IN 1947 life-boats went out to the help of vessels in distress 587 times and rescued 427 lives. • There were fewer launches, and fewer lives rescued, than in 1946, but these two years are together the busiest that the Lifeboat Service has ever had in time of peace. Life-boats went to the help of 1,210 vessels and rescued 1,074 lives.

Those 427 lives in 1947 were not rescued without loss. In April the crew of the life-boat at The Mumbles capsized in a hurricane with the loss of the whole of her crew of eight men.* During 1947 four life-boatmen won medals for gallantry, Coxswain Edwin F. Madron, of Penlee, Cornwall, the silver medal, and John Drew, the Penlee motor mechanic, Coxswain John Waiters, of Fowey, Cornwall, and Second-coxswain W. S. Jones, of New Brighton, Cheshire, bronze medals.

* See the Journal for September, 1947.

The award for the bravest life-boat service of the year was made to Coxswain Madron. A bronze medal was also awarded, for a shore-boat service, to Mr. Kenneth Macleod, a fisherman of Pooltiel, Isle of Skye.

At the beginning of the year the Institution substantially increased the annual retaining fees to the officers of life-boats, and brought in a new scale of rewards for coxswains and crews.

These changes, it was estimated, would add about £10,000 a year to the rewards, pensions and other payments which the Institution makes to its coxswains, crews and launchers, and during 1947 these pavments were nearly £100,000.

Three new life-boats were completed and sent to their stations, The Mumbles, Tynemouth and Bridlington. The first two boats were of the 46 feet 9 inches Watson cabin type. The Bridlington boat is the first 35 feet 6 inches light selfrighting type to have two engines and twin screws. Twelve more motor lifeboats were ordered during the year, and at the end of the year there were 27 on order.

The active fleet at the end of the year consisted of lot motor and two pulling and sailing life-boats, and in the reserve fleet there were 14 motor life-boats and one pulling and sailing life-boat..