THE gales of the, past winter brought to London the largest number of life- boatmen who have attended the Annual Meeting to receive their medals since this custom was started in 1913.

Fifteen were invited : Coxswain Patrick Sliney, of Ballycotton, Co. Cork; Second Coxswain John L. Walsh; Motor Mechanic Thomas Sliney; and the four members of the Ballycotton crew: Michael C. Walsh, Thomas F.

Walsh, John S. Sliney and William Sliney; Mr. A. C. Jones, the honorary secretary at Barry Dock, Glamorgan- shire ; Second Coxswain H. J. Hobbs, and Motor Mechanic H. G. Swarts ; Coxswain William Mogridge, of Torbay, Devon; Coxswain Frank Blewett, of Penlee, Cornwall; Coxswain Thomas Sinclair, of Aberdeen ; Coxswain James Sim, of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire; and Coxswain William Dass, of Long- hope, Orkneys. All were able to come, but Coxswain Dass, engaged in piloting vessels through the, Pentland Firth, and held up by gales, was only just able to get away in time.

A Present from the Sudan.

On the evening before the meeting the fifteen men were taken to the Palladium music hall. On the morning of the next day they visited Life-boat House, and attended a meeting at which Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., chair- man of the Institution, was present.

The binoculars awarded to Mr. R. H.

Mahoney, honorary secretary of the Ballycotton station for his share in the service to the Daunt Rock Light- ship, were presented to him, and a large cushion of leather and leopard- skin, with the house flag of the Institu- tion worked on it, was presented to Mr. A. C. Jones.

This cushion was a gift from Mr. R. C.

Roberts, of Broughton-in-Furness, and the Sudan Government Dockyard at Khartoum. It had been made by him, in the style of the native leather- work, and had been sent for presenta- tion to the coxswain who carried out the finest service of 1935. Two years ago another cushion made by Mr.

Roberts was presented to Coxswain Henry Blogg, of Cromer, Norfolk, for the finest service of 1933. At the same meeting Motor Mechanic H. G. Swarts, of Barry Dock, presented to the Institu- tion a model which he had made of the motor life-boat Prince David.

Saluting the King.

The fifteen men were then photo- graphed for the press, in their oilskins, in the gardens in front of Life-boat House, and were drawn up there in front of the statue of Mare"chal Foch, to salute the King as he drove by to an inspection of the Guards.

At the meeting in the afternoon they were decorated by H.R.H. the Duke of Kent, K.G., and after the meeting were photographed with him. They were then taken to the House of Com- mons by Mr. Charles G. Ammon, M.P., at one time Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty, and Lieut.-Commander R. Fletcher, R.N., M.P., members of the committee of management, and were entertained to tea.

The Ballycotton crew then visited the offices of the High Commissioner of the Irish Free State, where they were entertained by the High Com- missioner, Mr. J. W. Duranty, C.B., C.B.E.

In the evening Coxswain Sliney went to Broadcasting House, where he broadcast, after the news on the National programme, an account of the service for which he had won his gold medal. He then joined the other life-boatmen, who were the guests of the Coliseum, where they saw Mr.

Lupino Lane's musical comedy, " Twenty to One." They occupied the Royal box and five other boxes.

At the end of the performance, when the players were taking their call, Mr.

Lupino Lane came forward and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to introduce to you the life-boat heroes of the British Isles." The spot lights were then turned on the boxes; the life-boatmen stood up; there was clap- ping and cheering; and the National Anthem was sung..