THE annual meeting was held at the Central Hall, Westminster, on the 14th of March, 1956, with Lord Howe, Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Management, in the chair.

H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent, Presi- dent of the Institution, presented medals for gallantry and other awards and gave an address. The Lord Balfour of Burleigh proposed and Mr.

Greville Howard, M.P., seconded the resolution of gratitude to the cox- swains and crews of the life-boats, the honorary officers and committees of the stations and the honorary officers and members of the financial branches and the Ladies' Life-boat Guild.

Sir Archibald Cochrane and Mr.

C. G. Freke, members of the Com- mittee of Management, proposed and seconded a vote of thanks to the President.

Supporting the Duchess of Kent on the platform were the Panamanian Ambassador, Dr. R. Arias; the Member of Parliament for Torrington, the Hon G. Lambert; the Mayors and Mayoresses of over forty boroughs; the Chairmen of several Urban District Councils; representatives of the Minis- try of Transport and Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Supply, British Euro- pean Airways, the Admiralty, the Civil Service Life-boat Fund, the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society, and the Ancient Order of Foresters; and donors of life-boats or their representatives, honorary life governors and vice- presidents of the Institution, members of the Committee of Management, and the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Central London Women's Com- mittee of the Institution.

Chairman's Speech Presenting the report of the Insti- tution for 1955 Lord Howe said: It is a great honour for me to take the chair at this great meeting today so that we may receive the report and accounts of the Royal National Life-boat Institution for 1955. At the same time, before moving their adoption, I must say that it is, I know, a source of the deepest regret to your Royal Highness, as it is to all of us here, that for the first time for many years the chair is not being occupied by Sir Godfrey Baring, who has filled it with such distinction for so many years. His retirement leaves all of us, who have had the honour of working under him, with a deep sense of loss, and it is quite impossible for anyone adequately to take his ? lace, or to pay a sufficient tribute to him.

myself shall never forget all the years that I have served under him, and all his count- less little acts of kindness to all of us on the Committee of Management. For my own part I can only say that I have always con- sidered that he is one of the finest chairmen under whom I have ever had the honour and good fortune to serve. Our sense of loss is to a certain extent reduced by the fact that he will still remain a member of the Com- mittee of Management to guide us in dealing with the many problems that we have to tackle. Just before this meeting began I had a telegram, and this is how it reads: "My warmest good wishes for a completely successful annual meeting. Godfrey Baring." My duty this afternoon is to report on the year's work. 1955 was a year on which the Life-boat Institution can look back with satisfaction. For the first time for many years we had a really good summer, and during the autumn and winter months of 1955 the weather was also exceptionally kind.

Nevertheless, during the year life-boats went out on service 587 times and rescued 387 people. It is, I think, a striking fact that in spite of the excellence of the weather there were more than 200 more calls on our life- boats than there were twenty years ago.

This shows how much is demanded today of our life-boat crews, and it is most gratifying to be able to record that the year was wholly free of disasters or accidents of any kind to our life-boat crews.

One outstanding feature of the past year has been the marked increase in the co-opera- tion between life-boats and helicopters.

During 1954, which was an exceptionally busy year for the Life-boat Service, there were twelve cases of co-operation between life-boats and helicopters in rescues or attempted rescues. Last year this figure leapt to 58. Three of the outstanding instances of such co-operation, in which the life-boats from St. Mary's, in the Scilly Isles, the Lizard, in Cornwall, and Bembridge, in the Isle of Wight, took part, are recorded in the report.

A special sub-committee of the Committee of Management has also during the year examined the whole problem of co-ordination of effort in this field and has reported that the existing arrangements are satisfactory.

Perhaps I ought to explain something of the nature of these arrangements. Helicopters which are used for rescuing life at sea are controlled by the service departments, and there is the closest co-operation between the Royal National Life-boat Institution and the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.

