ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL, LONDON, TUESDAY MAY 12 1980: 1,215 people rescued; nearly £12 million raisedTUESDAY MAY 12 was the day of the RNLI's 1981 annual general meeting of the governors and annual presentation of awards and, as usual in recent years, the setting was the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank of the Thames.

These are the meetings at which the Institution reviews its activities for the past year and takes pleasure in recognising the gallantry of its lifeboatmen and the dedication of its fund raisers.

They also provide the one opportunity in the year for lifeboat people from all parts of Great Britain and Ireland, both round the coast and inland, to meet together. Discussion is certainly not confined to one formal meeting: it continues on the embankment, on the balconies, in the foyers and in the restaurants at any spare moments throughout what is always a valuable, interesting and above all a very happy day.

It was particularly gratifying to the Committee of Management that attendance at the morning meeting of the governors was higher this year than ever before. So many governors wished to be present, in fact, that the Purcell Room originally booked was not large enough to hold everyone and the Institution was most grateful that the Festival Hall authorities were able to make the main auditorium available for the meeting at extremely short notice and at no extra cost.

* * * Welcoming the governors to the annual general meeting, which started at 11.30 am, the Duke of Atholl, chairman of the Committee of Management, told them what a pleasure it was to see such a good attendance: 'Thank you for coming and thank you all for giving such a practical demonstration of the active and personal interest taken by our governors in the well-being of the lifeboat service.' The minutes of the previous year's meeting, held on Thursday May 22, 1980, were agreed and signed. Then, before reporting on the Committee of Management's stewardship of the Institution during 1980, the Duke of Atholl welcomed Mr Michael Vernon, who had joined Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Compston as a Deputy Chairman, and he also welcomed three new members co-opted to the Committee of Management: Mr J. N. C. James, a chartered surveyor, Mr Christopher Lucy and Commandant S. V. A. McBride. The Chairman continued: 'Without question, 1980 was a year of great achievement for the RNLI. The number of calls made upon our lifeboats and the number of lives saved were both higher than for several years. In all, 1,215 people were rescued from the sea. Now it is very easy to stand here and give that figure. The words are spoken in a moment, but they represent nearly 3,000 rescue missions and many, many hours of unremitting endeavour, often in extreme cold, extreme discomfort and immediate danger. This afternoon, medals for gallantry will be presented to nine lifeboatmen for outstanding services. But, as always, in 1980 all the RNLI's coxswains and crews did whatever was asked of them and their dedication and skill cannot be praised too highly.' Nearly £12 million had been needed in 1980 to support the work of the lifeboat crews: 'In a time of deep recession the RNLI looked to its fund raisers once again to step up their efforts and raise almost one million pounds a month. And they did it.

That this target was reached is a magnificent tribute to our voluntary system and it enabled the Institution to continue to provide our usual lifeboat cover round the coasts of Britain and Ireland.

'To maintain such cover involves operating a station fleet of 258 lifeboats backed up by a relief fleet of some 78 boats; 336 in all. They vary in size and complexity and, of course, in capability, but from the 16ft D class inflatable to the 70ft steel Clyde class, each lifeboat not only has her own individual lifesaving role to play, but, complementing the boats at her flanking stations, must fit into the overall pattern of operational cover. In the disposition of the fleet, all sections of the coastline come under regular review, careful study being given to the needs of each locality and of the area as a whole.

In this way it is possible to allocate to every station the type of lifeboat most appropriate to its requirement; the boat which can do the necessary work with the greatest efficiency and with the greatest economy. Thus, the hard work of the fund raisers, the generosity of the public and the good husbandry of those who guide the policy of the Institution go hand in hand in providing the lifeboatmen with the right tools for the job.' The income of the Institution in 1980 had amounted to £11,886,652, made up of innumerable contributions ranging from a few pounds painstakingly earned by small children to most generous gifts from individual people and from associations and foundations to help with new boat construction.

The Institution's branches and guilds, said the Duke, continued to provide the solid bedrock of support, each year introducing new and imaginative ideas to add to the traditional fund-raising pattern. . . .

'Each vear.from what I see, they seem to achieve the almost impossible feat of working harder, with more enthusiasm and with ever more enjoyment.' A large proportion of income, the Chairman continued, comes from legacies, an expression of practical goodwill towards the lifeboat service engendered by deep admiration for the work of the RNLI's crews and respect for the dedicated efforts of station personnel and branch and guild members.

