Inaugural Ceremony at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex.

ON 3rd September the Inaugural Cere- mony took place at Walton-on-the- Naze, Essex, of a boarding boat. The Motor Life-boat which was stationed at Walton in 1928 lies afloat in an exposed position, and in order that her crew may be able to get out to her in all weathers this boarding boat has been built.

It is on the same lines as a Life-boat and could itself be used for Life-boat work. It has been provided out of a special fund inaugurated by the Leicester Mermry to celebrate the Institution's centenary, this fund being in addition to the Branch's annual contribution to the general revenue of the Institution.

Leicester's Three Life-boats.

This is the third Life-boat to be pre- sented by Leicester to the Institution.

From 1866 to 1923 two Life-boats were stationed in succession at Gorleston, Suffolk, which had been built out of a Leicester Life-boat Fund and which were named after the town.

Both the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Leicester attended the inaugural ceremony and the Institution was represented by Lieut.-Colonel Sir John Collie, C.M.G., M.D., J.P., a mem- ber of the Committee of Management.

Mr. A. A. Appleton, J.P., Chairman of the Walton Urban District Council, presided, supported by Mr. J. W. Eagle, J.P., Chairman of the Walton Branch, the Mayor of Colchester, the Chairman of the Frinton Urban District Council, members of the Walton Council, and Mr. H. Morey, Assistant Secretary of the City of Leicester Branch.

The Lord Mayor's Speech.

The Lord Mayor of Leicester (Alder- man W. E. Wilford) presented the Boat to the Institution. Leicester, he said, was an inland town far from the sea.

Many of its citizens had never even seen the sea. It spoke volumes for the sympathetic interest of its people that there had been a Leicester Branch of the Institution for sixty years and that Leicester in that time had contributed thousands of pounds to the Institution.

He looked upon the Life-boat Service as equal with the Fire Brigade in cap- turing the imagination of an inland city.

Sir John Collie accepted the boat and formally handed her to the Branch.

In doing so he spoke of Leicester's great record in support of the Institution and said that nothing more clearly showed what a great seafaring people were the people of Great Britain, than the splendid sea-sense of the inland towns.

Leicester, by this gift, would be asso- dated with, a Life-boat Station which tad a magnificent record, for since the Station was established in Ib84 the Walton-on-the-Naze Life-boats had rescued 390 lives.

Mr. J. W. Eagle, the" Chairman of the Branch, accepted the Boat. She was dedicated by the Bishop of Colchester (the Eight Kev. T. A. Chapman, D.D.), and the hymn " 0 God our Help in Ages Past " was sung, led by the choir of All Saints' Church.

A vote of thanks to the Lady Mayoress was proposed by Mr. W. Lowther Kemp, J.P. (Chairman of the Frinton-on-Sea Urban District Council), and the Lady Mayoress then named the Life-boat City of Leicester.

At a luncheon held after the Ceremony the Lady Mayoress was presented with a framed picture of the Boat, and a vote of thanks was proposed to Mr. Appleton and to Captain W. J. Oxley, the Honorary Secretary of the Station..