Comnjander M. A. Regan, O.B.E., J.P.

By the sudden death at the age of sixty-three, of Commander M. A. Regan, O.B.E., J.P., the Honorary Secretary of the Branch at Hull, the Institution has lost one of its most indefatigable honorary workers. He became the Honorary Secretary at Hull, in May, 1922, and his energy and influence resulted at once in an increase in Hull's support of the Life-boat Service. In 1922 its contribution was £651, in 1923 it was £801, and in 1924 it had risen to 820. He was the sole partner in the shipbroking firm of Messrs. W. R.

Johnson & Sons, to which he had come as manager thirty-five years ago, and he was also a director of Messrs. Mathwin & Son, Ltd., the coal exporting firm, and agents for the Admiralty in the Humber district. It was to increase the contributions from shipping that Commander Regan specially devoted himself, and with great success, appealing to the ! shipping firms to contribute 5s. a ship.

By this appeal he raised £136 in 1923 and £123 in 1924.

He served his country with distinction during the War, being appointed Naval Transport Officer for the Humber District, in August, 1917, with the rank of Commander in the R.N.V.R. As such he was responsible for the coaling of all ships connected with the Admiralty which put into Hull (it amounted to over six miDion tons of coal), for the salvage operations on twenty steamers, the repatriation of prisoners of war and civilians (they numbered about 100,000), and the multitudinous affairs of a great port in war-time. For these services he would accept no payment, being, in fact, the only unpaid Naval TransportOfficer in the Service, but he received the O.B.E.

He was a member of the Humber Conservancy Board, and the chairman of the Vincent Boys' Home. A devout Catholic, he was for many years Master of Ceremonies at St. Charles Church, and always ready to help any charitable movement. In his case, as in so many others, it was a man of wide interests and many claims on his energy, who found time also to devote himself to the Life-boat Service, and the Institution can ill spare so generous and successful a worker..