Lerwick lifeboat I read, with interest, James R. Kay's letter regarding Lerwick lifeboat and his uncle's yacht Soldian, which was published in the autumn issue of THE LIFEBOAT.

It may be of some interest to Mr Kay to know that the lifeboat to which he refers was Lady Jane and Martha Rylands, 51ft Barnett class. This boat, which has now been converted, lies at Barry Docks, South Glamorgan, and is used by her owners as an instruction and examination vessel for yachtsmen who wish to qualify as yachtmasters under the Royal Yachting Association and Department of Trade syllabus.

Also, moored alongside this craft, now named Cambrae, is the ex- Aberdeen Barnett lifeboat Hilton Briggs which we believe is being converted for a similar purpose.—w. G.

BROOKS, 50 Trinity Street, Barry, South Glamorgan.

'The Padstow Lifeboat' One of our greatest composers, Malcolm Arnold, lived for a period near Padstow in Cornwall and had a great admiration for the local RNLI crew, often seeing their work at first hand. As a tribute to the Padstow boat with its long, distinguished and heroic record he composed a descriptive march which is now known almost everywhere at home and overseas; a most effective piece from a composer who was himself a leading instrumentalist and principal trumpet for many of our great symphony orchestras.

One of the finest renderings of 'The Padstow Lifeboat' I have heard for a very long time was played by The National Band of New Zealand conducted by Mervyn J. Waters, MBE FTCL, during their recent visit to London as part of a world tour. The performance was given in Westminster Abbey. It was perhaps appropriate that Malcolm Arnold's fine music should be heard in a building so steeped in our national heritage and tradition as is indeed the lifeboat service. The composer incorporates the sound of Trevose Lighthouse foghorn and wrote: 'The new (1967) lifeboat station is near Trevose Lighthouse whose foghorn varies in pitch between middle C and D. For the sake of musical unity it remains D throughout the march.' The clever interpretation of the impressive booming of the signal is a real musical experience not easily forgotten.

A fine march indeed.—LEN KITCHER, 13 Captains Row, Lymington, Hampshire..