Should the local branch consider that the presence of a helicopter or aircraft would assist in any operation application is made through the coastguard and the coastguard gets in touch with the nearest air station, and, •provided that aircraft are available and Service commitments permit, help is always forthcoming.

I would like to tell you a little story at this point. It is not in my brief, but I hope you will forgive it because it is rather amusing.

The scene was a beach somewhere in Cornwall and the police became aware of the fact that a bather was in difficulties. They, therefore, rang up the Royal Naval Air Station and a helicopter arrived in four and a half minutes •—pretty good going! But when the heli- copter arrived the pilot could see no sign of trouble on the beach; .there were just people there enjoying themselves. He then noticed a fellow out at sea and thought to himself "Well, this must be the fellow they want me to do something about," so he got a scoop net and went after him. But when he scooped this man out of the water he was furious, because apparently—I am not quite sure of the accuracy of this—he was alleged to be a channel swimmer practising.

Although this communication chain may sound a little complicated, in practice—as you will see from what I have just told you— the results are produced pretty quickly. We, for our part, cannot praise too highly the work of the service departments, and we welcome this very valuable addition which modern science has introduced to the work of rescuing life at sea. Clearly, the helicopter is a most valuable adjunct. It is nothing new for the Life-boat Service to co-operate with other craft or other means of rescue.

Life-boats have long co-operated with tugs, they have co-operated with teams operating the rocket life-saving apparatus from the shore, and now they are co-operating with helicopters. It is interesting to know that we have one rocket life-saving apparatus of our own. All these methods of saving lives have their special uses and limitations, and all are welcome for the one great task which inspired the founding of our Institution, namely the saving of life at sea.

After your Royal Highness has presented the medals and given your presidential address we shall have the pleasure of hearing speeches from one of our most distingjished public figures, the Lord Balfour of Burleigh, and from one of our most valued members of the Committee of Management, Mr. Greville Howard, M.P. for St. Ives. Mr. Greville Howard is here in a dual capacity. He is a member of the Committee of Management, and it has been the practice of the Institution for some years to invite those Members of Parliament whose constituents are to receive medals. Two of Mr. Howard's constitutents, from St. Mary's in the SciUy Isles, and from Coverack in Cornwall, are to receive their medals today. We are also privileged to welcome the Member of Parliament for Tor- rington, the Hon. George Lambert.

Once again some of the outstanding rescues in the past year were to ships of foreign nations and we are, therefore, very happy to have with us today His Excellency the Pana- manian Ambassador. But among all of those whom we are very glad to see here to- day there is no one to whom we extend a welcome from the bottom of our hearts more than to your Royal Highness. Your presence here today once again as President of the Institution is a real source of encouragement to the whole Service and makes everything worth while, not only for us here in this hall but all round the coasts as well.

I will now formally move the adoption of the Report and Accounts of the Institution.

Medals for Gallantry The report and accounts for 1955 were adopted and the president, vice- presidents, treasurer and other mem- bers of the Committee of Management and the auditors were elected.

The Secretary read accounts of services by the life-boats at St. Mary's, Scilly Isles; Eastbourne, Sussex; Lytham-St. Anne's, Lancashire; and Coverack, Cornwall; and of a shore- boat service at Appledore, Devon.

The President then presented: To COXSWAIN MATTHEW LETHBRIDGE, of St. Mary's, the bronze medal for the rescue of the crew of 25 of the Panamanian steamer Mando on the 21st of January, 1955; To COXSWAIN THOMAS ALLCHORN, of East- bourne, a second service clasp to his bronze medal for the rescue of 16 men from the wreck of the Greek steamer Germania and 4 men from 2 salvage boats on the 6th of May, 1955; To COXSWAIN JOSEPH PARKINSON, of Lytham-St. Anne's, the bronze medal for the rescue of the crew of 5 of the yacht Penboch on the 3rd of July, 1955; To ACTING COXSWAIN RKGINALD CAREY, of Coverack, the bronze medal for the rescue of 6 men from the motor vessel Citrine on the 2nd of January, 1956.

