Model effort Gordon Davies, of Waunwen, Swansea, a distant relation of William Gammon, coxswain of The Mumbles lifeboat Edward Prince of Wales, lost on service 40 years ago, has recently completed a labour of love in his memory, a 12th scale model of her successor, RNLB William Gammon.

Working up to six hours a day on the model, Mr Davies, who is 63, says he has spent thousands of hours in his front living room, carving the hull from a solid block of balsa and making the deck gear, fittings, rigging and equipment from the same wood.

The most difficult and intricate part of the exercise was to make the instruments for the cockpit and to fashion the lifebelts, he said.

Mr Davies sent away to the Greenwich Maritime Museum for a copy of the original plans of the lifeboat, which was based at The Mumbles from 1947 to 1974 and saved 74 lives in 139 launchings.

She is now a floating exhibit at the Swansea Industrial and Maritime Museum.

Mr Davies timed completion of the model to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the loss of Edward Prince of Wales. Coxswain Gammon and seven crewmen lost their lives when the lifeboat foundered while going to help the freighter Samtampa, aground at Sker Point. A model of that lifeboat is next on Mr Davies' agenda.On station The following lifeboat has taken up station: Porthdinllaen: 47ft Tyne class lifeboat ON 1120 (47-015), Hetty Rampton, April 27, 1986.Lottery One of his final duties as the Mayor and Admiral of the Port of Poole, before ending his term of office in May, was for Councillor Lt Gerald Bailey, accompanied by Mrs Bailey, to draw the RNLFs 37th National Lottery, at Poole headquarters, on April 30. Lt and Mrs Bailey were welcomed by Rear Admiral W. J. Graham, the director, and were given a full tour of the head offices, depot and training centre before drawing the 20 prizewinners. Supervising the occasion was the Lord Stanley of Alderley, chairman of the RNLI's fund raising committee and Anthony Oliver, •head of fund raising.

Money raised from the lotteries now totals well over £1 million and is an important source of income for the RNLI. The 37th competition raised more than £58,000 and resulted in the following prizes being won: £2,000: Mrs J. Clark, Flitwick, Bedfordshire.

£500: T. Marchbank Esq, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire.

£250: Mr Quinn, Wigginton, Nr Tring, Herts.

£100: C. Hannay Esq, London NW2; H. Wink Esq, Burton Pidsea, Hull; A. Stevens Esq, Richmond; J. Burrow Esq, Lutterworth, Leicestershire; Mrs S.

Hams, Edgware, Middlesex; Mrs C. Anderson, Watford, Herts; J. H. Williams, Sheffield.

£50: F. Roach Esq, Burton-upon- Trent, Staffs; Mr and Mrs R. S.

Cole, London E8; C. R.

Pearson Esq, Worthy Down, Winchester, Hants; A. J. A.

and J. E. McCormick, Shaldon, Devon; Mrs A. M. Binks, Rhayader, Powys; J. R. T.

Miller Esq, Croydon, Surrey; P. Butler Esq, Salford, Lanes; Mrs M. M. Tushingham, Belfast; Mrs J. E. Davies, Cardiff, South Glamorgan; D. Reid Esq, Woking, Surrey.

Following the lottery draw, Lord Stanley received a cheque for £6,000 raised for a D class lifeboat appeal, over several years and through many fund raising efforts, by local shipwright Mr Bill Pitt, his family and friends.The lottery draw was the last to be attended by the Mayor's Secretary, Dennis Boyce, before his retirement.

Describing Mr Boyce as a good friend of the RNLI, the director presented him with a small gift to mark his retirement.Errata In the list of awards to coxswains, crews and shore helpers in the Spring 1987 edition of THE LIFEBOAT, the name of Mr W. P. Carter, former coxswain of Teesmouth lifeboat, who has retired after 45 years' service, appeared incorrectly, for which we apologise.

We have also been asked to point out that the entry for Mr K. R. Steytler, crew member of Walmer lifeboat for 10 years, was incomplete. We are pleased to record here that Mr Steytler was a shore helper before joining the crew and that from 1971 to 1984 he was the station winchman.

Anniversary Mr Vernon Munns, a member of the Gravesend branch committee, writes to say that, while looking through some old papers recently, he found one of the original leaflets issued at the funeral of the eight boatmen and a Mr C. E.

Troughton, who all drowned in what was known at the time as the Margate Surf Boat Disaster. Their boat Friend of All Nations capsized on their way to help the ship Persian Empire, of West Hartlepool, in a strong gale and blizzard on December 2, 1897, making this year the 90th anniversary of the tragedy. The funeral procession included the four survivors, borough officials and members of the local Lifeboat Institution and Shipwrecked Mariners' Association.Busiest year for Irish lifeboats THE annual presentation of awards ceremony for the RNLI in Ireland took place at the Mansion House, Dublin, on April 9, 1987, with Mr Hugh Hamilton, convenor of the City of Dublin lifeboat appeal, presiding.

At the time of the ceremony £170,000 of the £250,000 target for the appeal had been achieved, said Mr Hamilton and the official naming ceremony of the new Howth Arun class lifeboat, for which the money had been earmarked, would take place in May (a report of which will appear in the Autumn issue of THE LIFEBOAT).

SUPPORT Mr Ray Kipling, assistant director of the RNLI, in his address to the large audience of lifeboat volunteers, praised and thanked them for their continued work on behalf of the Institution. In particular he complimented the Dublin branch members on raising the appreciable sum of £83,588 during 1985-86.

The modernization of the lifeboat fleet in Ireland will continue during this year with the stationing of the seventh Arun class lifeboat at Inishmore, Co.

Galway, he said.

Mr Kipling also stated that 1986 was the busiest year ever for the Irish fleet of the RNLI, which launched on 260 services (1985—264) and saved 127 lives (1985—112). In concluding he congratulated those voluntary workers who were receiving their awards for their many years of service for the RNLI.

TV STAR Among those present was Mr Norman Wilkinson of Howth lifeboat station who has been awarded the highest award of the RNLI, that of Honorary Life Governor. Mr Wilkinson has been honorary secretary of Howth lifeboat station for 29 years, since 1958 and a committee member for the previous eight years.

Alan Stanford, a star of the television series "Glenroe" and the Gate Theatre, Dublin, presented the awards.

AWARDS The following awards have been made by the Committee of Management of the RNLI to its voluntary workers in Ireland.

Lifeboat Stations: Honorary Governor, Mr J. N. Wilkinson DSC, Howth station branch.

RNLI Financial Branches: Gold Badge, Mrs J. G. Sweeney, Donegal branch..