Two stations celebrated their centen- aries in 1951: Lytham and New- biggin; and three in 1952: Cullercoats, Rhyl and Tenby.

A vellum was presented to each station by the Institution, signed by the Duchess of Kent as its president, expressing the Institution's apprecia- tion of the voluntary work of the officers and committee of the station and the devotion and courage of the life-boat crews.

It was in 1928 that the Committee of Management of the Institution resolved that life-boat stations be presented with a vellum on completing one hundred years, this vellum to be hung in the Town Hall or other public building, and that a ceremony of presentation be arranged in each case.

So far 72 centenary vellums have been awarded.

NEWBIGGIN, NORTHUMBERLAND The Newbiggin station was estab- lished in 1851 and has had eight life- boats in all. These boats have been launched on service 245 times and have rescued 395 lives. Eight silver medals and one bronze medal have been awarded to Newbiggin men for gallantry. The women of Newbiggin have also played a big part in the work of the station, and in 1927, and again in 1940, the women launchers were awarded the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum for carrying out launches in exceptionally difficult con- ditions.

The centenary vellum was presented by Helen, Duchess of Northumberland, to Mr. Sidney Brown, chairman of the branch, on the 30th of June, 1951.

The occasion was the naming ceremony of the new Newbiggin life-boat Richard Ashley.

LYTHAM, LANCASHIRE A life-boat station was established at Lytham in 1851. and at St. Anne's in 1881. From 1888 to 1910 there were two life-boats at St. Anne's, but in 1925 the station was closed. In 1931 the St. Anne's branch of the Institution was amalgamated with the Lytham branch.

Lytham has had eight life-boats.

They have been launched oil service 166 times and have rescued 229 lives.

There were five life-boats at different times at St. Anne's. They were launched on service 29 times and rescued 40 lives. Three silver medals and one bronze medal have been awarded for gallantry to Lytham and St. Anne's men.

A St. Anne's life-boat was involved in one of the greatest disasters in the history of the Institution. This occurred in 1886, when the St. Anne's, Southport and Lytham life-boats all went to the help of the barque Mexico, of Hamburg. The whole of the crew of thirteen of the St. Anne's boat were drowned, and thirteen of the crew of fifteen of the Southport life-boat also lost their lives.

The disaster to the St. Anne's life- boat led directlv to the re-examination by the Institution of the whole ques- tion of self-righting life-boats and to the decision, which was then taken, to build more and more life-boats of the non-self-righting type. Another con- sequence of the disaster was the found- ing by Sir Charles Macara of the Life-boat Saturday Fund. The organ- ization of the fund was taken over by the Institution in 1910.

The vellum was presented at the annual meeting of the branch on the 27th of March, 1952, by Commander P. Bartlett, O.B.E., R.N. (retd.), and was received by the Mayor of Lytham St. Anne's, Councillor Ernest Hoyle, J.P., the president of the branch.

CULLERCOATS, NORTHUMBERLAND The Cullercoats station, which was established in 1852, has had eight life-boats in all. They have been launched on service 146 times and have rescued 309 lives.

The vellum was presented on 4th August, 1952, by Colonel A. D.

Burnett Brown, M.C., T.D., secretary of the Institution, to the honorary secretary of the Cullercoats branch, Mr. C. S. Spittle. The ceremony took place at the boathouse, and the life- boat was launched to mark the occa- sion. The seventy-three-year-old Cullercoats fishwife, Mrs. Bella Matti- son, who has already collected more than £3,000 for the Institution, appeared dressed in the traditional Cullercoats shawl. Cullercoats fish- wives have been famous for many years as collectors for the Institution, and three of them, including Mrs. Mattison, have been awarded its gold badge for distinguished honorary service.

RHYL It is known that early in the nine- teenth century the Shipwrecked Mariners and Fishermens' Society had a rescue boat stationed at Rhyl, and in 1852 an unnamed boat of the society was transferred to the institu- tion. There were at one time two stations at Rhyl, the second station being opened in 1878 and closed in 1899. Excluding temporary boats, there have been eight life-boats stationed at Rhyl, and they have rescued 64 lives.

The vellum was presented on the 29th of July, 1952, by Major C. Stewart Watson, R.M., Deputy Secretary of the Institution, and was received by Mr. Fred P. Henson, president of the Rhyl and district branch. Mr. Hen- son handed it over to Mr. Norman Jones, Chairman of the Rhyl Urban District Council, who accepted it for safe keeping. The ceremony took place at thelife-boathouse. Command- er Hugh Heaton, R.N.. D.L., deputis- ing for the Lord Lieutenant, presided, and the Anthony Robert Marshall was launched for the occasion.

TENBY The Tenby station was established in 1852 by the Shipwrecked Mariners and Fishermen's Society and two years later was handed over by the Society to the Institution. Excluding temporary boats, there have been six life-boats at the station and they have rescued 237 lives. Seven silver medals and one bronze medal have been awarded to Tenby men for gallantry.

The vellum was presented on 26th November, 1952, bv Commodore the Earl Howe, P.C./ C.B.E., V.R.D., R.N.V.R., deputy chairman of the Institution, to the Mayor of Tenby, Councillor D. Tudor Hughes, who accepted it on behalf of Tenby and District and handed it over to Mr.

H. E. Wright, president of the Tenby branch. The ceremony took place at a commemoration dinner..