The death of the Duke of Kent in an air accident on August 2jth. is a very great loss to the life-boat service. Of all the members of the Royal Family who have been associated with it since its foundation none has taken a more generous and personal interest in it. He became its president in 1937, but he had done much to help it during the previous eight years and he first became acquainted with it in 1928 when he travelled to the Orkneys to name two motor life-boats, Altogether he n»med ten life-boats; he presided at four annual meetings; and he presented medals at those meetings to 84 life-boatmen. His last public act for the service was in July of this year when, at Plymouth, he presented the bronze medal for gallantry awarded to Coxswain Walter Crowther for rescuing a flying boat..