" Imagine that You have been Shipwrecked and Rescued by a Life-boat.

Describe Your Experiences." THE Duke of Northumberland's Life- boat Essay Competition for elementary schools has been held this year for the seventeenth time. The number of schools which took part was 2,146, a decrease of 29 on last year.

Of this total of 2,146 schools, 1,541 were English, 293 Scottish, 186 Irish and 126 Welsh. There was a decrease in England and Wales and an increase in Scotland and Ireland.

The number of essays sent in for the inter-school competition was 1,289, an increase of five on the previous year, and the number of schools which held their own competitions, but did not send in for the inter-school competition was 857, a decrease of 34.

The Subject.

The subject set was different from any of the previous competitions. In- stead of being asked to write about the life-boat service or life-boatmen, the children were asked to write about themselves, to imagine that they had been shipwrecked and rescued by a life-boat and to describe their ex- periences. The subject proved a great success, and the judges report a marked improvement in the essays. One judge writes : " This is the best set of essays I have marked during the six years I have been a judge. The essays were most original and showed that many of the children had more technical knowl- edge of their subject than I should have thought possible." Another judge writes : " The accounts of shipwrecks are very vividly por- trayed. The details of atmospheric conditions which precede a storm are, in most cases, thrilling. The actual storms are—generally speaking—very clearly and accurately described. It is evident that the children have seen (in the cinema ?)—or read accounts of— wrecks at sea, and have retained a true impression of what takes place on those occasions.

" It is rather amusing to note that most candidates are on most familiar terms with the captain, and hold him in conversation even when a storm is at its height and the vessel is about to become a total wreck! ! ! Very few know much of boat drill and the effect it has as a disciplinary agency in time of emergency.

" No one seems to remember that in a liner, or a vessel with berths, the life- belts are in their cabins, and not carried about by the captain or the crew at the moment of greatest danger." From Cabin-boy to Lady Imogen.

It is evident also that the children thoroughly enjoyed giving their im- agination full play. Sometimes they are themselves, sometimes other people.

One boy writes as a middle-aged man looking back on his first experience at sea. Another is a cabin boy on a statesman's yacht.

" The Terrific was a luxury yacht belonging to a well-known statesman, Mr. X. I was a cabin boy. The air was very moist when the wife of Mr. X called me. ' Boy ! ' she said, ' bring me a glass of wine.' Then to her husband : ' Isn't it humid ? ' He nodded the affirmative." Another boy writes: "I was a privileged passenger on board this ship, and was enjoying myself under an awning erected for my benefit, poring over an interesting book." One of the girls is a stewardess on a larger passenger boat. Another is re- turning from a cruise in the Mediter- ranean on board her uncle's yacht.

Another girl has a footnote to her essay : " ' I' is intended to represent Lady Imogen." Descriptions of the Storm.

The storms are described with a great wealth of language : " The wind howled, the lightning flashed, the thunder roared, the mast cracked in half and fell with a splash into the sea, the captain's hat blew off." " Screaming, howling, the furious wind swept around the gallant vessel, gathering in volume and vehemence, until, in a crashing, tumultous tornado, it reached its awful climax. Wildshrieks of the mad, derisive laughter of the Storm Fiends raged across the heavens. A momentary lull, the mar- shalling of their destructive forces—and then with savage onslaught and in- creasing strength and impetus, they again belaboured the puny craft of Man.

The waters, churned to a seething, struggling mass, lashed the decks. The mountainous waves, towering, towering above their helpless prey, crashed upon the shuddering, groaning ship." " Our ship gave a threatening lurch, heeled over, kicked her stern high in the air and slid below the waves, with her boiler exploding as a last salute." " I rushed on deck and was grieved to see all the ship's provisions on the crest of the waves, all except some meal, flour and bread, some butter, jam, and a few other things which had been tied in the hold." " Only one man was killed ; that was the wireless operator, who they said died of heart failure. A small prayer was held for him and hats taken off." The Moment of the Rescue.

The essayists described their own feelings with equal vigour and detail, and while some admit to being afraid, many conduct themselves with magnifi- cent calmness, both at the moment of peril and in the relief of being rescued by the life-boat.

" The crew clustered round the bridge rail, pushing and shouting in a frenzy of excitement. I pushed with the crowd, the primitive instinct of self-preserva- tion driving all thoughts from my mind, but the sight of the captain and mate standing with folded arms and looking contemptuously at the straining sailors brought back my reason. I felt sud- denly ashamed, and quietly made my way back to where they stood." " It would be difficult to describe the scenes of joy awakened on our ship by the sight of that life-boat. Strong men wept with emotion, and leaped about the deck in a transport of joy. Others, I among them, offered up a silent prayer." A girl of fourteen wrote : " We could just make out the outline of the life- boat, its powerful searchlight cleaving through the darkness, until it finally rested on us. Oh, the relief of that moment! I could have joined the women, who at last had broken down in crying, but I managed to keep myself in check. After all, I reminded myself, I was sixteen, not six." On Board the Life-boat.

Some of the essayists are very entertaining (though not necessarily accurate) in their descriptions of the life-boat and her crew. Some find it so jolly on board her that they do not want to go ashore, and one or two take evident pleasure in being a centre of attention.