The President then presented an inscribed wristlet watch to ROBERT CANN, of Appledore, for the rescue, single-handed, in an eighteen- feet rowing boat of 2 boys who were in danger of drowning on the 16th of August, 1955.

Presidential Address H.B..H. the Duchess of Kent, giving her presidential address, said: It is always a great pleasure for me to come to this meeting, and as your President to welcome—each year—new recipents of the Institution's awards for gallantry. And may I say, at once, how touched I am by the kind words of your Deputy Chairman, and thank him, and all of you, for your welcome to me this afternoon? Lord Howe has already referred to Sir Godfrey Baring's absence from the chair today, and I would not like to let this moment pass without expressing my grati- tude to Sir Godfrey for his wonderful work, and for the enthusiasm, and judgement, which he has so generously given to the Institution. It has been a pleasure for me to have been associated with him for some thirteen years, and so I would like to pay my personal tribute to him as our Chairman.

No one has ever held that office for so long as Sir Godfrey; having become a Member of the Committee of Management in 1911, he was made Deputy Chairman in 1915, and Chairman in 1923. During all these years, he carried out a continuous round of visits to Life-boat Stations; was present at innumer- able meetings throughout the country; and was unfailing in his efforts on behalf of the Service. And so I know you will all join with me in congratulating him on this wonder- ful record, and in wishing him all happiness in his retirement.

And now I would like to say a few words about the voluntary work which enables the life-boats to put to sea. Everyone in these islands is proud of the men who man the boats; and rightly so, for there is no equiva- lent service in any country in the world.

But how is the Service itself maintained? Of that, I think, the general public knows very little. The first remarkable fact is that it is entirely voluntary, and is supported by the generosity of innumerable benefactors—• great and small—throughout the country—• and from other countries as well. For ex- ample, a recent magnificent bequest will enable the Institution to provide four new life-boats—and each new life-boat, as you may know, costs roughly £25,000; and, at the other end of the scale, are the numerous contributions from old age pensioners—and even from the blind, who give the proceeds from their work to the Institution. But I am also thinking of the contributions which come in kind; of the help—indispensable help—which is so freely given by voluntary workers—of whom there are many thousands.

Without them, the Service would be unable to function, and their devotion to its work is perhaps too seldom recognised.

All over the country there are Committees and Guilds; it is these organisations, and their supporters, whom I would like to congratulate and to thank, most sincerely, for all that they have done, and continue to do.

Finally, I want—as in former years—to thank the life-boat crews. I have visited a number of stations during the last year and, as always, have been wonderfully impressed by the magnificent spirit everywhere. I am looking forward, this year, to going to the Isle of Man and to Tenby, where I know I shall find that same spirit. I wish them, as I am sure you do too, all possible success and good fortune in the work that lies ahead of them.

Guest Speakers Lord Balfour of Burleigh moved the following resolution: "That this meeting, fully recognis- ing the important services of the Royal National Life-boat Institution in its national work of life-saving, desires to record its hearty appreciation of the gallantry of the coxswains and crews of the Institution's life-boats, and its deep obligation to the local committees, honorary secretaries, and honorary treasurers of all station branches, and to the honorary officers and thousands of voluntary members of the financial branches and of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild in the work of raising funds to maintain the service." In doing so he said: The Chairman made a very kind reference to me in his opening speech, but there was one thing he did not tell you about me, either because he did not know, or because he thought it would not be polite, but the fact is that I am a complete and absolute land- lubber. Like some other people I have travelled in great ships across great oceans, and I have pulled myself about, and been pulled about, in various old tubs on various Scottish lochs in search of trout; otherwise I can honestly say that with neither salt water nor fresh water have I ever had any- thing to do—except in my bath! It occurs to me that that sounds as though I was rather the opposite of an extreme teetotaller, but I did not mean that. But because I was so ignorant of the sea and its ways I did not feel I was a very suitable person to move this resolution in praise of this great volun- tary service. However, the more I heard about it from our Chairman the more I felt moved by admiration for what is done. Not only is it a great voluntary service but, if I may touch upon a personal aspect, it is one of the things which we are not taxed to pro- duce, and that seems to me to be a very great merit.

