CAPTAIN the Hon. V. M. Wyndham-Quin, R.N., Chairman of the Committee of Management, told the annual meeting of the In- stitution at Central Hall, Westminster, on 2ist March, 1967, that, in spite of efforts all round, receipts did not meet expenditure and they ended the year 'in the red' to the extent of £124,000.

Captain Wyndham-Quin said: 'This is a considerable sum. We have been able to make good the deficiency out of our reserves, but clearly this is not something we can accept.' BOAT BUILDING PROGRAMME He continued: 'This year our expenditure will once again be extremely high, for we are engaged in a large boat building programme. More money will, therefore, be needed. Many of our branches are, I know, doing everything that can be expected of them to raise funds. The last thing I would say to any one of them is: "You ought to be doing more". Nevertheless, there are up and down the country people who admire the life-boat service and who have said to themselves at one time or another: "I must do something about it." They have meant that they would like to become regular contributors or to work for the service but for one reason or another have not got round to doing so.

'I would like to take this opportunity to appeal from this platform to these very people. I know they are not in this hall today, but they can be reached, and if they come forward I am confident that we can raise all the funds needed to achieve everything we set out to do.' Earlier in his speech Capt. Wyndham-Quin had recalled that this year marked the 25th anniversary of the day on which H.R.H. Princess Marina had consented to become President.

'All of us connected with the life-boat service,' he said, in no matter what capacity, are aware of the deep debt we owe her for her close personal interest and the inspiration she has at all times given us. During her term of office Her Royal Highness has travelled all over the country to name new life-boats, visit life-boat stations and to grace with her presence innumerable meetings. I have a full list of Her Royal Highness's life-boat activities and it is a most impressive document. I therefore wish to extend to you, on behalf of the whole life-boat service, the warmest welcome today, and offer the most grateful thanks for all you have done for us.' MANY MEDALS Captain Wyndham-Quin continued: 'I now come to the past year's work. It was a year of great achievement and with one possible exception (the deficit) a year of great success. One measure of this is the remarkable number of medals for gallantry awarded. . . . What you will hear will show that in spite of all the improvements we have made in our life-boats and their equipment the dangers are always there and in recognizing the efforts of those brave men who have won medals we should, I think, at the same time pay tribute to all the members of our life-boat crews and our inshore rescue boat crews for what they have done in the past year.

'I am very happy to be able to report that not a single man was lost on service.

When one considers that there was an all-time record figure for launches on service, that life-boats and our new inshore rescue boats saved the lives of no fewer than 817 people and that many of the rescues were carried out in the most arduous conditions, I think you will agree that this is a splendid record.

'I have, however, the sad duty of reporting the deaths of two men who have given great service to the Life-Boat Institution. One was my colleague on the Committee of Management, the late Professor Pask, who not only gave us the benefit of his outstanding professional knowledge and skill but carried out experiments regardless of his own safety in order to find ways in which others might survive. During the past year the death also occurred of Colonel A. D.

Burnett Brown, a former secretary of the Institution, a man of distinction as an administrator, and one on whose wise advice over the years the Committee of Management were constantly able to count.

TECHNICAL PROGRESS 'In technical developments the past year's story has also been one of success.

The first of our own 44-foot steel life-boats was completed. This boat is based on an American design, and many will have seen her when she was on display at the International Boat Show at Earls Court and when she went round the coast. The station selected for this life-boat is Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin, and she will bear the proud name John F. Kennedy. This life-boat is one of six which we have had built at Lowestoft, and all the other five will shortly be going to their stations.

'Another interesting development in the year has been the Hatch boat. This is a fast boat with a speed of up to 26 knots. She can be used as a boarding boat - that is to say to take out life-boat crews to their main boats which lie afloat - and she can also be used for rescue purposes. So far, we have only built the prototype, but the trials have been highly successful. This interesting new boat was designed by one of our own technical staff, Mr. George Hatch, a senior draughtsman.

NEW LIFE-JACKET 'After four years of research and experiment we have now produced a new type of life-jacket and protective clothing. People everywhere are familiar with the old oilskin life-jacket with which life-boat crews are traditionally associated.

To some our new designs will at first seem strange, but there is no doubt that they are very much more efficient and in line with the modernization and improvements which have been such a striking feature of the life-boat service in recent years. If a man should fall into the water face down and unconscious the new type of life-jacket will immediately bring him face up with his head out of the water. That is a considerable advance. This was not true of the old type. Another important advantage is that the new life-jacket is much less cumbersome than the old, and crews will find it a great deal easier to carry out their work.

