THE December number of the Life-boat, recording as it does the happenings in the months of July, August and Septem- ber, invariably has a bulky section devoted to the detailed accounts of services by the life-boats, for it is in the summer months that the greatest num- ber of services takes place. Once again this year the help given by life-boats to yachtsmen and others who have gone to sea for their own pleasure has been continual. During the two months of July and August, for instance, life-boats put out to the help of yachts and other pleasure craft no fewer than 76 times ; there were 41 effective services, and 37 lives were rescued. Yet during July there was only one property salvage claim for the saving of a yacht, and in that instance the yacht had been aban- doned by her crew, who had been taken off by another boat. In August there were only three property salvage claims in all, and in September only one.

Pleasure craft have, of course, given rise to only a proportion of the services rendered by life-boats during these summer months. Numerous fishing boats were also towed in, refloated or escorted ; sick and injured men were taken off lighthouses and lightvessels ; a motor vessel which was drifting near rocks was towed to safety ; a life-boat stood by a tanker on fire ; and another life-boat was launched to the help of a helicopter which had crashed into the sea.

TELEVISION APPEAL The first appeal on behalf of the Royal National Life-boat Institution by television will be made early next year.

The date is Sunday, 19th February, but the time cannot yet be stated with cer- tainty. A number of people who have been rescued by life-boats will record their impressions ; the new life-boat station on the Lizard peninsula will be shown in a film ; and an appeal will be made by Mr. Wynford Vaughan Thomas, the well-known broadcaster.

If every reader of the Life-boat were to persuade or invite a half-a-dozen friends to see and hear this appeal, the benefit to the service could be substantial.

SURVEYS OF LIFE-BOATS Those closely associated with life- boat stations know that it is the Institution's practice to take life-boats away from their stations for a thorough survey every four years, in addition to the normal annual inspection of all life-boats lying afloat. The average annual cost to the Institution of the surveys is over £40,000. One remark- able fact that has emerged from an analysis of these costs is that the annual expenditure on surveys is actually less than it was before the war, although wage rates have approximately trebled.

The principal reason for this is that because of the continual changes in design and materials the amount of repair work, which surveys today show to be needed, has been greatly reduced.

FILMS AND PUBLICATIONS A new film on the life-boat service, which will be released for general dis- tribution, is at present in the course of production. The film is being made by Independent Artists with the full co- operation of the Institution. It will be in colour and will run for approximately half-an-hour. The present provisional title is The Green Stars. Much of the film is being made at Tenby in Pem- brokeshire and other parts at Appledore and Minehead. Another film being shown in cinemas entitled Depth Charge features the St. Abbs life-boat. Neither of these films is at present available for branch showings, but a new 12-minute colour film entitled Life-boat Call, which depicts a service by the Southend shows life-boats under is now available to life-boat and construction.

branches.

A revised edition of the illustrated 2s. 6d. booklet published by Pitkin Pictorials Ltd. entitled The Pictorial Story of the Life-boat Service and its Heroes has recently been put on sale.

On all copies sold by branches the Institution makes a profit of lOd.

Routledge & Kegan Paul will be publishing in the spring How Men Are Rescued From The Sea by Patrick Howarth. This work traces the history and describes the work of all the organisations concerned with safety and rescue at sea including Trinity House, the Coastguard, the Air/Sea Rescue Service, the Royal Life-Saving Society and other bodies as well as the Royal National Life-boat Institution.

VISIT TO FREN'CH LIFE-BOAT STATION On the 27th of August, 1960, a courtesy visit to the Calais life-boat station was paid by the Walmer life- boat, the Calais life-boat having been present at the naming of the new Walmer life-boat last year. The Mayor of Calais presented Coxswain Frederick Upton with a plaque in recognition of past services to the crews of French vessels in the Channel. Two other ex- life-boats with their owners aboard accompanied the Walmer boat. One was the former Walmer life-boat, which is now owned by Mr. H. Schermuly, President of the Walmer branch ; the other was the former Poolbeg boat now owned by the Secretary of the Institution, Lieut.-Colonel Charles Earle..