France Honours the Life-boat Service A Decoration for a Cornish ex-Coxswain ON the 14th of July last, a reception was held at University College, South- ampton to mark the celebrations of France's national day, Le Quatorze Juillet.

A number of French decorations awarded to Englishmen were presented to them by M. Blot, the French consul at Southampton. Among the reci- pients was ex-Coxswain G. H. Peters of the St. Ives, Cornwall, life-boat, who was made a "Chevalier du Merite Maritime" and who, in the words of M. Blot "had won it by his courage in saving the lives of several French fishermen." This courage was displayed in the rescue of the crew of eight of the French motor fishing vessel L'Entente Cordiale during a north-east gale on the 2nd of May, 1947. Henry Peters was appointed coxswain of the St.

Ives life-boat in October, 1946, and ret red in March, 1949. He had previously been second coxswain from 1939-1946 and in 1938 was awarded the bronze medal of the Institution as a life-boatman.

A Letter of Gratitude A Frenchman writes to Jersey ON the 31st of May, 1951, the St.

Helier life-boat rescued the crew of three of the French motor vessel Le Cap, of Carteret, which was sinking.

Captain Mertz of the Le Cap wrote this letter of thanks to the St. Helier coxswain.

"This letter is to express to you, your crew and the radio operators all my thanks and those of my two men and our families, for your fast help for our lives and for all you did to attempt to save my poor ship.

"The deck hand, Leonard Henri, is married and has two young children (one of six years, the other one of ten months). The engineer Chenu Lucien has in charge his old father and mother who are both very ill (paralysed). I am married and I have a son one year old.

"Thank you for all those people.

"And now if I can do anything for you, your crew and all those who saved ourselves, let me know it, I am always ready to make my best to do it. And if you or some of your men are coming in France they will find my door wide open for them in Car- teret at first and later in Colombes (close to Paris) where I think I shall go back. My address is: "Monsieur L. C. Mertz, 113, Rue de L'Agriculture, Colombes, (SEINE).

"And if you come in Paris don't forget to write me a few words if I am at home I shall go to the station and receive you in my home with the greatest pleasure.

"The shipowner, M. de Saint Denis told me that he wants also to do some- thing for the life-boat.

"All my thanks again and excuse, please, my bad English." Bronze Medal for Longhope THE bronze medal for gallantry 'has been awarded to Coxswain Alfred Johnston, of Longhope, for the rescue of the crew of forty of the Swedish motor vessel Oljaren on the 12th and 13th of April, 1951, and a special reward of £1 to him and each of the eight members of the crew in addition to the reward on the ordinary scale of £5 145. each. Rewards to coxswain, crew and launchers on the ordinary scale £58 14*.; additional rewards to crew £9; total rewards, £67 14s. A full account of this service appeared in the summer number of The Life-boat.

The Pier at Cromer AT a ceremony on Saturday, the 9th of June, the pier at Cromer was re- opened, fifty years after its first open- ing. It had been deliberately partially destroyed in 1940, as part of our East Coast Defence Scheme. It was cut in two, creating a 50-foot gap.Cromer's No. 1 life-boat, the Henry Blogg, is housed at the end of the pier, and was there throughout the war.

The crew reached it by a temporary wooden plank bridge thrown across the gap.

Sir Edmund Bacon, who performed the re-opening of the pier, spoke of the exploits of life-boats in general and of the Cromer life-boat in particular; and Lord Templewood, president of the Cromer station branch of the Institution, said that without the pier it would be almost impossible to operate the life-boat. He added that now the pier had been repaired, Cromer could look forward to another chapter of life-boat achievements in which the pier would feature in the forefront.A Flare in the Hand . . .

A REPORT in the Newtownards (County Down) Chronicle says that the Donag- hadee life-boat turned out speedily on Wednesday evening, 5th of September, when a flare was seen, but after cruising round for about an hour and a half returned with nothing but the flare.

A Pulpit Improvised Oi-; the 2nd of September, the Bishop of Whitby (the Right Rev. W. H.

Baddeley) addressed a congregation of several thousand people at a huge open-air religious service held in the harbour at Whitby. The occasion was the blessing of the herring fishing fleet.

WThile fishermen stood on the decks of their boats and the rest of the con- gregation filled the harbour side and jts guardian cliffs, the Bishop preached from a pulpit made of fish boxes and draped with the house flag of the Institution.

Neither Man Nor Mouse ON Sunday night, 2nd of September last, the Falmouth life-boat was called out to the help of what was thought to be a man clinging to an upturned boat in Gerrans Bay. She searched for three hours in darkness, and then found—a dead whale afloat.THE HONOURS LIST Sydney Taylor MR. SYDNEY TAYLOR, who is honorary secretary of the Lowestoft station branch of the Institution was awarded the O.B.E. in the Birthday Honours List, for his splendid voluntary work for the Life-boat Service over a period of nearly twenty-six years.

Mr. Taylor came to Lowestoft shortly after the first world war, and he was appointed honorary secretary in October, 1925. In 1937 he was awarded the Institution's inscribed binoculars for his excellent services in this capacity. His wife helps him in his life-boat work, concerning herself chiefly with the organising of flag days.

A Model Rescue MR. C. W. MORLEY, a young London medical student and a keen yachtsman, built in two months a radio-controlled scale model of the Aldeburgh No. 1 life-boat, Abdy Beauclerk. He used ex-Government stock materials, at a trifling cost, and the fenders and sails were made by his wife. The main engine was adapted from an old electric train set. A one valve wireless set was fitted in the life-boat's hull and another one on shore controlled the movements of the boat when in the water.

Last summer, while on holiday at Aldeburgh, he sailed his model on the sea, the river and the yacht pond.

Here she carried out a "rescue." A child's model yacht capsized, and Mr. Morley sent the "Abdy Beauclerk" out "on service"; she brought back the casualty safely to the bank.

Pass the Mustard Please IT was midnight on Saturday, July 14th. All was still. Suddenly the Penamaen Coastguard saw red flares out at sea; they were about eight miles away to the east. He telephoned the Fowey life-boat station, and the life-boat was speedily launched. She searched the coast, and eventually found: a picnic party on Great Beach, Lantic Bay. They were burning a bonfire and flashing torches as they enjoyed their midnight feast..