'These are only a few of the advances we have made in the past year and inevitably they have all cost money. This brings me to the point to which I made a brief reference a few minutes ago. Our voluntary workers who raise our funds did a truly magnificent job in the past year. Receipts went up con-siderably, and in a time of financial stringency that was a great achievement. I would, therefore, like to pay tribute to these voluntary workers and to the generous individuals who made large gifts. I am delighted, too, to know that we have in this hall today representatives of those organizations which have provided funds for life-boats and of those who left money for them in their wills.' MANY MEMORIES Princess Marina, in her presidential address, said: 'I must first thank you with all my heart, Captain Wyndham-Quin, for the very generous words with which you have just welcomed me. It seems hardly possible that a quarter of a century has elapsed since I first became connected, as President, with this great and unique organization. This is indeed a long time, especially when I remember that my husband also was President of the Institution before I succeeded him; directly and indirectly, therefore, I have been associated with the work of this wonderful service for over 30 years.

'As you may imagine, I have very many memories of episodes and incidents over the years. Most enjoyable of all, perhaps, have been my visits to life-boat stations.

'Of course, I have seen many changes since 1942, and there would be some- thing wrong if I had not. For example, the first life-boat that I named was one of the old 35 foot self-righting type - a type that is no longer to be found in the service. Last year, I named a splendid new vessel, now operating in the Bristol Channel, which was just double the size and is equipped with quarters for the crew. This is only one of numerous developments which has occupied the ingenuity and inventiveness of those concerned with the service throughout the past 25 years.

'THIS SPLENDID COMPANY OF MEN' 'Nearly every year, I think, I have attended this annual meeting, largely because it has always seemed to be a very great privilege to shake hands with the many life-boat men whose gallantry and courage brings them here, year after year, in recognition of their outstanding services in the cause of saving life at sea. I have tried, as the years have passed, to emphasize and repeat that this is a voluntary institution and that the crews of the life-boats undertake these fearful tasks as volunteers, with no thought for themselves. I think you will appreciate, therefore, that it is a very great honour for me, as President, to confer these awards annually upon this splendid company of men.

'But during this last year, these men, if it is conceivable, have surpassed themselves. No fewer than 24 medals were awarded for gallantry - a figure not exceeded since the war-time years - since 1943 to be exact. Above all, two gold medals - rarest of awards - have been conferred. You will appreciate the rarity of this distinction when I tell you that the gold medal has only been given five times since the end of the war.

'These distinctions have been conferred upon two exceptionally gallant men.

One has already received the gold medal, here in this hall, at my hands, eight years ago. I refer, of course, to Coxswain Richard Evans of Moelfre - the only man alive today to have been awarded the gold medal twice.

'The second recipient, concerned in the same incredibly dangerous mission, is unique in being the only inspector of life-boats in our history to have won the gold medal for gallantry; he is Lieutenant Commander Harold Harvey.

'As for their exploits, no one who has read the account of the rescue which took place early in December last year in what were described as appalling conditions will ever cease to marvel that the crews of the three life-boats con- cerned should have accomplished what they did. Let me just say that these gallant actions are typical of the spirit and practice of the finest life-boat service in the world - there can be no higher praise, I think, than that.

'But I should not wish, at this special moment to appear to overlook or in any way neglect the wonderful contribution made by thousands of people, up and down the country, who continue to give up their time in support of the service at sea. It has been a joy for me to thank and encourage very many of these voluntary workers during the past 25 years for their hard work in maintaining what has become a tradition of unstinted and self-sacrificing service.

BENEFACTORS REMEMBERED 'We owe much, also, to many benefactors - and I hope and trust that we shall continue to do so, from one of the greatest of these, the Civil Service Life-Boat Fund - which celebrated its centenary last year - to the children who have made collections in schools, to the old age pensioners who have spared what they can barely afford, our gratitude is lasting and immense. Without you all we could not design - let alone build - new life-boats; without you all we could not keep the service afloat; and so to you all, coxswains and crews, inspectors, secretaries, organizers, voluntary helpers and benefactors, I send a message, hi this my 25th year as your President, of heartfelt thanks, con- gratulations and best wishes.' Her Royal Highness then presented awards for gallantry after the following citations had been read in detail: On 2nd December, 1966, the Moelfre life-boat Watkin Williams rescued 10 and the Holyhead life-boat St. Cybi (Civil Service No. 9) rescued five of the crew of the Greek motor vessel Nafsiporos which was in distress 400 yards west of the West Mouse rock in a north westerly hurricane with a very rough sea - Coxswain R. M. Evans, Moelfre, bar to his gold medal; Lieut-Comdr. H. H. Harvey, V.R.D., R.N.R., Inspector of life-boats, gold medal; Coxswain T. Alcock, Holy- head, silver medal; Motor Mechanic E. S. Jones, Holyhead, silver medal; Motor Mechanic E. Owens, Moelfre, bar to his silver medal; Second Coxswain D. M. Francis, Moelfre, bar to his bronze medal; Acting Bowman H. Owen, Moelfre., second bar to his bronze medal; Assistant Mechanic W. M. Davies, Moelfre, bronze medal; Crew Member H. Jones, Moelfre, bar to his bronze medal; Crew Member D. Evans, Moelfre, bronze medal; Crew Member Capt. J. D. Jeavons, Moelfre, bronze medal; Second Coxswain W. J. Jones, Holyhead, bronze medal; Acting Bowman F. Ward, Holyhead, bronze medal; Acting Assistant Mechanic J. Sharpe, Holyhead, bronze medal; Crew Member J. Hughes, Holyhead, bronze medal; Crew Member D. Drinkwater, Holyhead, bronze medal; Crew Member B. Stewart, Holyhead, bronze medal.

