THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET Motor Life-boats, 145 :: Pulling & Sailing Life-boats, 17 LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Institution in 1824 to 15th June, 1939 66,237 The Duke of Kent's Presidential Address A Record Year.

I AM sorry to say that we meet to-day under the shadow of two disasters.

Just three months ago the motor life- boat at St. Ives went out in the middle of the night in a gale of exceptional severity. She capsized, and was washed up on the rocks with only one man of her crew of eight alive. Many of us here to-day must feel that tragedy almost as a personal loss, for Coxswain Cocking and four others of those seven men of St., Ives were with us on the platform just a year ago to receive medals for gallantry.

A Second Disaster.

And now has come another disaster.

Only last Saturday the motor life-boat at Cullercoats, on the coast of North- umberland, when she was out on exer- cise in a gale, capsized in the surf.

There were ten men on board, and six of them lost their lives. Among the six was Commander Blakeney Booth, a naval officer who for six years had been the honorary secretary of the station. To the widows and children and families of those brave men I offer the heart-felt sympathy of all who are here to-day, and of the whole life-boat service.

What the Institution can do to miti- gate the sorrow and suffering of such tragedies it does, and does at once.

From the day of the disaster at St.

Ives it pensioned the widows, children and other dependent relatives of the seven men, as if those men had been sailors, soldiers or airmen killed in action. In the case of the men of Cullercoats, it will do the same.

3,500 Lives Saved—One Lost.

Such disasters remind us of the perils which are always present round our coasts. When the St. Ives life-boat capsized it was just ten years since the disaster at Rye Harbour, which was the last major accident involving the loss of life to any of our life-boatmen.

During those ten years life-boats have been launched over 3,600 times. Over 30,000 life-boatmen have been out in them, and they have rescued over 3,500 lives. During that time only one life- boatman has lost his life, and his death was not due to any accident to the life- boat, but was an act of deliberate self- sacrifice.

Those are remarkable figures. Year after year, four, five or six hundred lives are rescued, without a life being lost.

Then disaster comes, and we remember with a shock that those dangers have been present all the time. It is the triumphant success with which our life-boats and their crews surmountthem again and again which makes it easy for us to forget them.

A Year of Outstanding Achievement.

Were it not for those two disasters we should be very happy to-day in recalling a year of outstanding achieve- ment. Two years ago I was able to announce at this meeting that there had been more calls for the help of the life-boats than ever before. I do not think that any of us expected to see that record broken, but the number of launches in 1938 has easily surpassed the number in 1936. It is a remark- able fact that the need for the life-boats is not diminishing, but increasing. We can honestly say that an efficient service is as important, if not more so, to-day than ever before in our history of 115 years.

Last year the Institution gave re- wards for the rescue of 673 lives. That is a figure of which we must all feel very proud. And in these times of international anxiety I am sure, we can be particularly glad that the life-boat service has gone to the assistance of the shipwrecked of all nations. Of those 673 lives, 124 were from foreign vessels.

Gallantry on all Coasts.

It is hard for us sitting in this hall to realise how much lies behind that simple statement " 673 lives rescued ".

But presently we shall see some of the life-boatmen themselves. There are over forty with us this afternoon, the largest number that has ever come to this meeting. They have come from all parts of our coast, from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. They are all men who have been given special awards for outstanding services. There will be several among them who have been here before, and I should specially like to welcome Coxswain William Mogridge of Torbay. (Great applause.) Twice already I have presented medals to him, and he is here to-day to receive yet a third award for gallantry. (Re- newed applause.) Shore-boat Rescues.

Besides these men of our life-boat crews, we have with us five other men to whom the Institution has awarded medals or vellums. To them also I want to give a very cordial welcome.

Three of them are Scottish—father, son and grandson (Applause), three genera- tions who went out together to the res- cue. The other two are Irishmen, who went out in a leaking canoe to the help of bathers being carried out to sea.

(Applause.) We are proud of our life- boatmen. (Hear, hear.) We are equally proud of those others, like these five men, who, untrained and with such instruments as they find to hand, are ready to go at once to the rescue. The records of the Institution are full of such examples of courage and resource in unexpected emergency from all parts of our coasts. (Applause.) Finance—An Appeal.

I want now to say one word about finance. Last year was the busiest we have ever had in the building yards.

Thirty-seven motor life-boats were under construction. As a result more money was spent by the Institution than in any other year. I am glad to say we also raised more money than ever before, but nevertheless our ex- penditure exceeded our income by a very considerable sum. This is not as it should be, because it curtails very severely our activities.

The life-boat service is one which should not have to consider whether it can afford to undertake this or that alteration. It is a service devoted to the saving of human lives, and I know you will agree with me that it should be carried on entirely unfettered. I am not advocating extravagant ex- penditure, er thoughtless waste—far from it—but I feel most strongly that we should never have to weigh the sav- ing of a life against our financial ability to fulfil our purpose. (Hear, hear.) Only when the whole cost of the service in one year has been fully met by the contributions of that year can we say that our purpose is achieved.

The Help of Mayors.

In that endeavour I am sure that we shall have the support of the heads of all our towns. The mayors and mayor- esses of nearly fifty boroughs are sitting on this platform with me. They have come from all parts of Great Britain, from St. Ives in Cornwall to Nairn in the north of Scotland. I know that they, as well as our many other generoussupporters, will spare no effort to bring success to our endeavours. (Applause.) Very Happy Memories.

For four years I have presided at these meetings. In a few months I shall be going to other duties overseas.

During my absence the Duke of Port- land, who for fifty years has been a vice-president of the Institution, lias kindly promised to take my place and act as President. I know that in his hands the Royal National Life-boat Institution will continue to nourish.

I shall take with me to Australia very happy memories of these meetings, and of the gallant men that I have met in this hall. I shall look forward to presiding here again when I return.

(Applause.) Meanwhile, you may all be sure that, while I am away, my warm interest and best wishes will always be with the life-boat service in its work round the shores of this country.

(Great applause.).