IN 1882 the Institution opened a store- yard at Poplar, on the Thames. Until about five years before that time its Iife-boats4iad all been fitted at the boat- builders' yards, ropes and gear for each boat being separately ordered from the manufacturers. But with a fleet of 272 life-boats to equip and maintain, the Institution felt that "the time had come to establish a storeyard of its own, placed under the charge of a responsible officer as a storekeeper, with resident riggers, whose undivided time and attention should be devoted to its work." The Storeyard on the Thames.

Premises were found at Poplar which, "with the outlay of a few hundred pounds," were made suitable for the Institution's needs. They can be seen in the engraving at the top of page 135.

On the left is a boat shed to house seven life-boats and their carriages; on the right a rigging loft, storeroom and the riggers' cottages; at the far end on the right is another shed to house six boats; at the far end on the left is a crane for hoisting life-boats into and out of the cut which connected with the Thames.* The storeyard remained much as it then was for just over thirty years. In 1915 another boat shed was built with a graving dock in it. It can be seen at the bottom of page 135. Then in 1919,1920, 1921 and 1922 the storeyard was largely rebuilt to meet the needs of a fleet which was being rapidly mechanized.

A new boat shed was put up. The cottages were pulled down; new store- rooms and offices, with residential flats above, took their place. The photo- graphs on pages 137 and 138 show the storeyard as it was after this rebuilding.

The Growth of the Motor Fleet.

When this was finished in 1922 there were 39 motor life-boats and 197 pulling and sailing life-boats in the Institution's fleet. Fifteen years later, by the end of 1937, these figures had changed to 138 motor life-boats and 29 pulling and sailing. Larger and more modern workshops were again * See The Hfe-boat for February, 1883.

urgently needed for the manufacture, repair and testing of life-boat engines as well as for the rigging and equipment of the boats.

The question of modernizing the storeyard at Poplar was first considered, but it was found that this would cost a very large sum. It was decided that it would be more economical, as well as more satisfactory in other ways, to build a new storeyard elsewhere, and to sell the lease at Poplar.

It was no longer necessary to have a storeyard near the Thames. The Insti- tution was now sending damaged life- boats to the coastal ship-building yards, instead of bringing them to Poplar for repair; and instead of keeping a reserve fleet at Poplar it had been found more effective to keep the reserve boats at strategic points round the coast.

The Stone Laying and Opening.

A site was chosen outside London, where there were excellent facilities for road transport. Here the foundation stone of the new depot (as it had been decided to call it) was laid on 6th Janu- ary, 1939, by Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., chairman of the Institution, in the presence of members of the committee of management, officials of the Institu- tion, the architect, and representatives of the builders and of the estate. Mr.

E. L. Lester, of Messrs. Moss & Sons, Ltd., the builders, presented to Sir Godfrey Baring, a mallet and trowel with which he laid the stone.

Beneath the stone was buried a glass jar in which was a parchment with the following record: "This Depot was built for the Royal National Life-boat Institution in 1939 to replace the Storeyard -at Poplar which had been occupied since 1882.

"Chairman of the Sub-Committee: Captain Guy Fanshawe, R..N.

"Secretary of the Sub-Committee: Lieut.-Colonel A. D. Burnett Brown, M.C., T.D. (Deputy Secretary of the Institution).

" Architect: Herbert Kenchington, Esq., F.R.I.B.A." The depot was completed six months later, and on 13th July it was formally opened by Mrs. Guy Fanshawe. SirGodfrey Baring, Bt., presided supported by members of the committee of management, officers of the Institution, chairmen of the local councils, the archi- tect, and representatives of the estate.

Message from the Duke of Kent.

Sir Godfrey Baring read a message from H.R.H.'The Duke of Kent, K.G.: "As President of the Royal National Life-boat Institution, I much regret that I am not able to be present at the opening ceremony of the new depdt to-day.

" I know how well this depot will fill a much needed want, and I hope that I may have an opportunity of visiting it before I leave to take up my duties as Governor-General of Australia." Sir Godfrey Baring also read a message from the Duke of Portland, K.G., P.C., G.C.V.O., the senior vice- president of the Institution, who had consented to act as President during the Duke of Kent's absence in Australia, and who regretted that he was not able to be present.

Captain Guy Fanshawe, R.N., des- cribed the new dep6t, and Mr. Herbert Kenchington, the architect, presented a key to Mrs. Fanshawe.

A vote of thanks was proposed by the Hon. George Colville, deputy-chair- man of the Institution and seconded by Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Francis Oliver, G.C.B., K.C.M.G., M.V.O., a member of the committee of management.

Mrs. Fanshawe then opened the building.

An Acre and a Quarter of Floor Space.

The depot has been designed and equipped on the most modern lines, with ample space, air and light. It has workshops and stores covering a floor- area of nearly an acre and a quarter.

One of the storerooms is for the Insti- tution's supplies for appealing to the public. In it are stored the 40,000 collecting boxes, in the form of life- boats, and the nine million paper flags which the Institution uses each year on life-boat flag days. • There are canteens and recreation rooms for the staff, and three cottages for the depot foreman, the storehouse- man, the deputy storehouseman and their families.

Above the main entrance is the stone figure of a life-boatman, life- size, the work of Mr. A. J. J. Ayres.

The Cost.

The new depot has cost £60,000.

Had it been decided to keep the store- yard at Poplar, the work of modernizing it would have cost over £22,000. The lease of the storeyard has been sold for over £24,000. The extra cost, some £14,000, of building the depot will in the end, it is expected, be more than balanced by an annual saving in the cost of maintenance.

The change means greater efficiency and speed, but there must be regret that, after nearly sixty years, the centre of the life-boat fleet will no longer be in the Port of London..