" Coming towards us at a terrific rate was a strong, sturdy life-boat. Then out of its cabin came men, hardy men (fishermen, I think), women and more women, struggling to save us from a watery grave." " I ran on deck to see the life-boat- men speeding on their errand of mercy as though they were hasting to their bridal ceremony." " There we were in a large sinking ship, whose only hope of life depended on four grim men and a cockle-shell motor launch, a modern David and Goliath ; and history repeated itself; David won." " To tell the truth it was so cosy and comfortable inside the life-boat that I was exceedingly sorry when we arrived safe and sound at the little fishing village." " We were all rubbed down, and wrapped in thick blankets and put in water-tight lockers where it was cosy and warm." " Mother said to the man who was giving us food :' Thank you very much for rescuing us.' ' Oh,' he replied care- lessly, ' we do this every night almost,' and so ended the conversation." " The kindly fisherfolk put us up for the night in their simple but spotless houses. We were fed with onion broth and then they thankfully crawled away to bed." " On entering the life-boatmen's houses we were astonished to find that they had wives and children. Not only these men, but nine out of ten life- savers have married." " When we reached shore, we were cheered by scores of throats that had come out to see us."" Photographs of all the people con- cerned were inside the papers. I was very pleased to see a full photograph of myself on my stretcher, shaking hands with the captain of the life-boat." Several essayists found charming phrases to show their gratitude.

" Among God's creatures some should be just life-boatmen—just angels in oilskins." Another concludes his essay: " As Geordie, my shipmate, says : ' If it hadna been fur them we wid be playin' a harp the noo.' " The Best Essay.

The best essay in Great Britain and Ireland came, as last year, from a Scottish school. Last year's essay was written by a Dundee girl. This year it has been written by an Edinburgh boy, Osmond P. H. Robb of the Royal High School, Edinburgh.

In the other eight districts, the Bedlington Station Council School, Northumberland, has, for the second year running, won the challenge shield in the North-East of England, and the Kingsley Senior Boys' School, Croydon, has for the second year running won it in the South-East of England. If these schools should be successful in winning them next year, the shields will become their property. In the Midlands the shield goes, as last year, to a Coventry school. In the seventeen competitions so far held Coventry schools have won the shield five times.

Successful Towns.

This year Portsmouth again takes first place for the number of winning schools, It has no fewer than eleven, two more than last year. Next comes Cardiff with ten ; Liverpool with seven, one more than last year ; Coventry with five, including the school which has won the challenge shield for the Midlands ; Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent and Orkney with four each.

Girls versus Boys Last year the girls, by a little, beat the boys. This year the boys have it.

A boy has won the prize for the best essay of all; seven of the nine challenge shields have been won by boys ; and of the total of 315 prizes, boys have won 161 and girls 154. The prize for the best essay has now been won eight tunes by boys and ten times by girls, a boy and a girl tying for it in 1933.

The Awards.

Osmond Robb will receive an in- scribed copy of the edition de luxe of Britain's Life-boats, by Major A. J.

Dawson. Each of the other eight winners of challenge shields will receive a copy of Launch, by Major-General Lord Mottistone (Major-General Seely), ex-coxswain of the Brooke, Isle of Wight, life-boat, inscribed by the author. The schools will hold the shields for a year and each school will also receive, as a permanent record of its success, a copy of the certificate awarded to the pupil.

The other prize-winners will each receive a certificate and a copy of Launch.

The 857 schools which did not enter for the inter-school competition, and the 974 schools which did not win a prize in it, will each receive a certificate for presentation to the writer of the best essay in the school.

The Institution's Thanks.

The Institution again warmly thanks the Education Authorities for allowing the competition to be held, and in many cases for bringing it to the notice of the schools; the teachers for carrying it out; and the judges in each of the nine districts. The Institution knows how much work the competition entails both on teachers and judges and it is most grateful for their generous help.

Below will be found the names of the nine winners of challenge shields and the best essay. The full list of winners is printed as a separate leaflet, and will be sent, with a copy of this journal, to each of the schools which entered for the inter-school com- petition.

Winners of the Challenge Shields.

LONDON.—Edward Leonard Cox, The Hither Green Senior Boys' School, Beacon Road, Lewisham, S.E.13.NORTH-EAST OF ENGLAND.—Lilian Mood, Bedlington Station Council School, Northumberland.

NORTH-WEST OF ENGLAND.—Betty Selcon, Springfield Senior School, Sale, Manchester.

MIDLANDS.—Leslie Robinson, Broad Street Senior Boys' School, Broad Street, Coventry.

SOUTH-EAST OF ENGLAND.—Albert Turner, Kingsley Senior Boys' School, Kingsley Road, Croydon.

SOUTH-WEST OF ENGLAND.—Ronald Lewis, Grove Road Senior Boys' Council School, Gosport.

SCOTLAND.—Osmond P. H. Robb, Royal High School, Edinburgh.

IRELAND.—Patrick Crowley, Behagh National School, Dunmanway, Co.

Cork.

WALES.—John Thomas, Bynea Council School, Llanelly, Carmarthen- shire..