. . .

'Let me give you just one example.

Some time ago, ex-Coxswain Richard Evans of Moelfre, well known to so many of us here, was interviewed by Michael Parkinson on one of his regular television programmes. As a direct result from that one appearance a number of donations and at least one substantial legacy have already been received.' Funds, the Chairman continued, had come in from many sources: the RNLI's quarterly national lotteries had brought in some £100,000, the turnover from the sale of souvenirs, gifts and Christmas cards had exceeded one million pounds for the first time, and the income from Shoreline subscriptions and donations exceeded half a million pounds. Shoreline membership, he continued, now stood at more than 75,000. From the time of the foundation of the scheme in 1969 the subscription had remained at £3. Now, however, in view of the inflation of the intervening years, it had been decided that this amount should be increased from next November to £5 for individual members and £7.50 for family membership: 7 think it will he generally agreed that these are very reasonable amounts and I would most earnestly ask all of you to do whatever you can to encourage an increase in Shoreline membership, which gives the Institution an assured source of income.' The Duke went on to speak of the greater potential advantages from covenanting which had been made possible for the RNLI, as for other charities, by the Finance Act of 1980, and he urged all lifeboat supporters seriously to consider covenanting their subscriptions, if they had not already done so; Poole headquarters would be happy to supply full details. On the other side of the coin, 1980 was the first full year in which the effects of the increase in the rates of VAT had been felt, giving the RNLI a total VAT bill ofalmost £300,000 for one year, in spite of zero rating on the building and maintenance of lifeboats. . . .

'The Institution will continue to make representations, individually and collectively with other charities, to the relevant authorities to minimise the effect of VAT so that our supporters can be assured that the money they donate will be spent on our vital lifesaving service.' At the end of 1980, by careful control over the Institution's finances, a small surplus of income over expenditure, amounting to some £377,000 had been achieved, and the Institution's free reserves represented 17 weeks expenditure at 1980 levels or 14 weeks at projected 1981 levels. Although better than last year, these were nevertheless slim working margins: 'This leaves no room for complacencv for the job of the RNL1 is not only to operate the present lifeboat fleet, but also to make provision for the future. While we maintained our boatbuilding programme in 1980, it is planned to accelerate this programme in 1981 with the introduction of more lifeboats to modern designs.

'One of the greatest advantages offered to lifeboat crews by the advances of marine technology is increased speed. At one end of the scale, in our present fleet, we have our small high speed D class inflatahles and Atlantic 21 rigid inflatables which, incidentally, between them now carry out rather more than half the RNLl's rescues. At the other end of the scale are the fast afloat Arun, Thames and Waveney class lifeboats, more than 40 of which are now on service or being built. . . .

'Speed is also one of the attributes of the three new types of lifeboat at present under development: the rigid inflatable RNLl Medina, the Brede and the Fast Slipway boat.' The building of the two Fast Slipway boat prototypes had begun in 1980, while evaluation trials of the Medina and Brede were still continuing.

'We have learned a great deal about these two boats in the past twelve months and progress has been made, but development of high performance boats of this kind, intended for lifesaving work in the most extreme weather, is inevitably slow. There can he, I am sure you will agree, no short cuts; but a second boat of each class is now being built incorporating lessons already learnt. . . . Like the Medina and the Brede, the Fast Slipway lifeboat will be breaking new technical ground in the interest of improving the lifeboat service and a lengthy period of evaluation and development must be expected to follow her launch.' The Duke spoke of another important aspect of the Institution's technical work, the adaption of equipment in self-righting lifeboats to make sure that, should they ever by capsized at sea, once they had righted they could return safely to their stations, or even continue on service; this was an improvement on the equipment originally envisaged in 1971 and 1972 when self-righting alone was the sole concern.

The Duke also reported that, as it was obviously desirable that when the time came for a station lifeboat to go into a boatyard for survey or refit she should be replaced temporarily, if possible,- by a similar type boat, both Arun and Waveney class lifeboats were now being built for the relief fleet.

