Holyhead, Skegness, Fleetwood, St. Ives, and Anstruther.

THE inaugural ceremony of the new motor life-boat stationed at Holyhead (Anglesey), took place on 13th June, in the presence of some 2,000 people.

There has been a life-boat station at Holyhead since 1828, and since 1850 its life-boats have rescued 881 lives.

For thirty-one years Holyhead had a steam life-boat. This was replaced in 1928 by a 45 feet motor life-boat of the Watson (cabin) type. The follow- ing year this motor life-boat was replaced by a Barnett (Stromness) motor life-boat, the largest and most powerful type which the Institution is now building. The new boat is 51 feet by 13 feet 6 inches. On service, with crew and gear on board, she weighs 26 J tons. She is divided into seven water-tight compartments, and is fitted with 160 air-cases. She has twin screws, and is driven by two 60 h.p.

engines. The engine-room is a water- tight compartment, and each engine is itself water-tight, so that it could con- tinue running even if the engine-room were flooded. Her speed is just under 9 knots, which, having regard to her speed-length ratio, is equivalent to a speed of nearly 35 knots in a vessel the size of the Mauretania. She carries enough petrol to be able to travel 120 miles, at full speed, without refuelling.

She carries a crew of eight, and in rough weather can take 100 people on board. She has a cabin, a line-throw- ing gun, and an electric search-light, is lighted throughout with electricity, and is fitted with an oil-spray in the bows to make smooth the water round the wreck.

The boat has been built out of a legacy from the late Captain William A. Dobie, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, and the engines out of a gift from Mr. G. W.

Hayes, of Basingstoke.

Lord Stanley of Aldeiiey presided at the ceremony; and in the absence, through illness, of Commodore Sir Richard Williams-Bulkeley, Bt., K.C.B., R.N.R., a vice-president of the Institution and president of the Anglesey branch, Lord Stanley also presented the boat to the branch on behalf of the donor and the Institution.

Commander Gregory Stapleton, R.N., chairman of the branch, accepted the life-boat. She was dedicated by the Rev. T. J. Rowlands, M.A., B.D., vicar of Holyhead, assisted by the Rev. H. D. Hughes, and Margaret, Lady Stanley of Alderley named the life-boat A.E.D.

Lady Magdalen Williams-Bulkeley then presented the inscribed barometer awarded by the Institution to Mr.

John Lewis, the honorary secretary of the branch, in recognition of his ser- vices for over thirty years. A vote of thanks to Lord Stanley and, Margaret, Lady Stanley was proposed by Admiral Sir Percy Grant, K.C.V.O., C.B., and seconded by Captain Ivor Roberts, O.B.E. The singing at the ceremony was accompanied by the band of the Boys' Institute.

Skegness, Lincolnshire.

The Skegness (Lincolnshire) ceremony took place on 17th June, in the presence of thousands of people. Skegness has had a, life-boat station since before 1825, and this is now the only life-boat station on the Lincolnshire coast. Its life-boats have rescued 147 lives. The motor life-boat, which has replaced a pulling and sailing life-boat, is of the light Liverpool type, specially designed to be launched off a carriage or the open beach. A full description of this type appears on page 122.

This boat has been built out of a legacy from the late Mrs. Anne Allen, of Spalding, Lincolnshire.

Mr. Henry Haslam, Sc.D., M.P. for Horncastle, presided, and the life-boat was presented to the branch by Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., chairman of the Institution. Mr. Haslam received her on behalf of the branch. The service of dedication was conducted by the Rev. Canon Morris, M.A., Rector of Skegness, and the Right Hon. the Earl of Yarborough, P.C., J.P., Lord-Lieu- tenant and Vice-Admiral of Lincoln- shire, named the life-boat Anne Allen.

A vote of thanks to Lord Yarborough was proposed by Mr. Walter Hudson, J.P., C.C., chairman of the Skegness Urban District Council, and seconded by Mr. George G. Dunkley, honorary secretary of the branch ; and a vote of thanks to Mr. Haslam was proposed by Mr. S. Moody, J.P., chairman of the branch, and seconded by Mr. C. H.

Major. The singing at the ceremony was led by the choir of St. Matthew's Church, accompanied by the Skegness Town Band.

Fleetwood, Lancashire.

The motor life-boat Sir Fitzroy Clayton, named after Col. Sir Fitzroy Clayton, K.C.V.O., the deputy-chair- man of the Institution from 1883 to 1908 and chairman from 1908 until his death in 1915, which was previously stationed at Newhaven, Sussex, has now been transferred to Fleetwood, Lancashire. She is a self-righting life- boat, 38 feet by 9 feet 9 inches, with a 35 h.p. engine, giving her a speed of 7 knots, and while she was at New- haven, from 1912 to 1930, she rescued 108 lives.

The inaugural ceremony at Fleetwood was held on 1st July, in the presence of between 3,000 and 4,000 people.

