The Greater London Shield.

AT the Caxton Hall, Westminster, on 13th July, the Challenge Shield for Greater London and the individual prizes won by the schools of Greater London in the Life-boat Essay Competition this year were presented by Mr. C. G. Ammon, a member of the Committee of Manage- ment of the Institution and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty in the two Labour Governments. The Mayor of Westminster (the Rev. E. St. G. Schom- berg) .presided, supported by the Mayor of Twickenham (Councillor A. C. For- man), who served in the Navy during the War and has twice been out on service in Life-boats; Sir John Gum- ming, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., a Vice-President of the Institution; Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Oliver, G.C.B., K.C.M.G., M.V.O., and Mr. H. A. Baker, members of the Committee of Management, members of the Central London Women's Committee, and the Junior Central London Committee of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild, and Lieut.-Col.

C. R. Satterthwaite, O.B.E., Secretary of the Institution.

The Challenge Shield was won by George Richards, of St. Mary's Boys' School, Arragon Road, Twickenham.

Mr. Ammon's Address.

After presenting the prizes, Mr.

Ammon said: " I must congratulate all who have won certificates, and particularly the school and lad who won the Challenge Shield. I want also.to say a word of encouragement to those who failed, but entered the Competition. I always say that, becauseJ never won any prizes at school. • The thing that matters after all is that you try.

" The Competition .shows .that real work was done and great interest dis- played in the Life-boat Service. The best essay of all .was written by a girl, and in it she said : ' The man that risks his life to lessen the dreadful toll taken year by year by the merciless sea must not only be courageous, but unselfish and self-sacrificing, ready to offer the greatest sacrifice of all, that of his own life for another.' Young people who can write on these lines have truly entered into the spirit of the Life-boat Service.

They have appreciated that true labour must be service, that it is done not for anything one may expect to get, but to have the real pleasure of giving.

" The Life-boat Service everywhere, with the exception of four countries, is a voluntary service, relying on the sup- port of all, given of their own desire and freewill. That appeals to me as being exactly what it should be. A good many services are run by the community for the community. But the Life-boat Service should be brought home to all, especially,to those who live in an island.

It should make every man and woman realise his and her responsibility to it.

They should feel a personal contact with it. I should be very sorry if this Service were maintained by any other means than voluntary. One of the first mis- sionaries said,' I feel I can go down the pit if others hold the line.' That is our job on shore, to hold the line so that the Life-boatmen may carry on their Service.

" The Life-boat Service does not only save life. It goes a long way towards bringing the world together. Someone is in peril, the Life-boatman does not ask of what nationality he is. All he hears is the cry for help.

" ' Safety first' is a gpod motto for crossing a road, but it is a beastly motto for the journey through life. The coura- geous thing is to do the best to be done, and not to count the cost. In this way we may help to keep fresh in the memory the work of those who have made our nation/what it is, .and who have done so much to make it the finest of nations." Sir Henry Oliver proposed, and the Mayor of Twickenham seconded, a vote of thanks to the Mayor and Mr. Ammon.

In reply, the Mayor said that he hoped that these presentations for many years to come would be held in the Council Chamber of the Caxton Hall and presided over by the Mayors of Westminster ; and Mr. Ammon spoke of the splendid work done by the teachers in connexion with the Com- petition.

After the presentations Mr. Frederick Woodhouse sang five sea songs.

Presentation of the Midlands Shield at Coventry.

THIS year, for the first time in the history of the Life-boat Essay Competi- tion, which was started in 1918, a school has won one of the eight Challenge Shields outright. The school which has this distinction is the Spon Street Boys' School, Coventry. It has made the shield its own property by winning it for three years in succession.

The shield was presented to the school by the Mayor of Coventry on 20th July.

Supporting the Mayor were the Mayoress, the Director and Assistant Director of Education for Coventry, the present headmaster of the school, two previous headmasters, the master in whose class were the three winners of the shield, Mr. Liggins, the Chairman of the Coventry Branch, Mrs. Beamish, the Honorary Secretary of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild, and a dozen members of the Branch Committee.

When Sidney C. Attridge, the winner of the shield this year, went up to receive it, he was supported by George Dix, who had won it in 1930, and Thomas Chattaway, who had won it in 1931.

On the same afternoon the Mayor visited three other Coventry schools which had been successful in the Competition and presented the Certifi- cates which they had won.

Presentation of the North-Western Shield at Wallasey.

The Challenge Shield for the North- west of England, which was won by Helena Rotherham, of Manor Road Senior Girls' School, Wallasey, Cheshire, was presented on 2nd November at the Town Hall, Wallasey, by Brigadier- General W. S. Swabey, C.B., C.M.G., the Organizing Secretary of the District.

The Mayor of Wallasey presided, sup- ported by Mr. Charles Livingston, Chairman of the Liverpool Branch, Mr.

Frank Holt, the Honorary Secretary, and Mr. Stuart Deacon, President of the New Brighton District.

About thirty pupils of the Manor Road School were present, and each had brought a small contribution to the funds of the Institution. These were collected after the guests had been entertained to tea by the Mayor," and amounted to 15s. 6d..