To the obvious approval and pleasure of the governors present, the Duke of Atholl then announced that from January 1, 1982, a long service badge was to be introduced for crew members and shore helpers who had given active service for 20 years or more. It would not be possible to make retrospective awards of this badge, but it was hoped that it would become established as a welcome recognition of devoted service.

Such devotion pervades the service, said the Duke. It had been with great sadness that he had learned earlier in the year of the death of Admiral Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham, who had served on the Committee of Management and the Scottish Lifeboat Council for a quarter of a century, and also, more lately, of the death of one of the Institution's Irish committee members, Commodore Peter Kavanagh, who had recently retired as head of the Irish Navy.

'The way in which they devoted their considerable energies to the RNLl is mirrored throughout Britain and Ireland by thousands of other people who spend countless hours working voluntarily to support the Institution.

'Our target must be to spread this support, which comes in so many differentways. May I leave one particular aim with you for 1981? That we should seek to increase our covenanted subscribers through Shoreline membership and thus raise our solid base of regular annual The Chairman concluded: 'Any company chairman, reporting to his shareholders on his firm's performance for 1980, would be proud to reflect on the results I have announced today. . . . The RNLl faces the challenge of increasing its income to over £14 million in 1981, and even in these difficult times I am confident that this can, and will, be done.' When questions were invited, Captain P. K. C. Harris asked how much it cost to send out notices of the AGM to governors, and whether there might not be an alternative way of making this information known. Answering the question, prior notice of which had been given, the Chairman replied that, with 9,100 governors, it cost £1,046.50 to circulate advice of the AGM by second class post. To effect a measure of economy, therefore, an advance notice of next year's meeting would be printed in the autumn issue of THE LIFEBOAT, circulated to all governors; an application form for tickets would be sent out with the winter issue of the journal.

The Duke of Atholl suggested that governors should note that the 1982 AGM would be held at the Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday May 11.

Mr P. R. Threlfall, chairman of Wellington branch, asked why the Shoreline members' subscription had been increased without the matter being put before the governors, since before the governors' subscriptions had been raised the increase had been debated at the AGM. To this question the Chairman replied that the governors' subscriptions were laid down in the byelaws of the Institution, which could only be altered with the approval of the governors; there was nothing about Shoreline membership in the byelaws, however, and a change in the subscription was the concern of the Committee of Management.

There being no further questions the Report and Accounts for the Institution for the year 1980 were then agreed by the governors.

Elections followed of the President, HRH The Duke of Kent; the Vice- Presidents; the Treasurer, the Duke of Northumberland, and the Deputy Treasurer, Mr David Acland; and members and ex-officio members of the Committee of Management. These elections were all agreed unanimously with a show of hands. Price, Waterhouse and Company were then elected auditors for the coming year.

Before the meeting ended the Duke of Atholl announced that John Atterton, Deputy Director of the Institution, would be retiring at the end of the year.

He had been connected with the RNLl for 45 years in all capacities, starting asoffice boy and graduating to Deputy Director; a remarkable record. The Duke's good wishes for a long and happy retirement were met by a warm response of applause from everybody present.

There being no other business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed.

* * * A vast concourse of lifeboat people filled the auditorium of the Royal Festival Hall for the afternoon presentation of awards meeting, during which three silver and six bronze medals for gallantry were presented to lifeboatmen, while honorary life governorships, bars to the gold badge or the gold badge were presented to voluntary workers who had over many years devoted their lives to the furtherance of the lifeboat service. This is the crown of the year, when the Institution can pause to take stock and to recognise with great pleasure those whose contributions in its service have been outstanding.

The Duke of Atholl, Chairman of the RNLI, welcomed everyone with the heartening words: 'In a world full of troubles, it is most gratifying to be able to report yet another year of great success for the Institution.

From the time of its foundation the RNLI has been magnificently sustained by the enthusiasm, loyalty, dedication and skill of the whole family of lifeboat people. It is a tradition of great worth, and is as alive and strong today as every it was in the past. . . .

