemblies of crews, etc., with a view to assisting persons on vessels in distress : Abersoch, Angle, Bar- mouth, Beaumaris (Motor), Brighton, Buckie (Motor), Clovelly, Caister No. 1, Fleetwood, Fowey, Fraserburgh (Motor), Gorleston No. 1, Hasborough, Hastings, Hayling Island, Hoy- lake, Holyhead No. 1 (Steam), Ilfracombe, Johnshaven, The Lizard (Motor), Longhope, New Brighton No. 2 (Steam), Newhaven (Motor), Palling No. 1, Poolbeg, Poole and Bournemouth, Porthdinllaen, Rhoscolyn, Rhyl, St. Abbs (Motor), St. Helier, Tenby (Motor), and Winterton No. 1.

Granted £143 10s. 4d. to men for injury in the Life-boat Service at Blakeney, Blackpool, Buckie, Cardigan, Cromer, New Brighton, Newbiggin, Moelfre, Rhyl, Runswick, St.

Annes, and Yarmouth.

Voted a special gratuity to RICHARD EGLON, Coxswain of the Whitby (Motor) Life-boat, on iis retirement after many years' service with the Whitby and Upgang Life-boats.

Voted £5 towards the funeral expenses of WILLIAM JOHNSTONE, the retired Second Cox- swain at Dunbar, whose family were in very poor circumstances.

Voted a grant towards the funeral expenses of ex-Coxswain Wm. Cross, of New Brighton, whose relatives were in poor circumstances.

Voted additional rewards to the crews of the Clovelly and Moelfre Life-boats for arduous services on the 16th July and 2nd August, respectively.

Voted a further sum of £110 for the benefit of the men of the Ramsgate Life-boat who took part in the rescue of the Indian Chief in 1881.

Voted an additional monetary reward to the crew of the Rhoscolyn Life-boat in recognition of their arduous services on the night of 29th August, when they made the first of three attempts to rescue a man stranded on the rocks.

The rescue was effected on the afternoon of the following day by means of a dingey which was towed to the scene by the Life-boat.

Also directed that Letters of Thanks be addressed to Captain R. R. DAVIES, Honorary Secretary, for going out in the Life-boat and for manning the dingey; to W. HUGHES, for going in the dingey with Captain Davies ; to Sir HARRY VERNEY, Bt., for offering to swim from the Life-boat to the rocks with a line ; and to Lieutenant K. CATTO and Messrs. NAISH for their services in the Life-boat.

Voted £1 to ex-Coxswain BEN MILLER, £1 10s. to two other men, and addressed a Letter of Thanks to Captain A. S. RICKARDS, Coxswain of t5e North Berwick Life-boat, for landing four persons from Lamb Rock on the lOth-llth July. Also granted 15s. for the use of a motor yawl.

Shortly before midnight it was reported that a pleasure boat, with four persons on board, was missing in a dense fog. Ex-Coxswain Miller got up out of bed, although in ill health, and, wiih the other men, put out in his motor boat. After two hours' search the missing party were found, and landed in safety at North Berwick.

Voted 12s. 6d. to two men for going out in search of two other men who had put off from Beaumaris to go to the Lavan Sands on a cockling expedition, and who were overtaken by a moderate S.W. gale, on the 19th July.

Also granted 8s. for petrol consumed.

The dingey was a small one, and the cocklers were inexperienced boatmen, without intimate knowledge of the sands. Fortunately they reached land at Aber, on the Carnarvonshire coast, where their small boat was found riding safely to a small kedge.

Voted £4 to four men for rescuing three persons, the occupants of the pleasure boat Arrow, off Castletown, on the 21st June.

Also granted 11s. 6d. for fuel used. Informa- tion was received at 10 P.M., from the Langness Lighthouse, that the boat was in distress and being blown out to sea. The motor boat Sanl.ee, in charge of Captain E. Symons, promptly put off and picked up the Arrow just before 11 P.M., when she was four and a half miles out.

Voted £1 10*. to four men who put off and searched for two persons who were cut off by the tide at Ramsgate on 27th July. Also granted 10s. for use of boat and expenses.

Voted £1 to two men for rescuing two other men, whose boat capsized while competing in a regatta at Cemaes Bay, on 8th August.

The two salvors were in a motor boat acting as flagship, and the competing boat was upset by a squall when rounding the flagship, and foundered. The men in the motor boat at once manned their punt and rescued the two men, who were swimming.

Voted £8 to four men for rescuing two men, the crew of the lugger Dowlas Head, of Cork, which was wrecked near Youghal on the 17th August.

