North Deal.

In then* long record of service the.

men of the North Deal Life-boat have rarely been so severely tried as they were in the galea, at the beginning of last November. A whole gale from E.N.E. started on Friday, the 1st November.

It blew through the Saturday and the Sunday, and at times rose to hurricane force. On -the Saturday night two of the Goodwin Sands lightships were .firing guns and rockets at the same time, and just before eleven o'clock the Charles Dibdin was launched, with two extra hands on board.

Against the head-wind, even with the extra hands, it took the Life-boat three hours to reach the Sands, where she found a three-masted schooner—the Toogo, of Esthonia, with eight souls on board,, including the captain's wife— being swept broadside on towards the Sands. Some of the crew were in the rigging crying for help. Before the Life-boat could reach her, the Toogo struck and sank. Owing to the darkness and the heavy seas the Life-boat could do little or nothing. She cruised among the wreckage, for her men could hear cries for help, but it was not until daybreak that she found two of the crew clinging to an overturned boat. They appeared to be the only survivors of the eight who had been on board. With great difficulty, and only after repeated failures, they were got into the Lifeboat, terribly exhausted and on the verge of collapse. Throughout the work of rescue the Life-boat had been continually washed by heavy seas, and one of these, breaking right in the boat, had knocked down and injured the Coxswain, the Second Coxswain and two of the crew.

The shore was reached again at halfpast seven in the morning, just as preparations were being made for thelaunch of the Reserve Life-boat, for two other vessels had been, seen to be in difficulties on the Sands. The Charles Dibdin was at once taken over by the crew of the Reserve Life-boat under Coxswain William Stanton, and put to sea. The gale was, if anything, heavier than before, and it took the Life-boat between five and six hours to make the passage. She was full of water nearly the whole way, and by the time the Sands were reached her crew were all but exhausted.

.There the Coxswain sighted a wreck, with three men in the rigging. It was the ketch Corinthian, of London, homeward bound from Antwerp, with four on board. ?She had been caught in the gale on the Friday night, and had had her mizzen sail blown away. Her captain decided then to run for Dover, but on the Saturday his mainsail gave way also, and early in the night the boat, being now out of control, went aground on the Sands. By the time the Lifeboat reached them her crew had been clinging to the rigging in the full fury of the gale for sixteen hours, and one of them had already been washed away.

A line was thrown into the rigging, and the three men were got aboard the Lifeboat, but one of them was already dead.

The Life-boat reached the shore again eight hours after she put out. : Meanwhile, as it was reported that a man had been seen floating on wreckage, the reserve Life-boat put out under the command of William Hoile as Coxswain, and made a thorough search, but found no survivors from the Toogo, the Corinthian, or the third vessel which had been observed to be in difficulties. Her crew, however, took on board and landed a third member of the crew of the Toogo, ,who had been picked up by a steamer.

It was-not the least heroic feature of these gallant rescues that William Stanton, who was Coxswain to the second crew, was not only in very bad health, but knew that in a day or two he was entering a hospital to undergo a serious operation.

;_• For these gallant and arduous services ; it was decided to award a Third Service i/Clasp to the Silver Medal to William I Adams, and the Bronze Medal to ijWilliam Stanton. Extra monetary re- Iwagds were made to the two Coxswains and to all the members of the crew who took part in the three services, and the Thanks of the Committee of Management, inscribed on Vellum, were sent to the Secretary of the Branch, Mr. John Prior, who had taken charge of affairs throughout the day.

The ceremony of presenting these awards took place in Deal Town Hall, on the 15th January, with Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson} G.C.B., J.P., the chairman of the Branch Committee, presiding, and the presentations were made by Lady Henderson..