'During 1980 our lifeboat crews and fund raisers did all that was asked of them and, as a result, 1,215 lives were rescued from the sea, the highest number for five years. Our fleet of over 300 station and relief lifeboats is in good shape, our crews are in good heart and we are entering 1981 with a small financial surplus having raised, for the first time, practically a million pounds a month. All the figures are before you in the Annual Report, but we might pause to reflect that 2,844 services meant that our lifeboats were at sea for more than 5,000 hours and that one third oj the services were carried out in the hours of darkness.' Although there had been an increase in the number of rescues from pleasure craft in recent years, the lifeboat service, the Duke pointed out, was as vital as always to merchant and fishing fleets; the three silver medals which would be presented later in the afternoon to the coxswains of Troon, Stornoway and Sheerness were for services to a dredger, a trawler and a radio ship, and in these rescues 38 people had been saved: 'Indeed, at Sheerness even the ship's canary was taken off', though we have not included this in the total of lives rescued for the year!' No lifeboatman had, happily, lost his life on service during 1980 but, the Duke continued, the Lifeboat Memorial Book which was on display in the Festival Hall foyer was a salutary reminder of those who in the past had given their lives trying to save others and also that the seas the lifeboatmen face do not change: ' We must continually strive to provide the finest boats and equipment available.

Last year I said that the 1980s would be the decade of speed and this is one of the prime requisites of the three new types of boat at present undergoing development.

For the casualty, the early arrival of the lifeboat can be a matter of life or death.

For the lifeboat's crew, a quick passage in a sheltered cabin means that they will arrive efficient, warm, dry and less tired than they might otherwise have been.' Developing a high performance boat of a new design to the point where she can be established as an operational lifeboat on station took time. The RNLI Medina and Brede were still on trials to make sure that they were thoroughly evaluated and the prototype Fast Slipway boats now building would also take some time to be fully tried and tested. But, continued the Duke . . .

'This is a process that we have been through in recent years with the Arun and the Atlantic 21, and in both these classes the full and careful development undertaken has resulted in a highly successful lifeboat.' The Duke then spoke of the support given to the boatbuilding programme by the generous gifts from both individuals and from bodies such as the Civil Service and Post Office Lifeboat Fund and the Freemasons of England, and of the increase there had been in income from legacies, from the results of the hard work of branches and guilds and from the growing Shoreline membership.

He then went on to speak of two events in 1980 which had brought the work of the lifeboat service to the notice of large numbers of the general public, thus attracting new support; the television appearance of Coxswain Brian Bevan of Humber on 'This is Your Life', watched by 18 million viewers, and the RNLI charity race day at Ascot in September, which made a profit of more than £65,000.

The Duke then turned to the work of the RNLI as the Secretariat of the International Lifeboat Conference and to the free exchange of lifeboat knowledge which continues throughout the world. . . .

'We are privileged and very pleased-to have with us this afternoon representatives from lifeboat societies in West Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden and the United States of America. . . .' In recent months crews from Portugal had come to the RNLI Cowes base for a training course on Atlantic 21s; an ex-RNLI lifeboat had been sold to Chile; and delegations had come to visit the Institution from as far away as India and Algeria. The RNLI was also helping to plan the next International Lifeboat Conference which would be held in Sweden in June 1983.

Sea rescue, the Duke continued, was a matter of national and international co-operation and there were many other voluntary lifeboat societies overseas which, like the RNLI, co-operated on equal terms with the official authorities and government services of their countries concerned with search and rescue at sea. Speaking of all the services with which the RNLI worked he said: 'But at the heart of the organisation in Great Britain, the co-ordinating body is Her Majesty's Coastguard. The vast majority of lifeboat calls come through the Coastguard, a sister service with which we work closely at both national and local levels.' It was, therefore, said the Duke, a particular pleasure that the guest speaker for the afternoon was Lt-Cdr J.

T. Fetherston-Dilke, the Chief Coastguard.

Commander Tim Fetherston- Dilke was given a very warm welcome by everyone present before the Duke of Atholl, his opening speech concluded, presented the awards for gallantry.

Coxswain/Mechanic Richard Hawkins, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston: bronze medal On December 22, 1979, the 44ft Waveney lifeboat Khami rescued the crew of two of the fishing vessel St Margarite aground on Scroby Sands in a strong north-easterly breeze, force 6.

On hearing that the casualty was in danger of breaking up in heavy seas.

Coxswain Hawkins headed towards her directly across the sandbanks. Two approaches to the casualty had to be made, one man being taken safely on board on the second attempt. The other man jumped but missed the lifeboat; he was hauled on board by the crew as Coxswain Hawkins manoeuvred Khami to prevent him being crushed between the two boats. The lifeboat returned on the rising tide and took the casualty in tow to Gorleston Harbour, but she later sank at moorings.

