A Service at Skegness.

SHORTLY before eleven on the morning of 19th August, 1935, the motor plea- sure cruiser, Elizabeth Allen, of Skegness, set out for a trip with over a hundred passengers on board. The weather was fine, but hazy; the sea was calm, and there was no wind. The Elizabeth Allen was about a quarter of a mile from the shore, when she was seen to be going slow, and then dense volumes of smoke were seen pouring out from her, amidships.

The life-boat crew were immediately assembled, but as the sea was smooth and several boats were out at sea, the life-boat was not launched. Of the boats at sea, three were old life-boats of the Institution, converted to pleasure boats, and all three went at once at full speed to the Elizabeth Alkn's help.

The first to reach her was the motor boat Grace Darling II (which, as a life-boat, had been stationed at Cove- rack, Cornwall) with Coxswain George Perrin of the Skegness motor life-boat in command. Dense smoke was en- veloping the Elizabeth Allen, her master and engineer were busy with fire extin- guishers, and some of the passengers were screaming. Coxswain Perrin got alongside. By his firmness and coolness he prevented any panic, and took off 68 of the passengers, most of them women and children.

Two other motor pleasure boats, the Shamrock and the Skylark, both con- verted life-boats, and both in command of members of the crew of the Skegness life-boat, had now come up on the other side of the Elizabeth Allen and took off the remainder of the passengers. By the time they had been landed the fire was extinguished, and the Elizabeth Allen was towed back.

The Institution awarded COXSWAIN GEORGE PERRIN an aneroid barometer, inscribed, and sent letters of thanks to Mr. Wilfred Grunnill and Mr. Hedley Grunnill, who were in command respec- tively of the Shamrock and the Skylark..