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 31st December, 1955 79,970 Notes of the Quarter THE year 1955 has been classified by meteorologists as the one with the best summer since 1911, and throughout the greater part of the year there was an unusual absence of storms and bad weather. Nevertheless life-boats went out on service in 1955 587 times and rescued 387 lives. The busiest month was July, when there were 72 launches. May was the month when most lives were rescued, the number being 84.

By contrast, twenty years ago there were only 378 launches on service.

This increase of more than 50 per cent in the number of services, even in a year of exceptionally good weather, is a further indication of the mounting demands made on life-boats in com- parison with pre-war years.

The past year has fortunately been wholly free of disasters or accidents to life-boats. No member of any crew was lost, and no boat was even seriously damaged.

CREW'S OPINION A remarkable tribute to the quality of modern life-boats was paid by two members of the crew of the Bridlington boat after she had returned from service early this year. A northerly gale had been blowing and very heavy seas running. The Bridlington life- boat, a 35-feet 6-inches Liverpool type boat, is one of the smallest types of boat in the Service. The coxswain, Walter Newby, reported: "It is the first time I have been in this boat in extremely bad weather.

I am more than satisfied with her per- formance. After we got five miles out of the bay, as we were going broad- side to the swell all the time, she was never clear of water, and one sea, six or seven feet higher than the boat, broke into her and washed the drogue clean over her stern, and with two of her crew hanging on to her life-chains split the gunwale by way of the stan- chion. But the boat acted wonder- fully." The mechanic, James Robinson, stated: "In my estimation the performance of this boat was better than ever expected by me or any of the other men aboard. The stability was re- markable considering the amount of water taken aboard. I have been to sea for fifteen years in life-boats, and would never have believed that a boat of this size could stand such punish- ment.

"One particular thing I noticed was, when going over a sea, she seemed toslide gently down the wave. She took one sea aboard which filled her level with her gunwales, but she freed herself within a minute. I will say that the engines ran perfectly through- out the whole of the voyage, never giving me a moment's anxiety." A full account of this service will appear in the June number of the Life-boat.

INCREASING CO-OPERATION WITH HELICOPTERS During 1955 there were 58 services in which life-boats co-operated directly with helicopters, as contrasted with 12 reported occasions of such co-operation a year earlier. In most cases during the past year co-operation took the form of a joint search, sometimes successful and sometimes unsuccessful.

In February, however, a helicopter transferred a doctor and connected a tow and the St. Mary's, Scilly Isles, life-boat landed four injured men. In March the Lizard life-boat rescued two people and a helicopter then landed on shore and took them away.

In December, as reported on page 217, the Bembridge, Isle of Wight, life-boat took a doctor to a fort and a helicopter took off a patient whom he had been attending.

DORCHESTER BALL H.R.H. the Duchess of Gloucester was the guest of honour at a ball organised by the Central London Women's Committee, which was held at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the 12th of December, 1955. The Countess Mountbatten of Burma was president and Lady Tedder chairman of the Ball Committee. The Institu- tion has derived a total profit from the ball of more than £2,500. One of the attractions at the ball was a half-scale model of the Southend-on- Sea 46-feet 9-inches Watson cabin life-boat Greater London II, Civil Service No. 30. This model had earlier been included in the Lord Mayor of London's procession on the 9th of November, 1955.

A GREAT SUPPORTER OF THE INSTITUTION By the death of Dr. Cyril Garbett, Archbishop of York, the Institution has lost a greatly valued and devoted supporter. It was at his own sugges- tion that the late Archbishop gave the address at the funeral of the three members of the Scarborough life-boat crew who lost their lives on the 8th of December, 1954, saying of the Life- boat Service: "It is a service of which the nation is proud." The late Arch- bishop of York dedicated four life- boats on the north-east coast of England, at Bridlinolon in 1948, Redcar in 1951, and Filey and Humber in 1954.

DOCTOR IN THE LIFE-BOAT CREW On two separate occasions on the 29th of December, 1955, the Ramsey, Isle of Man, life-boat put out with a doctor on board. The first service, which is reported on page 221, took place in the morning, when the life- boat answered a call from a steam trawler, which had two sick men on board. The second service took place in the afternoon, in order to land a sick man from another trawler. The doctor was Dr. William Bridgewood, who is himself a regular member of the Ramsey life-boat crew, and when the life-boat went out in the morning he acted as bowman. Dr. Bridgewood recently passed his proficiency test as a Grade I boat signalman.

It is particularly appropriate to find a member of a learned profession who is also a member of an Isle of Man life-boat crew, for it was at Douglas in the Isle of Man that the founder of the Institution, Sir William Hillary, gained his long first-hand experience of service in life-boats..