Now there is one feature of the Service which appeals to me extraordinarily strongly, and that is how the Service runs in families.

I have a special reason for being interested in that, which I will reveal to you a little later, but meantime I asked for particulars, and I am going to quote quite shortly some parti- culars of no more than four of the great life-boat families which have served for many generations in this great Service. The particulars come from The Life-boat.

The first is to do with the family of the Robsons of North Sunderland, and this is from The Life-boat of September, 1935: "Four generations, starting at least 100 years ago, have served, or are serving today in the North Sunderland life-boat. Three of the first generation, three of the second, six of the third, and up to the present four of the fourth." That was in September, 1935, when there were eight Robsons in the boat, the coxswain, the second coxswain, and six life-boatmen—eight Robsons in a crew of thirteen.

Then there are the Loughs of Berwick-on- Tweed, and this is taken from the issue of The Life-boat of December, 1953: "There has been a life-boat station at Berwick-on-Tweed for the last 118 years and for the last 34 of those years the coxswain has been a Lough.

A Lough is coxswain today, four of the other seven members of the crew are Loughs, and at a pinch we could man the boat with Loughs." Then there are the Stantons and Stephen- sons of Boulmer, Northumberland. Boulmer lies midway between the Tyne and the Tweed, and it is considered by mariners as one of the most dangerous points on the Northumbrian coast, and in the days of sailing ships its shore was continually strewn with wreckage.

There was a former coxswain, Robert Stephenson. On his appointment in 1922 he had been second coxswain for six years.

The bowman at that time was Edward Stephenson; his cousin, a nephew, and second cousin were among the crew, and three other Stephensons in the crew were brothers; an- other member of the crew was their uncle; another a cousin—bringing the total of Stephensons up to ten. And, as the Stantons are joined with the Stephensons, I can add that today James Stanton has been motor mechanic since 1951, and George Archibald Stanton has been tractor driver since 1945.

So that record of more than 130 years still goes on.

Lastly, of these families there are the Cables of Aldeburgh, and the Cable family have served for five generations. As a post- script, in 1954 Patrick Cable, aged sixteen, went out in the life-boat although not a regular member of the crew.

Coupled with the names of these families are many, many stirring stories, and I only wish that we had time to hear some of them, but they are equalled by the stories which we have heard today. This is my final point on the family history question; of the awards given today I believe that every recipient has fellows of his own name in his boat, indicating very clearly that the family interest is still very much to the fore in the Service.

Now I will reveal the reason why that interest appeals so strongly to me. When we are talking in another capacity we refer to that sort of thing as "the hereditary principle." Now I am a member of a place called the House of Lords, which is based on the hereditary principle. I am not here to talk about the reform of the House of Lords, but I leave with you this thought: that if the hereditary principle works as it does in the life-boat service you can rely upon it working in the House of Lords, and do not let us ever forget it.

I have one other confession to make, which the Lord Chairman did not reveal about me, and that is that all my life I have had some- thing to do with banking. We are a great industrial and manufacturing country. We live by importing raw materials, exporting manufactured goods—we should starve if we did not do it. We bankers rely on the Merchant Marine to carry our goods to and fro; the Merchant Marine relies on the Life- boat Service. And I only want in two sentences to explain how important the banking business is.

I am going to give you an example of the business of an overseas bank. You have got to understand that what the banker does is to fill in the gap between the man who sells his goods and the man who buys them.

The man who sells them does not want to part with the goods without getting his money, and the man who buys the goods does not want to pay his money until he gets the goods. I am not going to bore you with details about the technicalities involved with regard to bank credits and bills of exchange, which are the machinery of banking, but I have here a list of the sort of stuff that is handled by one overseas bank within a very few days.

