THE first four months of war, from 3rd September to the 31st December, have been the most crowded and hazardous in the whole history of the life-boat service.

Its crews have gone out to the rescue more often, and they have rescued more lives, than in any previous four months in war or in peace. Here are the figures: Life-boats put out to the rescue 419 times. They rescued 1001 lives. In those four months they rescued more lives than in any four months of the last war, even during 1917 when the attack of the German submarines was most severe. In those four months they rescued more lives than in two years of peace.

59 Lives a Week.

For the 116 years since the Institution was founded, the average of lives rescued is eleven a week.

For'the years of the last war the average is 21 lives a week.

For the first four months of this war it is 59 lives a week.* Those figures speak for themselves.

They need no words to emphasize them.

But it is interesting to see how many of those launches were to vessels in distress on account of the war, and how many • The weekly averages for the 116 years and for the last war include lives rescued by shore-boats for which the Institution rewarded the rescuers. The averaufi for the present war is for lives rescued by life-boats alone.

to vessels in distress from the ordinary perils of the sea.

192 of those launches were to vessels in distress through the war and 596 lives were rescued from them. 227 launches were to vessels in distress from the ordinary perils of the sea, and 405 lives were rescued from them.

The Perils and Difficulties of the Service.

Whatever the cause of distress those 419 launches were made, and those 1001 lives were rescued, in face of all the dangers and difficulties of war. Lifeboats, like other vessels, have been exposed to the dangers of attack by mines, by the torpedoes of submarines, by the bombs and machine-guns of aeroplanes. By night they have not only had to navigate at sea without the help of coast lights, but they have had to launch without the help of the usual floodlights, in complete darkness. Even the maroons used for summoning the crews have had to be discontinued, as they might be mistaken for air-raid warnings, and lifeboatmen have had to be called out individually. Each station has made its own arrangements to do this as quickly as possible. At some stations special alarm parties have been organised, each member of which has the duty of calling out certain members of the crew.

The work of launching and navigating under the conditions of war, the dangers of attack while at sea, the great increase in the numbers of vessels in distress, the loss of life-boatmen who have joined the Navy, all these have made new and severe demands on the Institution's crews.

In spite of these difficulties there has been no failure to launch, or to carry out any service that was needed, nor even any exceptional delay in launching.

There has been no serious damage to life-boats, and no serious breakdown in machinery. During those four months in which 1001 lives were rescued, there was no loss of life among the lifeboat crews.

On the East Coast.

It is on the east and south-east coasts that the burden has been heaviest From Aldeburgh in Suffolk on 10th September, 1939, the first life-boat was launched to the help of a ship in distress through the war, the Newcastle steamer Magdapur, with a crew of 80, sunk by enemy action. The Aldeburgh lifeboat rescued 74 men from her. From that day onwards hardly a day has passed without life-boats going out to the rescue somewhere round our coasts.

The Humber life-boat was launched 17 times in these four months, and rescued 160 lives; Cromer was launched 20 times and rescued 99 lives; Great Yarmouth and Gorleston was launched 18 times and rescued 20 lives.

Further south, launches were still more numerous. Ramsgate was launched 16 times and rescued 34 lives. Walmer was launched 26 times and rescued 45 lives. Margate was launched 23 times and rescued 96 lives. Eight of those launches from Margate were made, and 53 of those lives were rescued, in eight days.

On the east coast of Scotland launches have been fewer than on the English coast, but the services have been long and arduous.

Wick was out five times in six days and in those five services rescued 17 lives. On one service Lerwick was out for 17 hours and Aith for 30. On another Lerwick was out for 21 hours and Aith for 27. Two days later, in the same gale, Aith was out again for 27 hours.

Stromness was out five times in the four months and rescued 22 lives. In those five services the life-boat travelled over 600 miles in very bad weather around and through the islands and reefs of those dangerous and stormy coasts, without aid of lighthouses and light buoys.

Forty Medals for Gallantry.

During the four months the Institution awarded 11 silver and 29 bronze medals for gallantry.

In the same time it made money rewards to the crews and launchers amounting to over £9,000. That is more than twice as much as the rewards made in the same four months at the end of 1938 and the beginning of 1939.

To the Rescue of Foreign Vessels.

At no time has the life-boat service more faithfully fulfilled what it undertook when the Institution was founded, to go to the rescue of those in peril round our coasts, in peace and in war, whatever their nationality. During the four months, life-boats went out to the help of 66 vessels of foreign countries and rescued from them 276 lives. They belonged to sixteen different eovintries. Three of these foreign vessels were German aeroplanes attacking our coasts which had crashed in the sea or been brought down by our fighter aeroplanes.

Of one of those foreign ships a Danish ship, sunk by enemy action, the coxswain of the life-boat which rescued her crew wrote in his report: "Five minutes later she went over on her beam ends and sank. Her crew stood to attention and took off their caps as she heeled over. It was a pitiful sight to see such a beautiful ship go to her doom." New Motor Life-boats.

When the war began the Institution had under construction 17 motor lifeboats, It was decided to complete them. Seven were completed before the end of the year, and six of the seven went by sea to their stations. Four of the six travelled together from the building yard at Cowes up the east coast, through those waters where shipping was most exposed to attack.

One of those four boats, the new boat for Aberdeen, travelled 561 miles.* Gifts.

No review of these first four months of war would be complete without mention of the many special gifts which the Institution has received, some in gratitude from those to whose aid lifeboats had gone, others from those who knew that the war must make exceptional demands on the service.

British, French Dutch, Greek and Swedish shipping companies have all sent special gifts. The master of one from small English steamer sent £2 himself and his crew, saying that they all put aside twopence a week for the life-boat service. The crew of another English steamer which had * A full account of this journey will be found on page 189.

stranded were rescued by a lifeboatand were put aboard the steamer again next day when she refloated.

As she went on her way one of her crew went below, rushed on deck again, and threw a life-boat collecting box into the life-boat. It contained £2 3s. Id.

Yet another gift was £20 from the officers, passengers and crew of a Dutch steamer, who were rescued by a Belgian steamer when their own was sunk by enemy action, were wrecked with their rescuers when the Belgian steamer went ashore, and were rescued for a second time by a life-boat.

The gifts have varied in amount from £7,500 from the widow of a distinguished English admiral to provide a motor life-boat in his memory, to two shillings from a boy and girl, aged eight and nine, in Southern Rhodesia..