50 years ago From THE LIFE-BOAT WAR BULLETIN No. 1, September 1940 SUSPENSION OF THE LIFE-BOAT JOURNAL Owing to the need for the strictest economy in the use of paper the Institution's journal The Lifeboat" stopped publication after the number for April, 1940. In its place single sheet bulletins will be issued from time to time to keep branches informed of the Institution's work.

It is hoped to resume publication of the journal later on and to print in full accounts of all services which have taken place in the meantime, so there will be no gap in the published records.

A YEAR OF WAR In the first year of the war life-boats were launched to the rescue 1108 times and rescued 2302 lives.

They rescued more lives in this one year of war than in the last five years of peace. They rescued on the average 44 lives a week. In the last war the weekly average was 21.

64 MEDALS Sixty four gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for gallantry. As many medals have been won in this one year of war as in the last six years of peace.

THE HUMBER'S GREAT RECORD The Humber station has the outstanding record for the year. Its life-boat "City of Bradford II" has been launched on service 32 times and has rescued 180 lives. Its coxswain and crew have won one gold, two silver and three bronze medals and seven vellums for gallantry.

DUNKIRK Nineteen life-boats of the Institution formed part of the "fantastic armada" of little boats which evacuated the B.E.F. from Dunkirk. The life-boats brought off from the beaches thousands of men. All the lifeboats were damaged. One was lost. The cost to the Institution in rewards, repairs and the replacement of the lost boat is over £8000.

CLOSED STATIONS The stations at Southwold (Suffolk) and Hythe (Kent) have been temporarily closed on account of the war. Of the life-boats at St. Peter Port, Guernsey and St. Helier, Jersey the Institution has had no news since the Germans occupied the Channel Islands at the end of June, but the son of the St.

Peter Port coxswain is believed to have been killed by enemy action on board the life-boat when she was out on the night of 28th. June.

Twenty six quarterly Life-boat War Bulletins were printed, and it was not until June 1947, seven years after its temporary suspension, that the Lifeboat Journal re-appeared - Ed.