50 Years Ago The following two items were first published in THE LIFEBOAT of February, 1935.

Stories of a Life-boat Day.

ST. ALBANS, Hertfordshire, has the distinction of the help of many of its ex-mayors and ex-mayoresses on its life-boat day. Last autumn no fewer than six mayors and six mayoresses took part in the appeal. It also had among its collectors two who were over eighty years old. One of them was very lame, and could only get about with the help of two sticks, but dressed in life-boatman's cap and jersey, he gallantly went on with his collecting until the rain compelled him to stop.

The rain was heavy, but it could not damp the ardour of the collectors. At the produce stall in the market place one worker went home to change three times during the day.

The " crew " of the " life-boat," which is a feature of the St. Albans day, showed themselves as indifferent to bad weather as a real life-boat crew. This life-boat, about five feet long, is painted on oilcloth, and the public are asked to put their contributions on it—copper on the blue part, silver on the white end-boxes and life-lines. Its crew continued on duty until late in the evening, when, wet through, they were forcibly deprived of their life-boat.

Another feature of the St. Albans day, which helps the hospital as well as the life-boat service, is the " goose from an egg " scheme. Eggs, which are given to the branch, are on sale, but the purchasers instead of taking them away, write their names on them and put them in an incubator. At the end of the day an egg is taken out and the goose (also a gift to the branch) is given to the purchaser whose name is on it. The eggs then go to the hospital. This year the goose was won by a man who was out of work and who had never before tasted goose.

Another man was invited to look at the things on the produce stall. He said that he was out of work and had no money to buy anything—but he had bought and was wearing his lifeboat flag.

In Memory of Grace Darling.

THE motor life-boat Herbert Joy, the gift of Mr. Alexander O. Joy, of London, which was at one time stationed at Scarborough, and is now in the Institution's-reserve fleet at Poplar, went up the Thames on 24th November to take part in the planting on the foreshore of Battersea Park of a tree in memory of Grace .Darling and her father, William Darling, keeper of the Longstone Lighthouse. Captain E. S.

Carver, R.D., R.N.R., the superintendent of stores, and a silver medallist of the Institution, was in charge of the life-boat. Commander Henry Strong, R.D., R.N.R., a member of the committee of management, represented the Merchant Navy. The tree was an oak from Northumberland, presented by the Lord Lieutenant of the county, Sir Charles Trevelyan, and was planted by Commander Strong, Captain Carver and Lighthouse-keeper Mills, of Chatham.

The ceremony had been arranged by the Grace Darling League and the Green Cross Society, and was the first of a number of such ceremonies which are to take place all round the coast during the next three years in anticipation of the celebrations in 1938 of the centenary of the rescue by Grace Darling and her father of the survivors of the Forfarshire.Facts and Figures In 1984 the RNLFs lifeboats launched 3,536 times (an average of nearly ten times each day) and saved 1,307 lives (an average of over three people rescued each day).

Over 35 per cent of all services carried out by lifeboats in 1984 were in winds of force 5 or above.

Thirty-three per cent of all services took place in darkness.

Fifty-seven per cent of all services were to pleasure craft.

There are 256 lifeboats on station and a further 91 in the RNLI relief fleet.

111,769 lives have been saved since 1824, when the RNLI was founded.

The net cost of running the RNLI in 1985 will be over £20 million.

Current costs of building lifeboats are as follows: 16ft D class inflatable £7,750 17ft 6in C class inflatable £9,750 21ft Atlantic rigid inflatable £29,000 47ft Tyne £445,000 52ft Arun £390,000.