THE first number of THE LIFE-BOAT appeared in March, 1852. The first editorial began: 'If there be one subject more than another that might be expected to com- mand the attention and enlist the sympathy of a maritime country like Great Britain, it surely must be the safety and welfare of those of her sons "whose business is in the great waters", and yet how imperfectly informed, how supinely indifferent, is the great bulk of our population as to the causes, the prevention, or the mitigation of the horrors of shipwreck!' It then referred to the report of the committee formed to award the prize offered by the Duke of Northumberland for the best model of a life-boat, which had revealed a number of startling deficiencies. Because of the general lack of information on the whole, subject the conclusion reached was that 'a small periodical, to be sold at a cost that will place it within the reach of every boatman around our shores, might prove a well-timed and useful publication'.

NEW JOURNAL For nearly 120 years THE LIFE-BOAT has served as the principal means of keeping supporters of the R.N.L.I. informed of what was happening in the service. Now, beginning with the January, 1971, number, it will appear in a new form. Informing those who work for the R.N.L.I. will still be its mainpurpose and it will continue to be a historical record. There will, however, be more articles of general interest. Its appearance, we hope, will be more attractive, and more closely resembling the better type of periodical publication.

Inevitably this will mean higher production costs, but it is hoped in time to recoup all the additional costs and more from higher advertising rates. From the extracts from the 1852 Journal quoted above it will be seen that at one time those who received the journal had to pay for it. Those who receive it at present free of charge in recognition of the services to the R.N.L.I. they are rendering as crew members and branch workers will continue to do so. So, too, will members of the Y.L.A. It is hoped, however, in time to build up a paying membership among the general public.

MORE NEW STATIONS OPENED The expansion of the R.N.L.I. continues with the establishment of two new inshore rescue boat stations, one in Scotland and one in the north-west of England. The stations are at Lamlash in the Isle of Arran and St. Bees in Cumberland. Both are being allocated the standard 15-foot 6-inch inflatable IRB. This will bring the number of IRB stations up to 106.

The experimental 40-foot boat with a G.R.P. hull and deck, which was stationed at Sheerness from April to November, is now at Calshot in Hampshire for a six months' trial period to increase the operational coverage of the Solent area. The former Exmouth life-boat is now stationed at Sheerness.

LIFE-BOAT RETURNS TO LONGHOPE Mr. John Leslie, formerly second coxswain of the Stromness life-boat, has been appointed full-time coxswain of the Longhope life-boat. He has under his command a number of local volunteers. These men will continue training during the summer months and will be available to man the 52-foot life-boat Hilton Briggs if she is needed for rescue purposes. This life-boat was formerly stationed at Fenit, Co. Kerry.

The future of Longhope as a life-boat station will be decided after the com- pletion of the summer training programme. Meanwhile the 70-foot steel life-boat Grace Paterson Ritchie will continue to operate in the area and will support the Hilton Briggs if she is called out on service. Mr. Leslie has been second coxswain at Stromness for the past seven years.

OVERSEAS VISITORS The R.N.L.I. greeted distinguished visitors from both Portugal and Italy in April. Captain Carlos Carreira and Captain Rogerio Pinto of the Portuguese Life-boat Society visited the Institution's headquarters and depot, as well as William Osborne's yard at Littlehampton, where they were accompanied by the Deputy Chairman, Commander F. R. H. Swann, O.B.E., R.N.V.R. They were also present at the Institution's annual general meeting on 8th April.

Next day they had trips in both the Lowestoft and Gorleston and Great Yarmouth life-boats. They presented to the Institution the Portuguese gold medal, a plaque, a small pendant and a gold filigree model of a sailing ship.

The Italian visitors were Captain Luigi Como, head of the naval section of the Carabinieri, and another Carabinieri officer, Major Arnaldo Grilli.

They went to sea in the Selsey life-boat and in addition to talks at the R.N.L.I.'s head office visited boat-building yards.The Hon. Laurence Methuen, who died in April, was a skilful and en- thusiastic public speaker who was prepared to go almost anywhere to talk on the work of the R.N.L.I. He was a recipient of one of the fairly rare awards made by the Institution for outstanding service in the field of public relations.

He organised a number of successful balls at Corsham Court, new Chippenham, his family home, and he was particularly devoted to the Mumbles crew and station, for he had lived on the Gower Peninsula in his younger days. To meet his wishes his ashes were scattered from the Mumbles life-boat.

FRASERBURGH INQUIRY The formal investigation under the Merchant Shipping Act into the loss of the Fraserburgh life-boat on 21st January will begin on Monday, 5th October, at the Aberdeen Sheriff Court. (For more details see page 181.) BRANDY FOR RUM An innovation has now been introduced with the substitution of brandy for rum as a medical aid for survivors brought aboard life-boats. The Institution has accepted an offer of free supplies of Martell brandy for all life-boats in the United Kingdom.For his part in helping to save the lives of four people—three youths and a girl—stranded at the foot of cliffs at Waterwynch beach on the Pembrokeshire coast on 3rd August, 1969, Coastguardsman Gwilym Davies has been awarded the B.E.M.

Royal Humane Society testimonials have been awarded to Station Officer William Pink (Port Isaac), who saved a man cut off by the tide; Station Officer George S. Timothy (Southend), who saved the life of a 74 year old man by mouth to mouth resuscitation, and Auxiliary Coastguard Richard Townshend (Walmer), who rescued three men whose yacht ran aground 500 yards from the shore in Sandwich Bay.

The Coastguard Shield for the most meritorious wreck service of 1969-1970 has been awarded to the Isle of Whithorn (Wigtownshire) Auxiliary Company for the rescue by breeches buoy of the crew of the Panamanian cargo ship Uranus on the night of 16th/17th February, 1970.

SUNDAY AT SUTTON PLACE When Sutton Place, Guildford, the home of Mr. Paul Getty, was opened to the public on Sunday, 10th May, 1970, the proceeds were given to the R.N.L.I.

The house was crowded for the period of the opening..