Five lifeboat stations in North Cornwall were visited on June 27 by our president, HRH The Duke of Kent. Such great interest did His Royal Highness take in all he was shown and in all the lifeboat people he met—crew members and their wives, station officials and fund raisers—that it proved a very happy and rewarding day. First call was at Port Isaac: (top, left) David Castle, honorary secretary, introduces (I. to r.) Jack Spry, deputy launching authority, and Crew Members Neville Andrews, Clive Martin, Richard Parsons and Harry Privitt (photograph by courtesy of Ray Bishop). The Duke also met the chairman of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Round Table, donors of Port Isaac's ILB, before watching a demonstration launch. Next Padstow: (top, right) Coxswain Antony Warnock presents (r. to I.) Second Coxswain Trevor England, Motor Mechanic Eddie Murt and Crew Members Chris Hughes, Peter Poole, Arthur May, Alf Prosser and Ricky Tummon. When inspecting the engine room of Padstow's lifeboat James and Catherine Macfarlane the Duke was offered cloths to protect his hands. 'They are quite unnecessary,' he told Eddie Murt, 'this place is so clean.' After lunch, the lobster for which was provided by Trevor England, who is a fisherman, on to Newquay (right). Newquay ILB had been called out just before the arrival of the Duke, who asked each of the crew for the service (I. to r.) Johnny Bennett, Barry Hyde and Paul Morris, what they had been doing when the call came; by the time the third man had answered, 'Waiting for you, sir,' everyone was laughing. The Duke also met the chairman of Newquay Round Table, donors of the boathouse. At St Agnes His Royal Highness presented vellums to Crew Members Barry Garland and Roger Radcliffe for the ILB service on July 17, 1977, for which Helmsman David Bliss was awarded the silver medal: unfortunately, due to illness, David Bliss could not be present; (below, right, I. to r.) The Duke with Major-General Ralph Farrant, chairman of the Instituion, Gerald Simmons, honorary secretary St Agnes, Dr H.

Whitworth, branch chairman, and Lt-Cdr Roy Portchmouth, divisional inspector (SW) (photograph by courtesy of Robert Roskrow). The last visit was to St Ives. After inspecting a mobile training unit, meeting Geoffrey Kitchen, chairman ofSt Ives Lions Club, donors of the ILB, and taking tea with the ladies' guild, the Duke embarked in St Ives lifeboat, Frank Penfold Marshall (below, photograph by courtesy of S. Bennetts)..