BY the death of Dr. C. L. Fraser, of Berwick-on-Tweed, at the end of March, the Institution has lost one of its oldest and most valued Station Honorary Secretaries. Dr. Fraser, who was a native of Montrose and was sixty-seven years old, had been in practice at Ber- wick for over forty years, and for twenty- five years had been Honorary Secretary of the Station. He was one of those Honorary Secretaries in whose help the Institution is particularly fortunate.

He was a man of many interests, and held a number of public appointments, but at the same time brought that active enthusiasm to the work of the Station, and that personal interest in the men of the Crew, which mean so much to the efficiency and moral of a Life-boat Station. It was well said of him in one of the obituary notices: " His interest in the Crew of the Boat and the helpers was that of a father, and he was never happier than when among the hardy fisher folks. . . . He was ready for the Life-boat call at any hour of the night, and no launch was complete without the doctor in charge." Above all he shared the dangers of the Crew. The chief service in which he took part was during the War in the early morning of 10th November, 1915, when the Life-boat went out to the help of a motor patrol boat, Redhand, which was dragging her anchors in a strong northerly gale. It was one of the finest services of the year. The Life-boat was manned by a scratch crew, the Second Coxswain acting as Coxswain, and Dr.

Fraser as Second Coxswain. In spite of the darkness the Life-boat succeeded in finding the motor-boat, and an attempt was made to keep close to her; but this was impossible, and the Life- boat drove to leeward. Tremendous seas were running, and in the darkness it would have been very dangerous, if not impossible, to rescue the men on board. It was decided to stand by until daylight and then make the attempt. As soon as day broke the Life-boat made for the motor-boat, and at the second attempt a line was got across. At the critical moment it parted, but the Life-boat was again manoeuvred until she was alongside the Redhand. The six men of the crew were ready, and, as the Life-boat rose and fell on the enormous seas, waited their opportunity and jumped into the Life-boat. " The return voyage proved one of the bitterest experiences which any man in the Boat had ever endured.

The cold was intense, the wind cut like a knife, and the spindrift was like showers of needles on the face." The crew, who in their hurry to get away had not waited to put on oil- skins, were already exhausted when they reached the Bar, and then they had to struggle for over an hour in a position of great danger, for the Life-boat was frequently broadside to the breakers and nearly capsized. Not until another boat came out and passed a line to her, which was held by people on the pier, was she brought into the shelter of the har- bour. For this service the Acting Cox- swain, James Jamieson, was awarded the Silver Medal, and Dr. Fraser the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.

Dr. Fraser was also specially thanked for his services when he formed one of the Crew which, in circumstances of great difficulty and peril, rescued the crew of the Norwegian barque Demetra on 1st June, 1902. The service took place in a northerly gale with a heavy sea and lasted eleven hours. He was thanked again for his services in getting out the Life-boat, in the face of great difficulties, when she went to the help of the Swedish barque Jacob Rauers, which had stranded on the rocks in a heavy sea on 29th March, 1914. For this service the Swedish Government presented Silver Medals to Coxswain Kobert Burton and Second Coxswain Jamieson. Dr. Fraser also received in 1910 a pair of Binoculars as a small mark of the Institution's appre- ciation of the work which he had done for the Berwick Station..