COMMANDER LORD SEMPILL, R.N.V.R.

A Vice-President of the Institution since 1954 Lord Sempill, who died on 3oth December, 19563 had served on the Committee of Management from 1927 until he became Vice-President and had served on the boat and construction, and general purposes and publicity committees. His long and valuable devotion to the RNLI will be remembered with gratitude, but aviation was the great interest of his life.

After serving an engineering apprenticeship with Rolls Royce he joined the Royal Flying Corps in August 1914. In 1919 he retired from the Service - by then the Royal Air Force - and devoted himself to the cause of British aviation. A pioneer with courage and enthusiasm, he competed in the King's Cup Air Race from 1924 to 1930 and was the author of several aviation books, notably Wanderings Along a Future Commercial Air Route. He was President of the Royal Aeronautical Society from 1927 to 1930.

He also made his mark in industry, pioneering new ideas and urging the need for technological progress at a time when the urgency of this, for Britain, was not appreciated..