When four boys and a girl were cut off by the tide at Waterwynch on 2jth August, 1966, the Tenby life-boat Henry Comber Brown towed a small rowing punt to the vicinity which was manned by W. Richards who displayed much skill and strength in keeping it close to the shore, while M. O. Wilson swam from the punt on five separate occasions in a moderate south easterly wind with a moderate sea and a very heavy swell, to rescue the five children - Crew Member, Second Officer M. O. Wilson, Tenby, silver medal; Bowman J, W. Richards, Tenby, bronze medal. Posthumous award to Professor Edgar Alexander Pask, O.B.E., M.D., M.A.. M.B., B.CHIR., D.A., F.F.A.R.C.S., who died on 30th May, 1966, in recognition of his ceaseless work and outstanding devotion to the cause of saving life at sea as honorary medical adviser to the Institution and for the great courage he displayed in executing the work which he undertook - Mrs. M. Pask, silver medal.

To rescue a boy and recover two bodies from the cliffs at Gilfach-yr-Halen on 6tli/jth August, lo.66,Coxswain D. W. Evans took the New Quay life-boat St. Albans close inshore among the numer- ous submerged rocks in a moderate north easterly wind, choppy sea and a heavy backwash, guided by E. G. S. Fowler and D. Rees, who had previously swum ashore from the life-boat in the prevailing severe weather and sea conditions - Coxswain D. W. Evans, New Quay, bronze medal; Motor Mechanic E. G. S. Fowler, New Quay, bronze medal; Crew Member D. Rees, New Quay, bronze medal.

The Walton and Frinton life-boat Edian Courtauld stood by the steam ship Ypapanti, which had run aground on the Long Sand Head in a north westerly gale with a very rough sea and a heavy ground swell on ijth November, 7966. Rescued II members of the crew on 15th November, and landed the remaining five on iqth November - Coxswain F. Bloom, Walton-and-Frinton, bronze medal.

On nth April, 196;, after a young girl got into difficulties when her canoe capsized off East Beach, Dunbar, in afresh westerly breeze with a moderate sea, A. Togneri went to her assistance in his own canoe which subsequently sank. He then supported the girl for some considerable time in the water until the arrival of the Dunbar life-boat - Arnold Togneri, Dunbar shore-boat case, inscribed wristwatch.

Lord Runicman, O.B.E., A.F.C., the guest speaker, said: 'It is a great honour and a pleasure to have been asked to come here this afternoon... I come from the north east coast of England and that, I think, one may fairly describe as real life- boat country. If I look out of my front door I can see the life-boat from which, as you know, Grace Darling performed her ever memorable exploit. Bamburgh was, I believe, the place at which the first real life-boat in the world originated, Archdeacon Sharp of that village in 1786 having commissioned one and put her on station.

'I must be fair to the south. But only four years later in South Shields William Woodhave - a name I think to be remembered in this connection - produced the design which was finally embodied in a life-boat produced by Greathead, which was the first example, I think - if one may fairly say so - in the world of a life-boat. I would just go on to add that in 1851 the then Duke of Northumberland produced the Beeching life-boat and, even in this room, I think there must be many who can remember the type.

NEARLY ONE IN SEVEN 'At the risk of putting too many eggs in the pudding, I would like to say too that, if my arithmetic is right - and if I be thought by any Scottish Nationalists to be including Dunbar in England, I am not - from Dunbar to Flamborough Head is about 150 sea miles and between those two points there are stationed no less than 23 of the Institution's life-boats. That is one more than for the whole distance - if my counting is correct - between Dover to Land's End, and nearly one in seven of the whole number of ships stationed round the coastline of this island.

