The Duke of Northumberland, K.G., who died on 23rd August at the early age of fifty, was for twelve years associated with the work of the Institu- tion. On the death in 1918 of his father, the seventh Duke, who was the Institution's President, he accepted the Committee of Management's invitation to become one of their members. Three years later he was elected a Vice-President, and for a short time in 1923 he acted as Honor- ary Treasurer. He was also President of the Branches at Alnwick and Tyne- mouth, and Joint Patron, with the Duchess, of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Branch. In this way he carried orrthe great family tradition of service for the Institution. The third Duke was one of the first to encourage the con- struction of Life-boats after the first permanent Life-boat Station was estab- lished at Tynemouth in 1789. The fourth Duke was President from 1851 to 1865, reorganised the Institution, and was, in reality, its second founder.

The sixth Duke was President from 1866 to 1899, and the seventh Duke— the founder of the Duke of Northumber- land's Life-boat Essay Competition in Elementary Schools — was President from 1911 to 1918. It is a family which, generation after generation, has given its'generous, fruitful help to the Life-boat Service. The Duke was buried in the family vault in Westminster Abbey, and the Institution was represented at the funeral by Commander E. D. Drury, O.B.E., R.D., R.N.R., Chief Inspector of Life-boats..