[The following article appeared in the Lytham St. Annes Express on the 12th of March. It is reproduced by kind permission of the editor.] COULD you do what Lytham life-boat- men do when they are called out on an emergency? Could you (or would you) drop what- ever you happened to be doing wher- ever it happened to be, and be on board the life-boat and away in just over 15 minutes? You think you could? Perhaps you could.

But after you've read this you might want to think again.

On the last five occasions the Lytham life-boat has been called out the time taken to get her under weigh —that is, from the time the maroons are fired to the moment her moorings are slipped—has averaged 15 minutes 36 seconds. The record is 10 minutes.

Here is the normal procedure for calling out the boat.

The secretary, Mr. John Kennedy, is warned of an emergency, usually by the coastguard at Formby or St.

Annes, the police or watchers on the beach.

The Warning is Given He informs the life-boat signalman, Mr. Stanley Wilson, who goes to the old life-boat house where he fires two maroons (one for a practice) to call out the crew.

Mr. Kennedy also telephones the coxswain Mr. Joe Parkinson, and the engineer, Mr. George Harrison. Mr.

Parkinson informs the second cox- swain, Mr. Harry Bonney, by telephone also.

But the remaining members of the crew rely on the maroons, and once they have been fired the rush starts.

Remember, a life-boatman might be at work and some of them have other jobs as well as fishing. He might be in bed asleep—but always with one ear cocked for the sound of the maroons.

He might have his feet up in front of the fire listening to the radio, or be out visiting friends. He might be enjoying a pint of ale, or be at the pictures.

He might be in the bath, having a meal, picking shrimps, or taking the dog for a walk.

He might live somewhere where he can't hear the maroons when the wind is in a certain direction and blowing strongly.

But he will get to know either from neighbours who might just be within hearing distance, or from mates, who, knowing his difficulty, will warn him.

Drop Everything But no matter where he is or what he is doing, he will drop everything when the maroons blast their warning in the sky.

Would you? Well, maybe you would. But could you do what the life-boatman does then? If he is at home it is ten to one he will have his sea-boots and some warm clothing handy. He has to put these on. If he is not at home then he does without.

Then he has to get to the life-boat house.

Most members of the crew rely either on their own legs, for those who live near to the beach, or on a bicycle, for those who live anything from quarter-of-a-mile to a mile away.

He might have to ride in pitch dark- ness into the teeth of a gale from the westward, in rain or snow and perhaps on icy roads.

When he gets to the boathouse he has to put on his oilskin, sou'wester and life-jacket, and the hardest part of his calling is then only beginning.

Pulling the Boarding Boat With the help of a couple of launchers and anyone else who likes to lend a hand, he has to get the 18-ft.

long boarding boat on her carriage out of the boathouse, on to the promenade and drag her about quarter-of-a- mile to the slade beside the mussel tanks.

Down the slade she goes and then begins another long haul, perhaps a further quarter-of-a-mile according to where the tide is, across the soft- clinging mud to the water's edge.

Boarding boat, carriage and all, are then pushed into the water until it is deep enough for the boat to be slid off the carriage.

There's no engine in the boarding boat and wherever she goes she has to be pulled, and against wind and tide a pull of a couple of hundred yards can seem like a couple of miles.

Once aboard the life-boat the canopy has to be removed from the cockpit, the engines started, the moorings slipped and the boarding boat moored.

And then, and only then, is the life-boat ready to put to sea.

Would you do all this to try to save some fellow being whose life may depend on how quickly the life- boat can get to him? You would! Well, perhaps you would.

But could you do all this ? You could! What, in 15 minutes 36 seconds?.