SINCE THE VERY START of the lifeboat service, women have played an important part in its existence. If there was only one Grace Darling, there were dozens of women who helped to launch the lifeboats in early days—and there are still those who play this part today.

As wives, mothers or sisters to lifeboat crews, many know and have known the agony of waiting for their loved ones to return from a service in stormy seas.

Hundreds more have helped to form branches and guilds consistently raising a large percentage of the funds needed to maintain the lifeboat service.

This year two lady members have been elected to the Committee of Management : Lady Norton and Mrs Georgina Keen. Both have worked for the Lifeboat service for many years.

And now over 20 % of new Shoreline enrolments are from ladies wanting to ensure a steady, annual income to Institution funds.

We are happy to introduce here just four of our lady Shoreline members illustrating the very wide age range of our membership and the great variety of reasons for wanting to support our cause: Mrs M. Moulin, Membership No. 57660.

Mrs Moulin's husband is a chief officer in the Merchant Navy serving onthe P and O line. Mrs Moulin herself has travelled with her husband on several occasions and knows what it is to be in heavy seas.

An active member of the New Milton and Barton branch, Hampshire, Mrs Moulin found after her son was born she had less time to help with branch events; so she decided instead to help by becoming a regular subscriber, through Shoreline.

Mrs D. Raymond, Membership No.

57135.

Mrs Raymond enrolled at Earls Court Boat Show some years ago. Her husband has always been interested in sailing and regularly competed in national dinghy sailing championships.

For 17 years he organised a sailing club at Cheltenham College, where he lectured.

Sharing her husband's interest, Mrs Raymond felt a responsibility to become a regular subscriber to the RNLI, through Shoreline.

Now enjoying semi-retirement, Mr and Mrs Raymond have recently moved to a lovely cottage at Wareham, Dorset, from where they can look across to their Westerly Pageant, moored in the Wareham River. They are members of two local yacht clubs.

Miss Ann Marie Bridgetts, BA, Membership No. 62481 Ann, who lives at Didsbury, Lancashire, is 23 years old and engaged to be married. Since qualifying last year she has been teaching children with special problems.

As a student, Ann travelled extensively —but on a shoestring—and her trips through Europe and to the United States convinced her that our voluntary lifeboat service was something really outstanding, to be cherished.

So Ann filled in one of the Shoreline advertisement coupons in a daily paper and persuaded her fiance to do the same.

They both enjoy sailing when the opportunity arises, and Ann is already teaching her pupils something of the work of the RNLI.

MrsL. M. Griffin, Membership No. 56729 One day, Mrs Griffin stopped to ask a flag seller on lifeboat day how she could help the RNLI. This led to her introduction to Poole ladies' lifeboat guild and not only has she been an active and enthusiastic member of the guild ever since, but she also has a covenant as a Shoreline member. Even as a child in Scotland, Mrs Griffin remembers having a soft spot for the RNLI and can recall the Montrose lifeboat being pulled by a team of horses.

A far cry indeed from the flotilla of modern lifeboats from many countries with which Mrs Griffin became familiar during the month she spent at the Plymouth International Lifeboat Exhibition last summer, manning the information stand.

As a widow, Mrs Griffin could find life empty and lonely, but instead she devotes her time and energy to helping a favourite charity and has found a new interest in life.

In closing, we must pay tribute to the New Milton and Kensington branches and many others too numerous to mention who are doing such excellent work in recruiting new Shoreline members, and thus boosting their own funds, since, naturally, the subscription of any new Shoreline member introduced by a branch or guild will be credited to its account. The Salisbury office is always only too pleased to give any help needed by branches and guilds.

We wish all members a good summer season.—o. R. (BOB) WALTON, Shoreline Organising Secretary (Membership), 29a Castle Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Tel: Salisbury 6966).To: SHORELINE, RNLI, WEST QUAY ROAD, POOLE, DORSET, BH15 1HZ.

I should like to be a part of such a worthwhile voluntary cause by becoming a SHORELINE member of the lifeboat service and joining the Institution as: A Life Member and Life Governor: minimum donation £60, including journal A Member and Governor: minimum annual subscription £10, including journal An Offshore Member: minimum annual subscription £3, including journal An Associate Member: minimum annual subscription £1.50 Total subscription Below are the various items you are entitled to wear or fly as a member of SHORELINE: Members' tie (Terylene) £1.50 Lady's brooch Metal car badge Pair of cuff-links 8* hoist flag 12" hoist flag Dinghy burgee £0.50 £1.55 £1.75 £1.25 £2.00 £1.25 Insignia payment NAME ., ADDRESS Shoreline Giro number is 294 7056 I enclose P.OI cheque I cash for £ .

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