The Institution has now completed the full history of the services of life-boats during the war of 1939-45. This has been prepared for purposes of his- torical record and is not for general distribution. The story of the Life-boat Service in the war has already been told by Charles Vince in Storm on the Waters, which Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton published in 1946.

The following facts and figures, which cover the period from the 3rd of September, 1939, to the 8th of May, 1945, are taken from the full historical record now being printed.

LIFE-BOATS were launched to ships in distress 3,760 times. Of these launches 2,212 were to ships in distress through attack by the enemy or from other causes due to the war. Life-boats rescued 6,376 lives.

Lives Rescued by Shore-boats and Auxiliary Rescue-boats Shore-boats rescued 1,168 lives, for whose rescue the Institution rewarded the rescuers.

Auxiliary rescue-boats, established by the Institution, rescued 42 lives.

Life-boats at Dunkirk Nineteen of the Institution's life- boats helped to bring off men of the British Expeditionary Force and the French Army from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940. Two of these life- boats, Ramsgate and Margate, were manned by their own crews. They brought off 3,400 men. These lives are not included in the total of 6,376 lives rescued from shipwreck by life- boats. The other seventeen life-boats were manned by naval men. There is no record of the numbers of the men whom they brought off.

Institution's Medals The Institution awarded to mem- bers of its crews 8 Gold Medals, 43 Silver Medals and 153 Bronze Medals —204 medals in all.

It awarded to shore-boat rescuers 2 Silver Medals and 14 Bronze Medals.

Medals Awarded by H.M. the King One George Medal, to COXSWAIN ROBERT CROSS, of The Humber.

Two Distinguished Service Medals to COXSWAIN HOWARD PRIMROSE COOPER KNIGHT, of Ramsgate, and COXSWAIN EDWARD DRAKE PARKER, of Margate (1940).

Four British Empire Medals to: COXSWAIN WILLIAM SWANKIE, of Arbroath (1940), COXSWAIN HENRY GEORGE BLOOG, of Cromer (1941), COXSWAIN JAMES THOMSON, of Camp- beltown (1942), COXSWAIN PATRICK MURPHY, of Newcastle, Co. Down (1942).

One George Cross, to COXSWALV HENRY GEORGE BLOGG, of Cromer.

This was not a war-award. It was in place of the Elmpire Gallantry Medal which, as a gold medallist of the Institution, COXSWAIN BLOGG had received in 1924, the Institution's centenary year.

One coxswain, COXSWAIN JOHN MACLEOD, of Thurso (1944), and five honorary secretaries of life-boat stations, MR. WALTER RIGGS, of AkJe- burgh, Mr. GEORGE SCANTLEBUKY. of Plymouth, Mr. G. L. THOMSON, of Stromness, Mr. W. W. HARRIS, of New Brighton, and Mr. G. N. CRAIG- HEAD, of Peterhead, were appointed Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Two hundred and six 1939-1945 Stars were awarded to members of life-boat crews who had taken part in 25 or more launches on service.

Defence Medals were awarded to all other men on the enrolled lists of crews who had served for not less than three years, but who did not qualify for the 1939-1945 Star.

Foreign Medals The Norwegian Government award- ed silver life-saving medals to Mr. E.

SELBY DAVIDSON, honorary secretary at Tynemouth, COXSWAIN GEORGE LISLE, of Tynemouth, W. JOHNSON, the motor mechanic, and BART TAYLOR, life-boatman.

The French Life-boat Society award- ed a silver gilt medal to COXSWAIN R.

C. BROWN, of Swanage, and bronze medals to A. CHINCHEN, motor mechanic, and W. E. NIXEHAM, the bowman.

The French Government awarded medals to the same three men and to F. POND, A. DYKE and C. BROWN, life-boatmen, of Swanage.

The French Academy of Political and Moral Science awarded the medal of the Berthault Foundation to SIR GODFREY BARING, Bt., the chairman of the Institution.

The Government of the Netherlands awarded the gold medal for gallantry in saving life to COXSWAIN JOHN BOYLE, of Arranmore, a silver medal to T. WARD, motor-mechanic, and bronze medals to acting SECOND- COXSWAIN PHILIP BOYLE, PHILIP BYRNE, acting bowman, NEIL BYRNE, assistant motor mechanic, and PAT- RICK O'DoNNELL, JOSEPH RODGP:RS and BRYAN GALLAGHER, life-boatmen.

Lives Lost Thirteen members of crews lost their lives at sea or died on their return.

Three of the thirteen were killed by the enemy. One of the three was killed in the life-boat of St. Peter Port. Guernsey, when she was attacked by a German aeroplane. The other two, the coxswain and shore-signal- man at Minchead, Somerset, were killed in their own boat, when they were sent out to examine supposed wreckage, which was, in fact, a mine.

Life-boats Lost The Hythe, Kent, life-boat did not return from Dunkirk. The Tyne- niouth life-boat was destroyed in her house by a bomb. Three new life- boats were destroyed by bombs in the building-yard at Cowes. The life- boats at St. Helier, Jersey, and St.