From Africa, wool, cotton, hides, sheep- skins, gold—and passing the door of the bank this morning I saw the fascinating sight of a number of boxes of gold being handed out of the bank—and, carrying on with the list, copper, asbestos, chrome ore, diamonds, coffee, beeswax, ostrich feathers, graphite, tobacco, mahogany, crocodile skins—that is the sort of stuff that comes in. And some of the examples of what we send out are: cotton and woollen goods, motor cars, machinery, aeroplanes, watches, paper, cycles, pianos, pedigree livestock, and so on. One day I was the director who had to initial these credits—directors do sometimes do some work, you know, and I saw coming in a consignment of tinned lobsters and the next item was a consignment of magnesium sul- phate, and you may not know it but that is the Latin word for Kpsom salts. The manager assured me that it was a fortuitous coincidence! I have only one other point to make—I must not detain you, but there is another feature of this great Service which does seem to me to be worthy of mention and of impor- tance, and that is that in these highly mechanised days I do feel that seamanship must be more exercised, perhaps, in your Life-boat Service even than in the Merchant Marine, in which mechanisation becomes more and more complete. If there is one thing in this world which is important, it is craftsmanship, and we are in danger of losing craftsmanship now. Seamanship is a form of craftsmanship, and that I am quite certain is a thing which your crews are from day to day exercising and keeping alive, and nothing can be more important in the service of the nation than that. Your Royal Highness, I beg to move the resolution, which I have already read.

Seconding the resolution, Mr.

Greville Howard said: It is indeed a great pleasure for me to second this resolution. Firstly I look upon it as a very great honour that I should have been asked to do this—not, I feel sure, on my own account, but, possibly, because of Matthew Lethbridge and Reg. Carey—for we are extremely pleased in Vest Cornwall to think that out of the four medals awarded this afternoon two have come to us. I am sure it is for that reason only that I have been asked to second the resolution, and I thank you, my Lord Chairman, for the kind words about myself, which are quite undeserved.

The other day I was standing in the street, quite close to here, talking to a man, and he was discussing the dillieultics of the present day. He said, "Oh, these collections, these flag days. There always seems to be some- one coming up and handing you something which you have to pay for." He said, "In this modern day and age I don't altogether hold with it," but he paused for a moment, and said, "But there's just one, and that's the Life-boat one—I'd give my last penny to that." Now why should that man take that view? Of course, most of us here know why, but outside this hall how many know why it is so? Your Royal Highness touched upon what I feel is the basis of the whole story— the team—the team behind the men who go out, and about whose deeds we hear at the annual meeting; the launchers; the helpers; the people who are preparing warm food for the men when they get back; the people at the depot. When recently a boat on the east coast ran out of a spare part on a Satur- day afternoon, that part was on the coast by Saturday evening. At the depot, where everything is sent out within an hour of the demand, they work twenty-four hours a day and there is one hundred per cent inspection of everything that goes out. Then, headquarters; well, we all know about head- quarters and what goes on there.

Then we come a bit further along the line to the helpers, about whom Your Royal Highness has spoken this afternoon: the helpers on the coast, the helpers in the town, the people who do all the work of collecting to back up the efforts of the team. It is those helpers, who, if I may say so, make fast the knot that holds the team together.

May I mention an instance of what happens in a particular crew? I will take the case of a man and his wife.

He joined the boat in 1911, he became the bowman in 1933, the second coxswain in January, 1934, the coxswain in July. 1934, and retired in 1955. His wife has been largely responsible for the collections of the life- boathouse, which have averaged £1,500 a year in that one life-boathouse. It is not only the man who gets the decoration, but we believe that the wife ought to get a decora- tion too. As the husband went through his service he got a bronze medal in 1938, a second service clasp in 1938, a silver medal in 1940, and the thanks on vellum in 1940, 1942, 1947 and 1955. The wife got a statuette in 1951 and the gold badge in 1956, not only for that work in collecting but also for helping to rouse out the crew and for helping to produce warm food for them when they eame back.

