COLONEL A. D. BURNETT BROWN, Secretary of the Institution, presented a certificate inscribed on vellum to the Newhaven branch on the 21st of September, 1955. This certificate commemorated the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the establish- ment of a life-boat station at New- haven.

It is known that there has been a life-boat station at Newhaven since 1803. Since complete records began to be kept in the middle of the nine- teenth century up to the time of the presentation of the vellum Newhaven life-boats had been launched on service 306 times and had rescued 408 lives.

Ten silver and nine bronze medals for gallantry have been awarded to men of Newhaven. The last silver medal awarded was that to Coxswain William Harvey for the rescue of eight men from the Danish auxiliary schooner Vega on the 26th of Novem- ber, 1954.

At the same ceremony Colonel Burnett Brown presented Coxswain Harvey with the vellum which accom- panies his medal and the other six members of the crew with the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum.

In making the presentation he pointed out that although there had at the time been three other vessels standing by the Vega, conditions had been such that only the life-boat had been able to effect the rescue of the Vega's crew..