Helmsman Robert Reynolds, Cardigan: bronze medal On August 15, 1980, Cardigan's 16ft D class inflatable lifeboat launched to the aid of a motor cruiser in serious difficulties on Cardigan Bar, with four people and a dog on board. Heavy breaking seas reduced visibility. On the first approach Helmsman Reynolds skilfully manoeuvred the lifeboat so that a young boy and the dog could be taken on board. The boat's owner was taken off on the next run in and then the lifeboat made for the shore and landed these two survivors before returning to the casualty. To rescue the two remaining survivors the helmsman drove the lifeboat hard on to the casualty's deck and his crew members hauled the two people on board. The lifeboat then cleared the bar to seaward before returning to the beach through even more treacherous seas.

Helmsman Graham White, Withernsea: bronze medal On August 30, 1980, a three-man div-ing party was reported overdue and Withernsea's 16ft D class inflatable lifeboat launched to their assistance.

There was a north-westerly near gale, gusting to gale force 8. Helmsman White headed for a well known wreck area making best possible speed in following breaking seas. The diving boat was soon sighted. In deteriorating weather the helmsman realised that the surf on the beach would be increasing making the return more difficult.

Shouting instructions to the men that they should leave their boat and jump immediately into the lifeboat as she came alongside, the helmsman manoeuvred the inflatable around the boat's stern and came alongside head to sea. All three men jumped into the lifeboat within seconds. The weather was now north-westerly force 8 with 10ft breaking seas. The additional weight in the boat made handling difficult, and by now the sea conditions at the beach were extremely dangerous.

With considerable skill, Helmsman White timed his approach and drove the lifeboat through the surf but was carried by heavy breaking seas into a nearby breakwater. Shore helpers rushed into the water and hauled boat and men to safety.

Helmsman Frank Dunster, Hayling Island: bronze medal On December 14, 1980, Hayling Island's Atlantic 21 class lifeboat launched to the aid of Fitz's Flyer, a yacht in danger of being driven on to a lee shore by south-westerly gale force winds. Around Chichester Bar Beacon waves were up to 15ft high and visibility was poor in driving spray and pouring rain. With heavy seas forcing the two boats apart, it was necessary to approach the casualty eight times before all four of her crew were safely aboard the lifeboat. On two occasions the lifeboat's twin engines stalled as she fell into deep troughs but were restarted immediately by the crew.

With seven people on board the return journey to Hayling Island was made at considerably reduced speed. Helmsman Dunster and one crew member later had hospital treatment for injuries sustained during the service.

Helmsman Alan Coster, Lymington: bronze medal On December 17, 1980, the Yarmouth bound ferry relayed a message to Lymington Harbour Office that a fishing vessel AI Mor was in difficulties at the river mouth. The assistant harbour master, Alan Coster, and a colleague went to investigate in the harbour launch. They found the casualty in an unaccessible shaol area being driven on to a lee shore, but were unable to help. Both men being members of the lifeboat crew, they returned to the lifeboat station. The Atlantic 21 class lifeboat was soon launched under the command of Helmsman Coster and made full speed to the river entrance where a southerly gale force wind was causing rough seas in the shallow waters.

Illumination flares showed the casualty to be settling lower in the water with seas breaking over her. It was impossible to approach her, so Helmsman Coster gave command of the lifeboat to one of his crew and slipped overboard to swim the 20 yards to AI Mor. As he reached the bank the casualty sank and the survivors jumped on to the mud. He led the two men through the half mile of marshes, mud and gullies to rendezvous with the Atlantic 21 at Pylewell, from where they were taken safely ashore.

Helmsman Roger Trigg, Southwold: bronze medal On January 16, 1981, Southwold harbour master, Roger Trigg, a member of the lifeboat crew, was advised that a local fishing vessel, Concord, had broken down east of the harbour entrance and was dragging her anchor in heavy seas. He immediatelyadvised the Coastguard and the vessel's owner. Southwold's Atlantic 21 lifeboat was launched with Helmsman Trigg in command and three crew members on board. A gale was blowing from south south east and the heavy north-easterly swell caused very dangerous, confused and breaking seas over the harbour bar. The fishing boat's owner launched MFV Broadside to assist and after a lifeboat crew member had been put aboard Concord, Broadside took the casualty in tow with the lifeboat escorting. Nearing the harbour entrance the tow parted injuring the lifeboatman on board Concord, which was rapidly driven aground on an offlying bank. Helmsman Trigg drove the lifeboat through the heavy 12ft seas to try to take off survivors.

