50 years ago From the pages of THE LIFEBOAT, December 1940 issue Four Months of War The first four months of war, from 3rd September to the 31st December, have been the most crowded and hazardous in the whole history of the life-boat service.

Its crews have gone out to the rescue more often, and they have rescued more lives, than in any previous four months in war or in peace. Here are the figures: Life-boats put out to the rescue 419 times. They rescued 1001 lives. In those four months they rescued more lives than in any four months of the last war, even during 1917 when the attack of the German submarines was most severe. In those four months they rescued more lives than in two years of peace.

59 Lives a Week For the 116 years since the Institution was founded, the average of lives rescued is 11 a week.

For the years of the last war the average is 21 lives a week.

For the first four months of this war the average is 59 lives a week.

Those figures speak for themselves. They need no words to emphasise them. But it is interesting to see how many of those launches were to vessels in distress on account of the war, and how many to vessels in distress from the ordinary perils of the sea.

192 of those launches were to vessels in distress through the war and 596 lives were rescued from them. 227 launches were to vessels in distress from the ordinary perils of the sea, and 405 lives were rescued from them.

The Perils and Difficulties of the service Whatever the cause of distress those 419 launches were made, and those 1001 lives were rescued, in face of all the dangers and difficulties of war. Life-boats, like other vessels, have been exposed to the dangers of attack by mines, by the torpedoes of submarines, by the bombs and machine guns of aeroplanes. By night they have not only had to navigate at sea without the help of coast lights, but they have had to launch without the help of the usual floodlights, in complete darkness. Even the maroons used for summoning the crews have had to be discontinued, as they might be mistaken for air raid warnings, and life-boatmen have had to be called out individually. Each station has made its own arrangements to do this as quickly as possible. At some stations special alarm parties have been organised, each member of which has the duty of calling out certain members of the crew.

The work of navigating and launching under the conditions of war, the dangers of attack while at sea, the great increase in the numbers of vessels in distress, the loss of life-boatmen who have joined the navy, all these have made new and severe demands on the Institution's crews.

In spite of these difficulties there has been no failure to launch, or to carry out any service that was needed, nor even any exceptional delay in launching. There has been no serious damage to life-boats, and no serious breakdown in machinery. During those four months in which 1001 lives were rescued, there was no loss of life among the life-boat crews..