Peter Port, Guernsey, fell into the hands of the enemy. St. Helier was repaired and returned to the fleet after the war. The St. Peter Port boat was not fit for further service.

Three life-boats were taken over by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, for rescue work; Plymouth and Dover by the Navy and Aberdeen No. 2 by the Air Force. Plymouth was on duty as a naval auxiliary boat, for part of the time in Iceland. Dover was on air-sea rescue duty on the coasts of Great Britain. Aberdeen No. 2 was on duty in the Azores.

Plymouth and Aberdeen No. 2 re- turned to the Life-boat Service after the war. Dover after being taken over was bought by the Navy.

Life-boat Stations Put Out of Action Two life-boat stations were tem- porarily put out of action.

The Tynemouth boat-house, and part of the slipway, were destroyed by the same bomb which destroyed the life-boat. It was six months before the station could be reopened.

The Ramsgate station was closed for two months, after an air-raid. The crew of nine men were sheltering in a cellar, when a bomb burst outside.

Six of the nine were wounded.

Life-boats Damaged A number of life-boats were dam- aged. The Humber life-boat was damaged five times. The larger of the two Cromer life-boats was damaged seven times.

New Life-boats Sent to the Coast After the first sixteen months of the war the building of new life-boats almost ceased, and during the five years and eight months of war in Europe the Institution was able to send to the coast only seventeen new life- boats instead of the sixty or more which would have been sent in normal times. The seventeen life-boats were sent as follows: 1939—Seven after the outbreak of war on the 3rd of September.

1940—Six.

1941—Three.

1942—None.

1943—One.

1944—None.

1945—None before the 8th of May.

Two foreign life-boats were added to the fleet. One was a French life- boat, Jean Charcot, which escaped from Finistere, when France surren- dered in 1940. The other was a Belgian life-boat, Ministre Anseele, picked up derelict in the English Channel in 1940. Both were put in the reserve fleet. The Jean Charcot served at Holyhead, but rescued no lives. The Ministre Anseele served at Donaghadee, Holyhead, PwIIheli and Plymouth and rescued five lives.

The Institution's Machinery Shop As a result of the stoppage of the building of life-boats, the Institution's own machinery shop, in its depot at Boreham Wood, Herts., which over- hauled and repaired its engines, and made all the machinery for motor life-boats except the engines, had much less to do, and at tho beginning of 1941 it started work on war munitions as well. From the middle of that year until the end of the war it was engaged in making light metal parts for Mos- quito aeroplanes. It made and assembled 100,000 parts.

Auxiliary Rescue-boats In 1941 the Air Ministry asked the Institution if it could open more stations on the west coast of Ireland for the help of aircraft which were forced down by bad weather, failure of fuel or injury in battle, as they flew in from the Atlantic.

Since Eire was a neutral country the Air Force could not place its own rescue-launches on her coasts, but the life-boats in Eire were part of the single life-boat fleet of the British Isles, and the Institution was able, with the consent of the Eirean Government, to do what the Air Ministry asked of it.

In August, 1941, it opened a new station at Killybegs, County Donegal, placing there a motor life-boat from its reserve fleet.

Next year it opened ten more stations on the west coast of Eire, and others on the west coasts of England, Scotland and Wales. By the spring of 1944 there were thirty-nine.

Life-boats from the reserve fleet could not be spared for these stations and it was impossible to build new boats. Instead the Institution equipped motor fishing boats, paid their 'skippers retaining fees, and rewarded them and their crews for all launches to the help of ships or aircraft in distress as if they had been life- boat crews. 'These boats were known as auxiliary rescue-boats.

The auxiliary rescue-boat stations were closed shortly after the war mded. The last to be closed was Valentia, in November, 1946.

The geographical distribution of the stations was as follows: England Heysham. Lancashire.

Millom, Cumberland.

Puckaster Cove, Isle of Wight.

Scotland Ardfcrn, Argyllshire.

Badachro, Gairloch.

Carloway, Isle of Lewis.

Helmsdale, Sutherland.

Isle of Whithorn, Wigtownshire.

Lochinver, Sutherland.

Lossiemouth, Elginshire.

Lybster, Caithness-shire.

Mallaig, Inverness-shire.

Muasdale, Can tyre; Argyllshire.

Portmahomack, Ross-shire.

Portree, Isle of Skye.

Scalasaig, Colonsay.

Scalpay, Inverness-shire.

Scourie, Sutherland.

Shieldaig, Ross-shire.

Southend, Can tyre; Argyllshire.

Staffin, Isle of Skye.

Ullapool, Cromarty.

Wales Aberdovey, Merionethshire.

Amlwch, Anglesey.

Llanerchymor, Flintshire.

Port Madoc, Caernarvonshire.

Eire Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry.

Blacksod. Co. Mayo.

Castletownbere, Co. Cork.

Courtown, Co. Wexford.

Dingle, Co. Kerry.

Downings, Co. Donegal.

Gola Island, Co. Donegal.

Inishbofin, Co. Gal way.

Malin Head, Co. Donegal.

Meenlaragh, Co. Donegal.

Teelin, Co. Donegal.

Tory Island, Co. Donegal.

Valentia, Co. Kerry..