The motor life-boat from Piel (Barrow) and the pulling and sailing life-boat from Blackpool came over for the ceremony. Lieut-Col. C. R. Satter- thwaite, O.B.E., secretary of the Institution, presented the boat to the branch, and in the unavoidable absence of Captain Lord Stanley, M.C., M.P., patron of the branch, she was received by Mr. A. Lever, deputy-chairman of the branch. The service of dedication was conducted by the Rev. J. W. Marsh, vicar of Fleetwood, and the singing of the hymns was accompanied by the British Legion Band.

A vote of thanks to Lieut.-Col.

Satterthwaite was proposed by Mr. A.

Lever, the deputy-chairman of the branch, and seconded by Mrs. J. W.

Dandy, acting-president of the Fleet- wood Ladies' Life-boat Guild ; and a vote of thanks to the Fleetwood branch was proposed by Councillor A. J.

Priestley, J.P., chairman of the Fleet- wood Urban District Council.

St. Ives, Cornwall.

The inaugural ceremony of the St.

Ives motor life-boat took place on 6th July, in the presence of some 5,000 people. St. Ives has had a life-boat station since 1840, and since 1850 its life-boats have rescued 363 lives. The motor life-boat, which has replaced a pulling and sailing life-boat, is of the light, self-righting type, specially de- signed for launching off a carriage or the open beach. She is 35 feet 6 inches by 9 feet 3 inches, and on service, with crew and gear on board, she weighs 6f tons. She is divided into six water-tight compartments, and is fitted with 115 air-cases. If a sea breaks on board she can free herself in twelve seconds, and if she were capsized, even with a hole in her bottom, she could right herself in four seconds. She has one screw, driven by a 35 h.p. engine in a water-tight compartment. The en- gine itself is water-tight, so that it could continue running even if the engine-room were flooded. Her speed is 7| knots, and she carries enough petrol to be able to travel 116 miles without refuelling. She carries a crew of seven, and can take thirty people on board in rough weather.

She has been provided out of two legacies, one from the late Miss Caro- line Parsons, of Edinburgh, and the other from the late Mrs. Elizabeth Noy, of St. Ives, whose legacy was left to provide the engine for a motor life- boat to be stationed at St. Ives.

The Mayor of St. Ives (Alderman C. G. Warren), chairman of the branch, and the Mayoress presided. Sir God- frey Baring, Bt., chairman of the Institution, presented the life-boat to the branch, and expressed his regret that Mr. Phineas Bell Brander, Miss Parsons's trustee and executor, was unable to be present at the ceremony.

The boat was received by the Mayor of St. Ives, and the ceremony of dedica- tion was conducted by the Rev.

Canon F. S. Marsh, vicar of St. Ives, assisted by the Rev. H. Marsden, the Mayor's chaplain. The Mayoress then named the life-boat Caroline Parsons.

Sir Godfrey Baring presented a certificate won by a pupil of the local county school in the life-boat essay competition. A vote of thanks to the Mayor and Mayoress and Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., was proposed by Captain Guppy, honorary secretary of the branch, and seconded by Mrs. George Pearce, joint honorary secretary of the St. Ives Ladies' Life-boat Guild. The singing of the hymns was led by a united choir and accompanied by the St. Ives Town Band. The cost of the ceremony was generously defrayed by the St. Ives Town Council.

Anstruther (Fifeshire).

The inaugural ceremony of the new Anstruther motor life-boat took place on 21st July in the presence of some 7,000 people. Anstruther has had a life-boat station since 1865 and its life-boats have rescued sixty-four lives.

The new boat, which replaces a pulling and sailing life-boat, is of the light Liverpool type, a full description of which appears on page 122. She has been built out of a legacy from the late Mr. Neil Robertson, of Pitlochry.

Sir Ralph Anstruther, Bt., Lord Lieutenant of Fifeshire and president of the branch, presided, and the new boat was presented to the branch by the Duke of Montrose, C.B., C.V.O., V.D., LL.D., a vice-president of the Institution and chairman of the Scot- tish Life-boat Council. Provost W. W.

Carstairs received the boat on. behalf of the branch, and she was dedicated by the Rev. J. A. Paterson, B.D., senior minister of the United Burgh. Mrs.

Miles Stapylton-Smith, a relative of the donor, then named the life-boat Nellie and Charlie.

The Duke of Montrose presented to Coxswain William Sutherland the cox- swain's certificate of service awarded to him by the Institution on his retire- ment this year after thirty years of service as coxswain. A vote of thanks to Mrs. Miles Stapylton-Smith was proposed by Lady Nairn, president of the Elie Ladies' Life-boat Guild, and a vote of thanks to the president and others by Commander the Hon. A. D.

Cochrane, D.S.O., M.P., vice-chairman of the Scottish Life-boat Council..