By the death on September iyth. of Mrs. Edith Astley Roberts, President of the Eastbourne Ladies' Life-boat Guild, the Institution has lost one of the most devoted and successful honorary workers whom it has ever had. The Life-boat Service was only one of the causes for which she worked, but she gave herself to each as if it were her sole interest in life. She began her life-boat work in Eastbourne in 1910, and became the president of the Ladies' Committee in 1912.

From then onwards for 34 years she was the inspirer and organiser of its work.

In 1912 it collected £89, in 1945 it collected £1006, and the total for those 34 years was £22,332, Mrs. Astley Roberts was appointed an honorary life-governor of the Institution in 1924, and in 1943 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her many public services..