The tow was, however, re-passed and the helmsman drove slowly clear in confused and heavy seas with the casualty made fast astern. Once clear of the shoal area, the lifeboat transferred the tow back to Broadside and escorted the two boats to Lowestoft. In the gale conditions and heavy seas the tow parted four times, the lifeboat repassing the line on each occasion.

Coxswain/Mechanic Charles Bowry, Sheerness: silver medal On March 19, 1980, the radio ship Mi Amiga was reported to be dragging anchor in the vicinity of Long Sand Beacon. The 44ft Waveney lifeboat Helen TurnbuII launched immediately and in an easterly strong gale, force 9, headed down the Thames Estuary against the flood tide. Driving spray and heavy seas made it necessary to reduce speed. The lifeboat crossed into Black Deep and the casualty was sighted, aground on Long Sand shoal.

It was decided that the lifeboat should stand by until the vessel refloated on the rising tide. Three hours later Mi Amiga refloated but could not start her pumps and she was rolling and pitching violently, shipping heavy seas overall.

Coxswain Bowry brought the lifeboat towards the casualty. Thirteen approaches had to be made before all four survivors were safely taken off, and soon after the lifeboat had pulled away, Mi Amiga sank.

Coxswain/Mechanic Ian Johnson, Troon: silver medal On September 12, 1980, the Dutch dredger Holland I was in danger of parting her moorings off Irvine Harbour in a westerly gale. Connel Elizabeth Cargill, Troon's 44ft Waveney lifeboat, launched to her aid.

Visibility was poor and', with the weather deteriorating, heavy seas laid the lifeboat on her beam ends several times during the passage. On reaching the dredger Coxswain Johnson told his foredeck crew to secure themselves by lifelines and then he approached the casualty. The wind was now storm force 10. Closing the casualty, carefullyavoiding anchor cables, one survivor was taken off despite the fact that the lifeboat struck the dredger's superstructure heavily. Four more approaches were made, one man being taken off each time. After an uncomfortable return journey, heavy confused seas made the harbour entrance extremely hazardous.

Coxswain/Mechanic Malcolm Macdonald, Stornoway: silver medal On September 29, 1980, Stornoway's 48ft 6in Solent lifeboat, Hugh William Viscount Cough launched on service to the motor fishing vessel, Junella, aground on rocks north of the Isle of Skye. A southerly gale was blowing with very poor visibility and the lifeboat encountered very heavy seas during the three-hour passage. The casualty was hard on the rocks with her bow high above water, but with heavy breaking seas swirling round her stern.

Her sister ship stood by and illuminated the area. Coxswain Macdonald manoeuvred the lifeboat to Junella's starboard quarter and held her bow against the pilot ladder for over 40 minutes while her 29 crew clambered down the ladder and leapt on to the lifeboat's foredeck. A Sea King helicopter arrived and helped with illumination. When all 29 survivors were on board the long passage back to Stornoway was begun, with Coxswain Macdonald continually at the wheel of his heavily laden boat.

After the presentations for gallantry, Commander Fetherston-Dilke rose to move the resolution: 'Your Grace, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen. In inviting me to move the resolution before you on the order paper this afternoon, you confer on the service which I represent, a mark of friendship which will be very warmly appreciated by all who serve in Her Majesty's Coastguard.

'For me personally, it is not only a privilege, but it actually represents promotion. It is a very long step from a village in Suffolk up to the Festival Hall.

In that village in Suffolk, the ladies' lifeboat guild, who kindly provided my last RNL1 audience, very sensibly determined the length to which their speakers continued by an orchestration of tea cups from behind the scenes just at the moment when their interest flagged.

1 don't believe that happens in the Festival Hall. If, by any chance, any of that audience are here this afternoon, I seek their indulgence.

