IN May of this year Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., completed twenty-five years as chairman of the Committee of Management of the Institution.

There have been, including him, eight chairmen in the 124 years since the Institution was founded in 1824. The first, Mr. Thomas Wilson, M.P., served for 28 years. Sir Edward Birkbeck, Bt., M.P., served for 25 years (1883- 1908), and Mr. Thomas Baring, M.P., who was also chairman of Lloyds, served for 19 years (1855-1873). Sir Godfrey Baring was deputy chairman for seven years, and the only other chairman who had also been deputy chairman was Sir Edward Birkbeck, for two years. Sir Godfrey Baring has now been deputy chairman and chairman for 33 years, as compared with Mr. Thomas Wilson's 28 years and Sir Edward Birkbeck's 27 years. He has also been a vice-president of the Isle of Wight Life-boat Board for 48 years.

At the May meeting of the Committee of Management, Captain Charles Cave the senior member (he was appointed to the Committee in 1905) made a presentation to Sir Godfrey Baring, "from his colleagues on the Committee of Management of the Royal National Life-boat Institution, to mark their appreciation of his 25 years as their chairman.".