IN the early hours of 24th March, 1964, the Sennen Cove life-boat Susan Ashley rescued the crew of the French trawler Victoire Roger from under the cliffs at Land's End. The coxswain was awarded a bronze second service clasp for gallantry and certificates went to the crew. My scrapbook started with this rescue, the story of which came from a copy of THE LIFE-BOAT. The local press also gave us a lot of publicity so plenty of press cuttings resulted. Just four days later—on 28th March—I married Hedley Hutchings, a member of the crew of the Susan Ashley, and my interest in the R.N.L.I, really started. I joined our ladies' life-boat guild to take as active a part as possible in giving our crew every help.

During the next two years my scrapbook gradually filled. The Susan Ashley launched many times to aid yachts, trawlers, etc. Among the more unusual launches was one to aid the submarine H.M.S. Seraph when she broke her tow line while on the way to be broken up.

Pictures and cuttings of this service were very good. During this time, people cut off by the tide were rescued, and a man with a suspected fracture of the skull was safely brought ashore from a ship some miles offshore.In 1967 our coxswain, Henry Nicholas, retired and our present coxswain, Eric Pengilly, took over. During this year the crew launched to look for a Marine and five Wrens whose dinghy engine had broken down. In 1967 the boat was launched on 10 occasions and seven lives and two vessels were saved, so the scissors and glue were busy! On llth July, 1967, my husband was present at St. James's Palace where he met the late Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, on the 25th anniversary of her presidency of the R.N.L.I.

On Good Friday, 1968, the Susan Ashley went to the aid of a 'galleon'—the museum ship Hispaniola, and towed her to St. Ives. While returning to Sennen after 22 hours at sea, the coxswain was asked to make for the Wolf Rock lighthouse to aid a keeper who was ill. The weather was bad and a helicopter eventually took the sick man off while our life-boat stood by. She then returned home after more than 30 hours at sea.

A few days later she was launched again but was unable to assist the yacht Ra which ran aground on her maiden voyage. Although the life-boat was on the scene in 15 minutes it was too late: a heavy tide smashed the Ra to pieces in a matter of minutes but her owner got safely ashore.

In 1969, beside the usual run of rescues, our life-boat and crew became stars of the film Bequest to a Village. Plenty of publicity arose from this event and all those associated with our branch and officials from London came to our first showing held at a cinema in Penzance.

Among rescues in 1969 was one in December when a sick man was lifted from the Seven Stones lightship (the Seven Stones was where the Torrey Canyon ran aground). The year 1969 brought tragedy to the Longhope life-boat and this is mentioned in the scrapbook.

Unfortunately, 1970 started sadly with the loss of the Fraserburgh life-boat in January. The death also occurred in 1970 of our former coxswain, Henry Nicholas. Many R.N.L.I. repre-sentatives came to pay their last respects on that dull October day. Press cuttings resulted from launches of the Susan Ashley that year.

In 1971 Sir Alec Rose was guest of honour at our dinner at the Land's End Hotel. Sir Alec said of the sea: 'You can fight the sea but you can never conquer it'. How well we know this! The life-boat assisted a trawler and helped to search for two local men drowned while fishing, and still during 1971 the usual more routine jobs cropped up.

In 1972 the news came that we were to get a new life-boat the Diana White to replace our precious Susan Ashley. The new boat will be a self-righter, with radar and the crew will be under cover while at sea. For all that the Susan Ashley will be sadly missed.

On 7th September, 1972, our coxswain and crew saved the crew of the French trawlerLavarenne from under the cliffs at Land's End, and the very next evening our boat towed a yacht to Newlyn in appalling conditions. This was to be her last service call with us, for on 29th October the Susan Ashley went down our slipway for the last time en route for Falmouth where, after an overhaul, she will go for use as a relief boat.

The second scrapbook filled rapidly in 1972 with photos and cuttings resulting from the Cornish Life-boat Appeal. We are attempting for the first time to provide much of the money for our own life-boat at Sennen and also one for Falmouth. The total cost will be about £160,000.

Prince Charles, Jimmy Savile, local councils, concerts, exhibitions and cathedral services have all generously contributed to our cause and raised a great deal of money.

'Songs of Praise' was recorded from Sennen Cove and our life-boat took an active part.

Hundreds of people from all over the country wrote letters and expressed their appreciation of the work done by the R.N.L.I, after seeing this televised.

The scrapbooks are also crammed with articles regarding the exceptional fund-raising events organised by the Sennen ladies' life-boat guild who have raised thousands of pounds over the years.

My second scrapbook appropriately ends with a photograph of the official last launch of the Susan Ashley after 25 years' service. The third book will, I hope, start with the arrival of the Diana White, a 37-foot Rother type, in 1973. We trust she will play as distinguished a part in sea rescue work for the R.N.L.I, as her predecessor..