'So I think those of us who have had the good fortune to be born and bred in that part of the world, particularly near the sea, may claim, when we speak about life-boats, that we do know a little of what we are talking about and that makes it even more of a privilege to be able to give thanks where thanks are due - to the Institution. That is perhaps rather a traditional expression of gratitude and it concerns, of course, mainly those to whom the sea is a source of livelihood; the safeguarding and saving of their lives will always remain the principal object of the Institution.

'But there is another class of people to which many others, myself included, belong who have also had on occasion good cause to look with gratitude to the Institution and that is those who use the sea for recreation or for pleasure. That class of people is even more numerous than ever. It was perhaps on that count, more than any other, that those people who noted the remarkable and far- sighted inauguration of the inshore rescue boats three years ago, felt that they would certainly have plenty of work to do.

IS IT ALL NECESSARY? 'In fact I think I am right in saying that two years ago, in 1965, over one third of the services by life-boats - not less than 378 - were rendered either to yachts, sailing or motor boats, dinghies, small boats, canoes, rubber dinghies and other small pleasure craft. That in itself is a remarkable thing and, so far as I am able to gather by looking quickly at the report, I believe in 1966 the proportion is somewhere near two thirds. The inshore boats are, as I said a moment ago, probably of particular value to the kind of people that I have in mind. In that same year, 1965, some 312 services, which I think was two thirds of the whole of the services rendered by inshore rescue boats, were rendered again to small pleasure craft of one sort or another. In 1966 I think the proportion was slightly less. This is a very fine record, but one cannot, in thinking about it, help wondering really whether the whole of it ought in fact to be necessary.

'By way of leading up to the point I have in mind, I would quote a remarkable work called Yacht Master's Guide which was published something like a quarter of a century ago and is by Frank Carr. It was written for people who were going to take their Yacht Master Certificates. Maybe it was supposed to be concerned with people who had already some experience of the sea and knew what they were talking about. There is a place in this work where a candidate for the certificate is being examined orally by, I do not doubt, an extremely tough and experienced shipmaster and he is made to suppose that he sets out one fine morning in the yacht, there being a nice sailing breeze, and then is overtaken by disaster.

A NARROW MARGIN 'That I quote as an example of the sort of thing that people who use the sea for pleasure have always got to be aware of - how extremely quickly conditions can change, and particularly, how narrow, to the experienced, the careless or the thoughtless, is the margin between the extreme of pleasure and the extreme of danger. An experienced man should, and no doubt does, take the necessary precautions, but even he at times will find he may need the assistance of the Institution. There are those people who venture on to the sea who really have not taken the trouble to acquaint themselves in the slightest degree with what they might find themselves up against and it does seem to me that that is taking unfair advantage of the Institution. I know, and am very glad to know, that there are a great many voluntary bodies - I need not name them - represented here this afternoon who are doing a great deal of work to see that people are - I will not say "not allowed" - prevented so far as possible from venturing on to the sea without some sort of proper education beforehand. I can only say that I hope that this education will continue and increase.

'I would just like to add that I hope that, like this Institution, they will continue on a voluntary basis. You cannot make people virtuous by an Act of Parliament and I do not believe you can make seamen by regulations. It seems to me, speaking as one not of the Institution, that we are entitled to say to the Institution that we, insofar as we can, will do all within our power to prevent the unnecessary use, or abuse, of the magnificent services which the Institution provide and that is a duty which is, as I say, being undertaken and which, I am sure, if it be properly pursued, will be of benefit to everybody concerned. In this connection I have no doubt that the vast experience of the Institution itself can be of enormous value.

'I need not say how vast and how multifarious is the great voluntary organiza- tion which is the Royal National Life-Boat Institution, but to know this as a fact is not necessarily the same thing as to appreciate what it really means in terms not only of the crews of the boats who rightly have the first claim on our recognition and gratitude, but of all the work behind the scenes - technical, administrative and financial - without which this splendid result could not be achieved.

HARD WORK 'After all, in commercial terms, if you consider the task of running a business with something like 150 branches and a turnover of £i million and then realize that the whole of the revenue for it depends on people, somehow or another, raising the money voluntarily, you begin to understand the nature of the sheer administrative and organizational problems which are involved and the amount of hard work which goes into it, which is just as important as the technical work for without it the technical work would come to nothing. Those who have a part in this - from Her Royal Highness, to whom we owe so much for the presidency of the Institution, right down, as indeed Her Royal Highness has said, to the small child collecting money - and the willingness with which those parts are played remain at once the glory of this Institution which, I think one may say, without undue boastfulness, is an example to the rest of the world.

'It is, therefore, with the greatest pleasure that I move that this meeting, fully recognizing 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.' After the presentation of awards to workers by Princess Marina (page 90), Rear Admiral Sir Edmund Irving proposed a vote of thanks.