THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET 155 Motor Life-boats 1 Harbour Pulling Life-boat LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Life-boat Service in 1824 to 30th June, 1954 ....

78,727 Notes of the Quarter LIFE-BOATS AND HOLIDAY- MAKERS LIFE-BOATS of the Institution were launched on service 256 times in the first six months of 1954. They rescued 208 lives.

The month of June was an excep- tionally busy one, for there were 58 service launches and 33 lives were rescued. In the history of the Insti- tution there have been only two years in which life-boats were launched more frequently in June. One of these years was 1940, the year of the Battle of Britain. The other was 1952.

An analysis of the services in June gives some impression of what holiday- makers have owed to the Life-boat Service. Of the 58 launches, 20 were to the help of yachts—a category which includes sailing dinghies, sailing boats, motor cruisers, sailing yachts and motor yachts—8 were to small boats, canoes and rubber dinghies; and two were to people cut off by the tide. Thus, in the course of the month more than half of the services of the life-boats were to people who can reasonably be supposed to have been holiday-makers. The figures for lives rescued are even more telling.

Of the 33 people whose lives were saved, 23—that is to say more than two-thirds—were yachtsmen, people in small boats and dinghies, or people cut off by the tide. These figures emphasize again that life-boats, al- though built and maintained for the primary purpose of saving life from shipwreck, do in fact find a wide variety of other uses.

THE LATE HENRY BLOGG With the death of Henry Blogg, the Service has lost a man whose record was unique in the 130 years of the history of the Institution. It is true that Henry Blogg retired from active service seven years ago, but as long as he lived nobody could feel that he was really lost to the Service. An obituary notice of the great coxswain is to be found on page 730.

It is perhaps significant that the last time the Journal had occasion to mention Henry Blogg was the summer of 1953, when three Cromer life-boat- men lost their lives a hundred yards from shore. Henry Blogg rushed down to help launch a crab boat, but in doing so collapsed and had to be taken home.

In the obituary notice is to be found the text of a tribute which was paidby the Chief Inspector, Commander T. G. Michelmore, in a recent broad- cast. One story which Commander Michelmore would have told about Henry Blogg in his broadcast, had time permitted, recalls the occasion in November 1941, when a distin- guished admiral paid a visit to Cromer for the express purpose of decorating the coxswain and other members of the Cromer crew for their great services that year. Just as the ceremony of presentation was about to begin, a maroon was fired to call out the life- boat. The first to make for the door was Henry Blogg, and the Chief Inspector had some difficulty in res- training him from going out in the life-boat and persuading him to leave it to the second coxswain to take charge. This immediate willingness to serve, whatever the circumstances, and this longing to avoid personal publicity were both characteristic of the great coxswain.

A NEW SURVIVAL BAG A new type of survival bag, a photograph of which appears on page 741, has been specially adapted for the needs of the Institution. It is designed for cases in which survivors who have been picked up by life-boats have been subjected to severe expo- sure. After they have been wrapped in the survival suit their body temper- atures should return to normal in a very short time. Artificial respiration can be carried out on a body which is inside the suit.

The suit is made of a rubberized fabric. It is extremely light and is inflated before being put into use.

Its underlying principle is that of air insulation.

The bag has been subjected to a variety of tests by Dr. Geoffrey Hale, a member of the Committee of Management, and by Commander Michelmore, and a small number will be issued shortly to selected life-boat stations for lengthy trial.

INTERNATIONAL LIFE-BOAT CONFERENCE The seventh international life-boat conference will be held in 1955 in Portugal. These international con- ferences are held at intervals of four years, and apart from the interruption of the war they have taken place regularly since 1924. The first con- ference was held that year in London, at the time of the centenary of the founding of the Institution. The other conferences have been held in Paris in 1928, Amsterdam in 1932.

Gothenburg in 1936, Oslo in 1947 and Ostend in 1951.

WHAT A NEW BRANCH CAN DO Ax example of what a new branch can achieve in an inland town has been provided this year by Watford. In 1953 the flag day in Watford produced only £36, and from 1950 to 1952 no flag day was held. Not since 1946 has Watford in the course of a whole year produced more than £120, and a high proportion of the sums raised came from works col- lections.

In April of this year a new branch was formed at Watford under the chairmanship of Councillor P. Rochs.

The honorary secretary is Mrs. W. E.

Ward. A flag day was held on the 3rd of Julv, which produced the sum of £392 17s. 9d. Much of the credit must go to Councillor Rochs, but the branch was also fortunate in the enthusiastic support given by the Mayor of Watford, Alderman John Davis, the president of the branch.

Alderman Davis and Councillor Rochs made personal appearances, shortly before the flag day, in a number of cinemas, and in other cinemas where permission for this was not given, re- cordings of appeals they had made were broadcast between performances. Col- lections were made in the repertory theatre and in all cinemas, and nine shops had displays in their windows.

One helper, Mr. K. L. Vosper, collected almost continuously from 7 a.m. till 10.30 p.m. on the flag day and Mrs. Ward's son also raised sub- stantial sums. The branch is by no means confining its activities to a flag day and already has an am- bitious programme for the rest of the year..