Richard Roberts, of Deal, William Cooper, of Ramsgate, Frederick John Eagles, of Plymouth, John Crocombe, of Lynmouth.

THE Institution has lost by death during the last four months four distinguished ex-coxswains of life-boats.

Two were men of Kent and two men of Devon.

Richard Roberts, of Deal.

Ex-Coxswain Richard Roberts, of Deal, Kent, died on 8th August, in his 95th year. His wife, who is also in her 95th year, survives him. Born in 1839, he served as second-coxswain at the famous North Deal station for twenty years, from 1865 to 1885. He was then appointed coxswain, and as such served for another twenty-two years, retiring in 1907 at the age of 68.

Thus, for forty-two years he was an officer of the life-boat, and during that time 441 lives were rescued from ship- wreck. Coxswain Roberts was awarded the silver medal of the Institution in 1882 " for long and gallant services." In 1894 he received a clasp to the medal, again for " long and gallant services," and on his retirement he was awarded a second clasp, a certificate of service, a pension and a special gratuity.

William Cooper, of Ramsgate.

Ex-Coxswain William Cooper, of Ramsgate, Kent, died on 16th August, at the age of 75. Born in 1858, he was appointed coxswain in 1891, and held that post for thirty-two years.

During these years the Ramsgate life- boats rescued 393 lives. The principal service in which he took part was the service to the s.s. Sibiria, of New York, in November, 1916. The Sibiria was driven on the Goodwin Sands in a gale of hurricane force. The life-boats at Deal, Ramsgate and Kingsdown all took part in the service. The Rams- gate life-boat was out for nearly seven hours. She was constantly filled with water; several times she was nearly capsized; one of her bollards was wrenched out, two of her crew were injured, and Coxswain Cooper was compelled, at last, to return to Rams- gate without having been able to get near enough to the Sibiria to rescue her crew. The Deal life-boat was also driven back damaged and with several members of her crew injured. A little later the Ramsgate life-boat again put out. The Sibiria's decks were now nearly under water, but the gale had moderated, and the Ramsgate life-boat reached the Sands for the second time to find that the fifty-two men of the steamer's crew had just been rescued by the Kingsdown life-boat. For this service Coxswain Cooper was awarded the Institution's silver medal. He was also presented with a gold watch by the President of the United States for his share in another gallant service to an American vessel wrecked on the Goodwins. This was the s.s. Piave, with a crew of ninety-six men, which was driven on the sands in a gale in January, 1919. Twenty-nine were rescued by the North Deal life-boat, twenty-three by the Ramsgate life- boat, and the remainder got away in the ship's boats and were picked up by tugs. Coxswain Cooper also received a silver medal from the King of Denmark for the rescue, in January 1911, of the crew of seven men of the Danish schooner Danmark.

Frederick John Eagles, of Plymouth.

Ex-Coxswain Frederick John Eagles, of Plymouth, Devon, died on 4th June, at the age of 68. Born in 1865, he was at sea as a young man in the Cape mail service and then in yachts.

In 1908 he was appointed second- coxswain, and in 1920 coxswain, retir- ing in December, 1929, at the age of 64. He had then been an officer of the life-boat for twenty-one years and during that time forty-six lives were rescued. He was awarded the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum for the rescue in February, 1929, of ten of the crew of the s.s.

Deventia, which had gone ashore on Bolt Head in a heavy sea, and when he retired at the end of the same year he received a pension and a coxswain's certificate of service.

John Crocombe, of Lynmouth.

Ex-Coxswain John Crocombe, of Lyn- mouth, Devon, died on 27th May, at the aere of 79. He was appointed second- coxswain in 1882, and four years later coxswain. He held the post of cox- swain for forty years, retiring in 1928, at the age of 74, when he was awarded a pension and a coxswain's certificate of service. The most noteworthy service in which he took part was the service to the Forest Hall in January, 1899, when the Lynmouth life-boat was dragged over Exmoor—a journey which lasted 10J hours—to Porlock, * A full account of this remarkable feat appears on p. 101.

and there launched.* During his forty- five years as an officer of the boat sixty-one lives were rescued. For many years Coxswain Crocombe was a member of the Lynton Urban Council.

It is a remarkable fact that these four men, three of whom lived to a great age, served, between them, for 140 years as officers of life-boats, not counting their years as members of the crew, and that all continued in active service until well over sixty years of age..