PROBABLY the highest subscription per capita of any unit in the regular forces to the Institution is from the St.

Kilda detachment of the Royal Artil- lery Guided Weapons Range in the Outer Hebrides.

This small detachment, whose strength is about 30 men, lives on Hirta, the main island of the St. Kilda archipelago, 40 miles west of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. The soldiers, who live a lighthouse-like existence, change over every six weeks from their base on the island of Benbecula.

The eight-hour journey on the R.A.S.C. Isles Class Trawler Mull lifetakes them through the reef-infested waters of the Stanton Channel in the treacherous Sound of Harris, and west to the open Atlantic. The journey is usually uncomfortable, sometimes ex-citing, and, when weather is bad, has been known to be delayed up to a month. The ship to shore relief in Village Bay is carried out in ly-foot dories and is at times hazardous.

In the past six years the Barra life- boat has stood by on call on several occasions. A tank landing craft caught out in a force 12 gale off Barra Head, the relief vessel going on the rocks in West Loch Tarbet, a man dangerously ill on St. Kilda during bad weather have all been occasions when the Barra life-boat has been ready to come to the rescue. So far the gunners have never actually had to call out the lifetakes boat, but when the wind strengthens up to force 10 and above it is a great comfort to the island soldiers to know that the life-boat is always ready to come to their aid..