THERE were fewer launches of life- boats in 1951 than in 1950, and fewer lives were rescued, but it was a year of outstanding gallantry, and more than twice as many medals were won, two silver and eight bronze. They were won by coxswains, motor mechanics and life-boatmen at Porthdinllaen, Caernarvonshire; St. Helier, Jersey; Longhope, Orkneys; Flamborough, Yorkshire; Margate, Kent; Dover, Kent; Selsey, Sussex, and Scarborough, Yorkshire.

350 Lives Rescued The number of launches to the rescue was 568, which was 71 fewer than the record number in a year of peace, and in the course of those launches life-boats rescued 350 lives.

Besides those 350 lives rescued by life-boats, 56 were rescued by shore- boats for which the rescuers were rewarded by the Institution, making a grand total for the year of 406 lives rescued.

Life-boats also saved, or helped to save, 53 boats and ships and helped 239 more in various ways.

From its foundation on the 4th of March, 1824, to the end of 1951 the Institution has given rewards for ser- vices by life-boats and shore-boats which resulted in the rescue of 77,602 lives.

Before, During and After the War In the six years before the war, life-boats went out to the rescue on an average 411 times a year. In the six years of war, life-boats went out to the rescue on an average 664 times a year. In the six and a half years since the war ended, the yearly average has been 596.

Loss of Life One life-boatman was lost at sea, the bowman of the Scarborough life- boat. He boarded a ship in distress and, after her crew had been rescued, was crushed between the life-boat and the ship when attempting to jump into the life-boat again. The Institu- tion has pensioned his widow on the same scale as for the widows of lead- ing ratings of the Navy who are killed in action, and has also pensioned his invalid son.

Service to Foreign Vessels Life-boats went out to the help of 81 ships and one aeroplane belonging to 13 foreign countries, and rescued from them 116 lives. Thirty-two, of the ships were from France, 15 from the Netherlands, seven from Sweden, six from Norway, four from the United States, including the aero- plane; four from Belgium, four from Germany, three from Spain, two from Denmark, two from Turkey; one each from Italy, Panama and Costa Rica.

Besides the lives rescued, life-boats saved or helped to save six of these ships, and landed three sick men and an injured man from other foreign ships.

Of the eight services for which the Institution awarded medals for gallan- try, five were to foreign ships, among them the service by the Scarborough life-boat in which the bowman lost his life.

Eleven new life-boats were com- pleted during the year and sent to the coast.

Expenditure and Income The total expenditure was £717,507, which was £95,970 less than the record expenditure of 1950.

The total income was £655,860, which was £86,002 less than the record income of 1950.

The sum spent on the construction and repair of life-boats was £288,848.

The total payment to coxswains, crews and launchers—to those engaged in the actual work of rescue—-was £114,446, an increase of £2,393 on 1950. The full statement of accounts will be published in the next number of The Life-boat..