THE portrait on the cover is of Cox- swain Robert Cross, of the life-boat station on the Humber. Coxswain Cross joined the crew in 1906, when the station, which was then known as the Spurn station, was under the control of the Humber Conservancy Board.

The station was taken over by the Institution in 1911 and in the following year Coxswain Cross was appointed coxswain, so that he has been ser- ving in command of the boat for 26 years. In 1916 he won the silver medal of the Institution for gallantry, in 1922 its bronze medal, and in 1926 a second-service clasp to his silver medal. While he has been coxswain there have been 186 launches on service and 150 lives have been rescued..