ON the 16th of September, 1951, the Boulogne Life-boat Society inaugur- ated the new life-boat and station which have replaced those destroyed in the war. The ceremony was at- tended by the Dover life-boat, Southern Africa, and her crew, Mr. H. T.

Hawksfield, the chairman, Mr. Douglas Stewart, the honorary secretarv of the station, and Commander S. W. F.

Bennetts, D.S.O., D.S.C., R.N., the deputy chief inspector life-boats. They crossed that morning, arriving at 10.30, and were most hospitably wel- comed and entertained.

The Boulogne Society was founded in 1825, a year after the Royal National Life-boat Institution, by two members of the English colony, and ever since its committee has been half French and half British.

The Minister of Mercantile Marine presided at the ceremony. The Calais life-boat, which had visited Dover a few weeks before, was also present, and representatives of the French and Belgian Life-boat Services.

There was a reception at the Mairie, luncheon at the restaurant of the harbour railway station, and the laying of flowers on a shrine dedicated to the memorv of sailors lost at sea. The new life-boat, Marie Georgina Felicie, was then blessed and named, and speeches were made by the president of the Boulogne Society, the repre- sentative of the French Life-boat Society, Commander Bennetts and the Minister of Marine. At the end of the Minister's speech the "Marseillaise" was played, and at the end of Com- mander Bennetts's, "God Save the King." The life-boat left Boulogne again at 7.30 that evening in heavy rain, with a fresh west-north-west wind blowing and a moderate sea. After two and a half hours she received a wireless message from the Dungeness life-boat, which was out at sea to the help of the yacht Memory, of Newhaven, broken down, with a crew of four.

Dungeness was towing the yacht to Dover and asked if the Dover life-boat would take over the tow, so saving her four hours at sea. A rendezvous was arranged at 11.30 off Sandgate. There the Dover life-boat took the yacht in tow and arrived at Dover just after midnight. It had been a long day.

She had left at 7.45 that morning.

But twenty minutes were spent with a zealous Customs Officer before those on board could get to bed..