A moderate S.W. gale was blowing, and the rescuers incurred considerable personal risk in pulling a mile against wind and tide to the scene of the casualty. The vessel was badly holed, and had run aground in a bay which was full of shoals and rocks.

Voted £2 10s. to five men for rescuing a boy who was adrift in a small boat off Dublin on the 2nd August, and in danger of being carried on a lee shore. A strong S.W. gale was blowing, and the salvors, who went out in the Sea Scouts' Life-boat, incurred some risk, as they only had two oars in the boat.

Voted £3 15s. to six men for rescuing the crew, three in number, of a small ketch, which was observed to be making for Berwick in a waterlogged and sinking condition. The Cox- swain of the Life-boat, who was in the vicinity in hi? motor boat, made for the ketch, which stranded on the rocks. A strong N.N.W. breeze was blowing, but the rescue was effected with little risk.

Decided, in recognition of the action taken by the motor drifter Sheerness, of St. Ives, and the motor fishing boat Mayflower, of Penzance, when the s.s. Cormount. of London, stranded on the Runnelstone Rocks, Land's End, on the 25th July, that Letters of Thanks be addressed to the skippers of the Sheerness and Mayflower, that an award amounting to £8 15s. be made to the two crews and to two pilots who accom- panied them, and that £2 10*. be granted for fuel consumed.

The steamer stranded during a dense fog and sent out wireless distress signals, but refloated before the boats reached the Runnelstone.

Although their services were not required, the boats put off promptly and incurred some risk in hurrying to the steamer in the dense fog.

Thursday, 18th October, 1923.

Sir GODFREY BARING, Bt., in the Chair.

Reported that H.R.H. the PRINCESS LOUISE, Duchess of Argyll, had consented to become Patron of the Ladies' Life-Boat Guild. ,, Paid £24,308 5s. lOd. for sundry charges in connexion with the construction of Life-boats, Life-boat Houses and Slipways, and the main- tenance of the various Life-boat establish- ments.

Voted £188 4s. Id. to pay the expenses of the following Life-boat services :— Lives Lile-boat. Vessel. rescued Beaumaris . . Picnic party on Puffin (Motor) Island. Landed 4.

Barry Dock . . Motor cruiser Dancing- (Motor) way. Saved vessel Brixham (Motor) Gourdon Longhope Mevagissey .

Moelfre .

Newhaven (Motor) North Deal Porthleven L(j 7 Tenby (Motor) Brigantine Helgoland, of Plymouth. Stood by vessel.

Five fishing boats of Gourdon. Stood by boats.

S.S. Citos, of Helsingborg S.S. Emerald, of Boulogne S.S. Elidir, of Port Dinorwic. Stood by vessel.

S.S. Excellent, of Boulogne Ketch Fearless, of London S.S. Charbonnier, of Havre. Stood by and rendered assistance.

Fishing boat Trixie, of Skegness. Saved boat.

Schooner Mary Waters, Padstow . . . .

Motor boat Elsie, of Tenby . . . .

13 The Coverack Life-boat rendered assistance| to the s.s. Berrille, of Rouen ; the Sennen Cove (Motor) Life-boat rendered assistance to the s.s. Giitfeld, of Hamburg; and the Spurn (Motor) Life-boat saved the steam trawler Portsmouth, of Grimsby, and rescued her crew of nine.

Also voted £498 Is. to pay the expenses of the following Life-boat launches, assemblies of crews, etc., with a view to assisting persons on vessels in distress: Baltimore (Motor), Bembridge (Motor), Brighton, Caister, Clovelly, Eastbourne No. 1, Hastings, Hayling Island, Holyhead No. 1 (Steam), llfracombe, Lowestof t (Motor), Newhaven (Motor), Palling No. 1, Plymouth, Poole and Bournemouth, Port Erin, Piel (Barrow), Ehoscolyn, Shoreham, Thurso, Tenby (Motor), Totland Bay, and Worthing.

The Guernsey Life-boat was also launched on service.

Granted £13 to a man for injury in the Lifeboat Service at Winterton.

Granted an additional monetary reward to the crew of the Thurso Life-boat in recognition of an arduous service on 12th September.

Voted £1 10*. to two men—the Coxswain and Second Coxswain of the Douglas Life-boat— for rescuing the four occupants of a small boat at Douglas, on the 1st September. Also granted 6s. for petrol consumed.

At about 5.30 P.M. information was received that a pleasure boat was in difficulties, and, in order to save time, a motor boat was taken out by the Coxswain. A moderate gale was blowing from the N.W., but the small boat was picked up about two and a half miles from land and taken safely into Douglas..