THE PERIOD of a little over a quarter of a century during which the late Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, was the Institution's President, will almost certainly be looked back upon by future historians of the life-boat service as one of the great periods in life-boat development. Revolutionary changes took place in the design and construction of life-boats; there was an enormous expansion in the work of the service; and progress was recorded on all fronts.

Throughout this period Princess Marina carried out her responsibilities as President in a manner which inspired admiration, respect and affection in all who came into contact with her. On page 469, Captain the Hon. V. M. Wynd- ham-Quin, R.N., former Chairman of the Committee of Management, pays a personal tribute to our late President, and photographs show a few of the numerous life-boat functions which Princess Marina attended. At all of them her interest in the service and detailed knowledge of its work were immediately apparent.

Princess Marina died on 27th August, 1968. A little more than a month earlier, on 12th July, she was to have named the new Padstow life-boat.

Almost at the last minute she was forced to abandon her intention because of her illness, and her place was taken by her son, the Duke of Kent (page 472).

After speaking of his mother's deep regret that she was unable to be present the Duke read the speech which she would have made. Characteristically it began with the words: 'I have always regarded it as a great privilege, in my capacity as President of the R.N.L.I., to be asked to name new life-boats—a ceremony which I much enjoy.'The speech went on to express the Institution's indebtedness to the Macfarlane family who have provided two of the Institution's new life-boats, one of them being the Padstow boat. It also recalled the occasion on which Princess Marina had met the Padstow coxswain, Gordon Elliott, and presented him with the silver medal for gallantry.

FIBRE-GLASS RESCUE BOAT The first rescue boat with a fibre-glass hull to carry out operational trials in the service of the R.N.L.I. is now temporarily stationed at Eastney, Hampshire.

This is a 17-ft. dory built by Dell Quay Productions Ltd. at Itchenor, Sussex.

The R.N.L.I. has been investigating the possible use of glass fibre construction for rescue craft for some time past. Three experimental boats, of which the prototypes were built in wood, but which if produced in quantity would have fibre-glass hulls, have already undergone extensive trials. One of these was designed by Mr. J. A. McLachlan, M.R.I.N.A., of Messrs. G. L. Watson & Co.

Glasgow, and two others were designed by Mr. G. N. Hatch, A.M.R.I.N.A., formerly of the R.N.L.I.'s staff. These are known as the McLachlan and Hatch boats.The Dell Quay dory is intended to serve as a boarding boat to take crews to life-boats which lie afloat and also as a high-speed rescue craft. It was originally thought that the McLachlan and Hatch boats might serve a similar purpose, but the R.N.L.I.'s view today is that these fairly sophisticated boats should serve solely as rescue boats at stations where there is a need for a rescue craft faster than a conventional life-boat and with greater range than an inflatable rescue craft.

The new boat was shown to the press at Warsash on 19th August. Among those who attended this showing was Mr. Grahame Farr, the life-boat service histo rian, who wrote: 'The speed and manoeuvrability of the dory, powered by twin Evinrude B.16 40 h.p. outboards, were impressive. Her steadiness was also remarkable and on several occasions the unusual construction of the hull, with deep chines forming virtually second and third keels, was clearly shown as she leaped over the crests of the waves in our wake.' A technical photograph and description of the dory appears on pages 482 and 483.

Experiments are also being carried out in the use of fibre-glass hulls for lifeboats.

Details of these will be given in the next number of THE LIFE-BOAT.

NOTICE All contributions for the Institution should be sent either to the honorary secretary of the local branch or guild, or to Stirling Whorlow, O.B.E., Secretary, Royal National Life-boat Institution, 42 Grosvenor Gardens, London, S.W.I (Tel: 01-730 0031).

AH enquiries about the work of the Institution or about this journal should be addressed to the Secretary.

The next number of THE LIFE-BOAT will be published in March, 1969.APPEAL TO THE CITY OF LONDON On 30th October, Admiral Sir Wilfrid Woods, G.B.E., K.C.B., D.S.O., Chairman of the Committee of Management, formally launched an appeal for greater support from the City of London at a press conference at the Institution's Head Office in London. In doing so he pointed out that recently the Institution made some calculations to show the amounts saved in insurance claims by the services of life-boats and inshore rescue boats. These were based on the figures for 1967, and an average insured value of £1,000 for a life and £2,000 for a vessel were used as a basis of calculation.

Sir Wilfrid pointed out that it was not possible to estimate exactly how much the insurance market and other business firms had been saved from insurance claims which might have been made had it not been for the services of the R.N.L.I. However, if the basis of calculation used by the Institution was accepted, the figure for 1967 was about £1,600,000. This was approximately the total cost of running the life-boat service in that year.

Among other events taking place in connection with the City appeal was the inclusion of a 37-ft. Oakley life-boat in the Lord Mayor of London's procession.

Accompanying the life-boat were representatives of the life-boat crews at Dungeness, Newhaven and Selsey, and of the Littlehampton inshore rescue boat station.

The chairman of the special committee set up to promote the appeal to the City is Mr. Roger Leigh-Wood, Chairman of the Eastern Bank and Deputy Treasurer of the Institution.

IRB CREWS A popular feature of THE LIFE-BOAT over the years has been the photographs of individual coxswains, and it has now been decided to supplement these with a regular feature showing the crews of inshore rescue boats. The first of these, which appears on page 464, is of the Horton and Port Eynon crews. Of the men shown in the photograph one is a farmer; one works in a general store and subpost office; a third is an ex-merchant seaman whose family has a distinguishedtradition of life-boat service; another helps his father and mother to keep a guest house.

Characteristically, this crew at the end of the operational season in 1968 handed back to branch funds the service allowances which had been paid to them whenever they had been called out.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Recently an analysis was made of the number of senior posts on the administrative side of the Head Office staff today in comparison with the number forty-five years ago. This showed that in spite of the huge expansion in the work of the service there had in fact been no increase at all. Forty-five years ago the senior administrative staff consisted of a secretary, a deputy secretary, two assistant secretaries, one of whom was concerned with publicity, and a senior accountant.

Today there is a secretary, a public relations officer and three assistant secretaries, one of whom is primarily concerned with finance. Titles have changed but numbers have remained the same. One wonders how many other organisations in the country have taken such an expansion of work in their stride with no increase in the number of senior administrative posts..