THERE has been a Life-boat of the Institution at Teignmouth, in South Devon, for 76 years, and for well over half that time Mr. W. J. Burden (who is one of three honorary Life-boat workers of the same name) has been its Honorary Secretary and Treasurer.

For many years also he has been the Chairman of the Teignmouth Harbour Commissioners and he is a Sub - Commissioner of Pilotage under Trinity House.

Thus he brings special knowledge and experience to his Life-boat work.

He is, moreover, one of those Honorary Secretaries who not only take the closest interest in the Station, but share with the Life-boat Crew their hardships and dangers.

He was appointed in April, 1885.

During the fortythree years of his Honorary Secretaryship the Teignmouth Lifeboat has rescued 70 lives, and on practically every service, as well as every exercise, Mr. Burden has gone out in the Life-boat.

Of the many services in which he has taken part the most arduous and dangerous was the service to a threemasted schooner from Riga, the Tehwija, which on the afternoon of October 10th, 1907, in a strong S.S.W.

gale, with a very heavy sea, was driven ashore on the outer part of the Pole Sands. When the Teignmouth Lifeboat was launched it was nearly low water, and on the harbour bar, and for half a mile to seaward, there was nothing to be seen but a smother of broken water. Through this the Life-boat was taken. At times she was completely enveloped, and one heavy sea, breaking right into her, knocked over every man of the Crew, carried every oar overboard, and swept the boat herself back towards the harbour. Her Crew got her under control again, and when she was beyond the breakers, although the seas were very heavy, sail could be set. When she reached the wreck she found her with the seas breaking clean over her, her crew in the rigging, and the sea all round covered with wreckage and the timber which she had been carrying as a deck cargo.

To get near to her in a sea so heavy and so strewn with timber was very d i f f i c u l t and dangerous, but the Life-boat, very skilfully handled, was brought near enough for a rope to be passed between the two, and the eight men of the schooner's crew were safely hauled through the breaking seas into the Life-boat. They were only just in time.

Fifteen minutes later the three masts went by the board, and all that remained of the Tehwija was wreckage.

In this gallant service Mr. Burden took a distinguished part, and himself steered the Life-boat at the critical time when she was crossing the bar, so that the Coxswain and Second Coxswain might be free to help in doublebanking the oars. Both Mr. Burden and the Coxswain were awarded the Institution's Silver Medal for their gallantry.

On the financial side of the Branch's work Mr. Burden has also given the Institution valuable help. Teignmouth was one of the first places to hold a Life-boat Day, nearly 40 years ago, and its record year was in 1920 when Life-boat Day collected £163 and the Branch raised altogether £209. During the past 10 years it has raised nearly £1,200.

In addition to the Silver Medal, Mr.

Burden was presented by the Institution with Binoculars in 1896, and in 1907 he received the Decoration (now the Gold Badge), which is given only for long and distinguished services..