The steam trawler Tadorne, of Boulogne, was wrecked early in the morning of the 29th March, during a fog, a short distance from Howick Haven. The vessel was bound from Boulogne to the Iceland fishing grounds, and had a crew of thirty hands on board, of whom five perished as a result of the wreck.

Information of the casualty reached Boulmer by telephone a few minutes after 6 A.M. and the Life-boat Arthur B.

Dawes was very promptly launched.

The wreck was found in a very awkward position, surrounded by rocks, and ex- posed to very heavy breakers, the result of the previous evening's S.E.

gale. The deck of the trawler was just awash and heavy seas were con- tinually rolling over her, and the crew had taken refuge in the rigging. Before the arrival of the Life-boat three of the crew had put off in the ship's boat, which was swamped, and two of the men were unfortunately drowned, the third man succeeding in swimming ashore.

As the Life-boat approached the vessel another man was washed off the wreck in an injured and helpless condition; he was picked up by the Life-boat with considerable difficulty, but died soon after he had been landed. With great diffi- culty and danger, owing to the rocks and the want of room in which to manoeuvre the boat, the Life-boat got alongside the wreck and took off twenty men. Whilst doing so the boat was repeatedly filled with**>water, and some of the crew were knocked about and dazed with i the weight of water dashed upon them. ; The work of rescue was necessarily slow, as the shipwrecked men were numbed by the cold and seemed afraid to leave the rigging. As there were now twenty- one rescued men in the boat it was i decided to take them ashore and come j back for the others. After a heavy pull, owing to the crowded boat, Boulmer was reached at about 10 A.M. Ten fresh oarsmen were procured and the boat started again for the wreck. Four more of the crew were taken off and landed at Howick Haven, this being now practicable.

Unhappily, before the arrival of the Life-boat on the first occasion two of the vessel's crew had died from exposure while in the rigging, and the bodies of these two unfortunate men were eventually landed by the Life-boat when the tide had ebbed. The boat then returned to Bouliner, where she arrived at about 1.30 P.M.

The services performed on this occasion elicited the greatest praise from all, and the Life-boat crews be- haved with great gallantry, showing indomitable pluck in carrying out the rescue. The first Coxswain and the second Coxswain as well as the Bow- man were in the boat on both occasions, ' and the Coxswain was of opinion that this service was the most difficult and dangerous that he had ever been called upon to perform during the whole of the time he had been engaged in Life-boat work. In connexion with the sad loss of life the jury, at the subsequent inquest, after expressing their sympathy with the relatives of the deceased men, recorded their high appreciation of the gallant services of ! the Life-boat crew, and placed on record their " admiration of men who | risked their own lives to save those of others." At their next meeting the Com- mittee of Management bestowed the " Thanks " of the Institution inscribed on Vellum, together with the Silver : Medal of the Institution, on the Cox- [ swain, William Stephenson, and awarded i him and each of the men who took part ' in the service an additional monetary ! reward.

A fitting sequel to the splendid gallantry displayed in January took place in May when the Duke of Northumberland, the President of the Institution, presented the awards made by the Committee of Manage- ment to Coxswain Stephenson and the crew, together with medals and -a, diploma awarded to the former by the Societe des Hospitaliers Sauveteurs Bretons.

The occasion was one of widespread interest to the inhabitants of Alnmouth and district, and a large company assembled to do honour to the gallant men.

The Duke of Northumberland, in rising to make the presentations, said that they had often been proud of their Life-boatmen. Along the whole length of the Northumbrian coast the fishermen had always shown themselves most ready to go to the assistance of any vessels in distress. This was by no means the first time that Boulmer men had done good service in this- direction, and he had been told that the service which they had met that night to cele- brate was one of an exceptionally arduous character, and one demanding all the perseverance, all the coolness, and courage and devotion which the Boulmer men had so often shown. He was at the time six thousand miles away, at the Cape of Good Hope, and he heard nothing of this until his return to England. However, from all he could learn there was one matter upon which they could congratulate all con- cerned in the business, and that was the promptitude and the readiness with which the Life-boat acted.

The Duke then went on to extol the excellent work carried out by the In- stitution, and to urge the claims for support—support it richly deserved—• from all classes of the community. His Grace then presented the awards, and M. le Baron de Belabre, French Consul at Newcastle, handed over the French awards and expressed the gratitude of his countrymen.

Coxswain Stephenson having suitably responded, and the thanks of the meeting having been accorded to the Duke, and to Sir Francis Walker for having presided, the proceedings terminated..