BY the death of Mr. Ernest Armstrong, of Eastbourne, on the 3rd of June, 1952, at the age of 78, the Life-boat Service has lost one of its most devoted and energetic friends, and the committee of management a col- league whose help and advice, always most generously given, they ean ill spare. Mr. Armstrong was born in Northumberland and was a ship- broker at Newcastle-on-Tyne. When he retired in 1921 he settled in East- bourne and very quickly interested himself in the work of the Eastbourne life-boat station, and of the very suc- cessful Eastbourne financial branch, and Ladies' Life-boat Guild. He was chairman of the branch from 1923 to 1927 and again from 1934 until his death. He took a great interest alsoin the Life-boat Museum, opened in 1937 in the old boat-house, which every year is visited by thousands of people from all over the country.

In 1929 Mr. Armstrong was elected a member of the committee of management. For twenty-three years he attended its meetings regularly.

He served for many years on the general purposes and publicity com- mittee and on the establishment committee, but his chief work was on the finance committee, to which his business experience was of great value.

He was its chairman from 1936 until 1939. and from 1945 until illness com- pelled him to resign in 1951. In 1947 lie was elected a vice-president in gratitude for his many services to the Institution..