IN 1909, one of the first of the Insti- tution's Motor Life-boats was stationed at Fishguard. She was a 40-feet Self- righting Life-boat with a 24 h.p. auxiliary engine, giving her a speed of seven knots.

There were then seven Motor Life-boats in the Institution's Fleet. This new Boat was named Charterhouse, as her cost had been partly met by con- tributions from past and present Car- thusians.

Very soon after Charterhouse had moved from London to Godalming, in 1872, a fund had been started to provide for the cost of a Life-boat, and an annual offertory in Chapel was given to the fund. As a result, the sum of £1,000 was received by the Institution in. 1905 from " Old and Present Car- thusians " through the late Mr. F. K. W.

Girdlestone, one of the two masters at Charterhouse, the other being the Rev.

Gerald Davies, who had started the fund.

Four years later the Boat was built and sent to Fishguard. There, at the Inaugural Ceremony, on 15th December, 1909, she was named Charterhouse by Mrs. G. H. Kendall, the headmaster's wife.

A Gold Medal Service.

During her twenty-one years the Charterhouse was launched on service twenty times and rescued forty-seven lives. The outstanding service of her career was one of conspicuous danger and gallantry. On the night of 2nd December, 1920, the Dutch motor schooner Hermina was driven on the rocks at the foot of the cliffs in a whole gale and lay there with the seas making a clean breach over her. The Life-boat anchored and veered down, the seas lifting her right into the rigging of the schooner. Seven of the Hermina's crew were rescued. It was then found that the Life-boat was leaking, and it was impossible to start the engine.

The Life-boat and all on board were in extreme peril. No sooner had she cast off, than her mizzen sail was blown to ribbons, became unhooked, and was lost overboard, leaving her with only the main sail set. If her position was perilous before, it was now almost hopeless; but the Second Coxswain and one of the crew at once crawled out on the forward end box, and, with great seas breaking over them, succeeded in reeving the jib tack so that the jib sail might be set.

It was only by the magnificent sea- manship and courage of Coxswain John Howells, and the discipline and courage of the whole Crew, that the boat, waterlogged as she was, was brought under sail safely away from a lee shore, with sheer cliffs behind her, in the face of the gale. For this service the Cox- swain was awarded the Institution's Gold Medal—the V.C. of the Service —and the Crew Silver and Bronze Medals.

In 1930 the Charterhouse was replaced by a larger and more powerful Motor Life-boat, one of the Watson Cabin type, 45 feet 6 inches long with two 40 h.p. engines and twin screws. This new boat is the gift of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, and has been named White Star.

A Generous Promise.

When the Secretary of the Institu- tion wrote to the school to say that the Charterhouse would be withdrawn and sold out of the Service, as the expense would be too great to put her into sufficiently good order to serve in the Reserve Fleet, an obituary notice of the Boat was published in the Car- thusian. It concluded thus :— " Born in the days when Motor Life-boats were in an experimental stage, she thoroughly proved her worth, and has only retired now to make room for a larger and more modern boat.

May the spirit of the Charterhouse pass into her descendant, and fire her to equal deeds of valour. It is, of course, impossible for Charterhouse to regard this as the end of the association with the R.N.L.I., or with Fishguard, and we shall continue to subscribe to the funds of the R.N.L.I. by an annual offertory in Chapel, as well as by con- tributions by means of the box in Chapel. And we shall continue to regard the Fishguard Life-boat as our own special care, in remembrance of its predecessor. The Life-boat Institution are being asked to send any news of special services performed by this Boat, as they used to do in the days when the Boat was the Charterhouse, and this news will be published in the Car- thusian, as has been done in the past.

And, in saying farewell to the Charter- house, we wish a long life of service to her successor, the White Star." We quote that generous passage with particular pleasure. The promise made to support the new Fishguard Life-boat is already being fulfilled.

Up to the end of 1929 the school had contributed towards the Charterhouse £1,974 8s. 4d., included in that sum being a legacy of £250 which Mr. Girdlestone generously left to the Institution in his will. During last year the school made three more contributions to the Institu- tion.

The Charterhouse has finished her work and has gone, but she will always have an honoured place in the history of the Life-boat Service as one of the Life-boats which proved the value of motor-power in the Institution's Fleet, as a boat which performed one of the outstanding services of the present century and as the only Life-boat presented by and bear- ing the name of one of our great public schools..