7 believe it would be appropriate though, to go back to the theme of my talk in that village, which was to emphasise that it must be unique for two services, one state and one voluntary, and both established in the first quarter of the nineteenth century, to achieve and maintain over a period which now approaches 160 years, the degree of harmonious and successful co-operation which we enjoy today.'Throughout its long history the Institution has maintained a single objective of preserving life and property at sea. By contrast the Coastguard, being an instrument of Government, has been required to perform a wide variety of roles, including that of protecting the revenue, providing a reserve of manpower for the Royal Navy and also a shore signalling service, and there was a period in which Coastguards were given military drill for suppressing riots. We've stopped doing that. Up until 1923, livesaving was, in fact, a secondary, though none the less active function of the Coastguard service. And as well as manning the Board of Trade lifesaving apparatus round the coast of the United Kingdom, at many stations Coastguards formed not only launchers of RNLI lifeboats, but also went as lifeboat crews. For the past 60 years, that is since the Admiralty handed the Coastguard Service over to the Board of Trade, both the Institution and the Coastguard have pursued a common aim. And in recent times each of us has had to develop new policies to meet the changing needs for rescue around the coast, and to take account of the advance of technology.

'The public demand for rescue has mushroomed with the immense growth of private ownership of boats and our records, which follow the pattern of the RNLI's, show that over the past 12 years, there has been a nearly three-fold increase in the number of persons who have received assistance from the sea rescue services. This demand, as you know, lead in the '60s to the creation of the Institution's inshore lifeboat fleet, and latterly to the provision of the fast offshore lifeboats, and for our own part we have had to redeploy the regular Coastguard resources to better effect in order to provide the co-ordination capability which is now needed. This has been made possible by the development, during the past five years, of a very comprehensive radio communication system covering our coastal waters, and also by expanding the role of our eight and a half thousand auxiliaries.

'The public and mariners generally have also made a very significant contribution, and it is now becoming unusual that craft in difficulties in sight of the coast are not promptly reported to the Coastguard by observant people.Concentration of more of our small regular strength at the rescue centres has of course led to there being fewer coastguards actually on the coast between.

And I accept that no one likes to lose either his village policeman or his local coastguard. He is, in fact, still there, but he is more likely these days to be an auxiliary coastguard, who often has the great advantage of being born and bred in the locality, and knows the coastline like the back of his hand, in the same way that lifeboat crews have an intimate knowledge of their inshore waters.

'I suggest that in this country you can compare the search and rescue organisation to a national football team. The players belong to, and have pride in the traditions of their own clubs, but when they are called out on to the field, they are no longer individual lifeboatmen, coastguards, helicopter pilots, radio station operators or masters of vessels, but they are members of a team working together towards the same goals of saving life. This team work is vital and can only be ensured by the maintenance of the close bonds between the services.

'I recall just one very simple example of this team work when the Coastguard ofSouthend-on-Sea, as dusk was falling, received a telephone call from a distraught mother whose errant daughter had put to sea in the Thames Estuary with a young man whose intentions gave rise to serious parental concern. The co-operation of Southend RNLI was immediately forthcoming, and within minutes, the persuasive personality of the ILB helmsman was sufficient to extract the damsel from her predicament and to leave a disconsolate young man to continue a lone sail on through the night. Well, that service may not have earned an award from the Institution, but it certainly should have added to the membership of Shoreline.

'Your Grace, may I conclude b expressing, on behalf of the Coastguard service our admiration and gratitude for the courage of the lifeboat crew members whose actions have been recognised here today.

7 now have great pleasure in moving the resolution that this meeting, fully recognising the important services of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in its national work of lifesaving, desires to record its hearty appreciation of the gallantry of the coxswains and crews of the Institution's lifeboats, and its deep obligation to the local committees, honorary secretaries and honorary treasures of all station branches; to all other voluntary committees and supporters and to the honorary officers and thousands of voluntary members of the financial branches and the ladies' lifeboat guilds in the work of raising funds to maintain the service.' After Lt-Cdr Fetherston-Dilke had finished speaking the Duke of Atholl made the presentations to voluntary workers. Since the last annual presentation of awards meeting the Committee of Management had awarded two honorary life governorships, four bars to the gold badge and 17 gold badges to voluntary workers for long and distinguished service. All but one of the reci- Continued on page 215.