FOR many years there have been Civil Service life-boats on the coasts of England, Scotland and Ireland, but up to the present there has been none on the coast of Wales. As it was the wish of the committee of the Civil Service Life-boat Fund to provide a Welsh life- boat also, the motor life-boat for St.

David's, Pembrokeshire, which was completed and sent to her station this year, has been built out of that fund.

There are now seven Civil Service motor life-boats—three on the English coast, two on the Irish, one on the Scottish and one on the Welsh coast. Altogether the fund, which has contributed over £100,000 to the Institution, has pro- vided twenty-three life-boats, which have rescued over 1,300 lives and saved over seventy boats and vessels frqm destruction.

The St. David's life-boat is of the Watson cabin type, 46 feet by 12 feet 9 inches. On service, with crew and gear on board, she weighs 19f tons, and is launched down a slipway. She is divided into seven water-tight compart- ments, and is fitted with 142 air-cases.

She has twin screws, and is driven by two 40-h.p. engines. The engine-room is a water-tight compartment, and each engine is itself water-tight, so that it could continue running even if the engine-room were flooded. Her speed is 8J knots. She carries enough petrol to be able to travel 116 miles, at full speed, without refuelling. She carries a crew of eight, and in rough weather can take ninety-five people on board.

She has a line-throwing gun and an electric searchlight, and is lighted throughout with electricity. She cost £8,000 and has replaced a self-righting motor life-boat.

St. David's has had a life-boat station since 1869. Its life-boats have been launched on service 67 times and have rescued 56 lives.

The naming ceremony took place on 19th August, and the Very Rev. D.

Watcyn Morgan, Dean of St. David's and chairman of the branch, presided.Sir Frederick W. Leith-Ross, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., Chief Economic Adviser to the Government, presented the life-boat to the branch on behalf of the Civil Service Life-boat Fund, and she was received by the Dean of St. David's.

The Right Rev. the Bishop of St.

David's (Dr. D. L. Prosser, D.D.) dedicated the life-boat, assisted by the Rev. D. G. Davies, the Rev.

B. P. Protheroe and the Rev. J. T.

Priestman. The singing of the hymns was led by the St. David's Cathedral Choir.

Lady Leith-Ross then named the life- boat Civil Service No. 6.

A vote of thanks to Sir Frederick and Lady Leith-Ross and the Bishop of St.

David's, was proposed by Sir Walford Davies C.V.O., O.B.E., Master of the Music to the King, and seconded by Captain Vivian Lewis, M.C., district organizing secretary. The life-boat was then launched..