It is this tradition of service which is one of the reasons why that man said to me, "I'd give my last penny," and what better example of that tradition could there be than that young man from Appledore who came up here just now? There we find the sea-faring tradition of which Lord Balfour spoke a minute or so ago—the hereditary tradition which makes it possible for these families to go on year after year, generation after generation, in the boat. Then there is the voluntary spirit, and that is the third reason why I think that man said, "I'd give my last penny." Lord Balfour talked about the hereditary principle, and I quite agree with him. My child, who is aged nearly nine, has already got a slipway which she uses in the bath with a model boat, and she knows exactly how- to launch and recover. I am hoping that she will come into the ranks and take her place beside her mother, who is already president of a local branch, in backing up the team.

Whatever people may say—we have heard • today of the exploits of helicopters and we know how well they can eo-operate—in seamanship we need craftsmanship, as Lord Balfour has said. We may have every modern navigational aid, but we still need the man in the boat to make up his mind at the last moment what he is going to do— be it in thick fog, be it with split second decision, he has to make up his mind what he is going to do with the boat at the last minute. That is the craftsmanship which we honour here this afternoon, and pray God it may go on for many generations to come.

I have great pleasure in seconding this resolution.Awards for Honorary Workers The Secretary reported that since the last annual meeting three honorary workers had been appointed honorarylife governors of the Institution, the highest award which the Institution can confer on an honorary worker.

The President then presented the vellums awarded to two honorary life governors: LADY BIRD, CENTRAL LONDON.

Miss H. F. GREENHAM, WALLASEY.

LADY NASH, ivho had also been appointed an honorary life governor, was unable to be present at the meeting.

The Secretary reported that the gold badge which is given only for distinguished service, had been awarded to seven honorary workers.

The President presented gold badges to: LADY GRIMSHAW, HORNSEY.

MRS. G. PAGE, SOUTHEND-ON-SEA.

ALDKHMAN MRS. LEYLAND, SOUTIIEXD- ON'-SEA.

Mns. JESSOP, KIRKBURTON.

MR. A. B. GORMAN, SALTCOATS.

Mns. WALTER HYMAN, SWANSEA.

MR. W. X. THOMPSON, who had also received a gold badge, was unable to be pres- ent at the meeting.

A Vote of Thanks Proposing a vote of thanks to H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent, Sir Archibald Cochrane said: Without your presence Madam, our meet- ing would be far from complete, but merely to express our thanks for the gracious manner in which your Royal Highness has presided this afternoon would be to ignore completely the great work which our Royal President does for the Royal National Life-boat Insti- tution, whether it be amongst the members of the life-boat crews on the coast, or in the Committee of Management. We have come through the years to regard our Royal President as an integral part of the Institu- tion in all our success and sorrows. That feeling is a great inspiration to us all, and we arc very grateful for the deep interest which your Royal Highness so unfailingly takes in our affairs.

Seconding this vote of thanks, Mr.

C. G. Freke said: I am sure everybody here today will desire to be associated with this expression of deep gratitude to Her Royal Highness for the stimulus given to the Institution's work by her gracious presence. Most particularly we are grateful for her practical and personal participation in the life-boat work by her visits to various stations in the country, visits which not only take time but are liable to involve personal discomfort, such as the long journey to Stornoway last year.

We should like you to know, Madam, that the encouragement and pleasure given to our crews and to our supporters throughout the country by these personal visits are beyond price. They are deeply appreciated by all of us.

In the evening the medallists, Robert Cann, and their families went to the Crazy Gang Show at the Victoria Palace.

The arrival of H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent and the departure of the medallists were shown on the Indepen- dent Television Newsreel. A report on the meeting was broadcast in the B.B.C.'S programme "A Week in the West," and the proceedings were shown in cinema newsreels..