THERE were 603 launches of life-boats to the rescue in 1950, only 36 below the record number in 1949—and life-boats rescued 381 lives. Ninety-one lives were rescued by shore-boats, for which the rescuers were rewarded by the Institution, making a grand total for the year of 472 lives.

Life-boats also saved, or helped to save, 81 boats and vessels, and helped 240 more in various ways.

The total of lives rescued from the Institution's foundation in 1824 up to the end of 1950, was 77,196, an average of over 50 lives a month for 127 years.

Four bronze medals were won for gallantry, by Coxswain Edward Kavanagh, of Wicklow, Second-Cox- swain William Jones, of New Brighton, and Coxswain Patrick Power and Second-coxswain Richard Power, of Dunmore East.* No lives of life-boatmen were lost as a result of accidents at sea, but the bowman of the Walmer crew collapsed and died in the life-boat while she was on service, and a launcher at Cullercoats was injured while helping to replace the life-boat on her carriage, and died later. The Institution pensioned their dependent relatives as if the men had been sailors, soldiers or airmen killed in action.

* Full accounts of these services will be found on pages 117 and 120..