As our readers know, the Institution makes awards for all rescues or attempted rescues of those in peril from shipwreck round the coasts of the United Kingdom, whether the rescues are performed by the Life-boat crews themselves or by private individuals.

At the same time there are many other gallant deeds performed round our coasts which it has never been considered the duty of the Institution to recognise. We confine ourselves to the recognition of those deeds of gallantry directly arising out of shipwreck.

Exceptional cases, however, from time to time occur where the Committee of Management feel that it would be wise to go beyond the strict rule governing the Institution's awards, and such a case did occur on the 12th June last at Fenit, on the west coast of Ireland.

Two boys, John F. O'Mahony, the son of the Chief of Customs at Fenit, and his friend Bernard Kelly, were bathing together at Lighthouse Point.

They were both twelve years of age, and neither could swim more than a few strokes. It was a cold day, with a moderate gale blowing off shore, and the sea was rough. As O'Mahony came out of the water he turned and i saw that Kelly was struggling. He went back at once to his help, but was not able to reach him. He came ashore a second time, and, with the help of some little girls, succeeded in launching a canvas canoe which was tied down in a field by the shore. In this canoe O'Mahony put out once again to the rescue, but the tide was ebbing, and with the strong off-shore wind, swept the canoe right past the drowning boy. In the wind and the rough sea, O'Mahony found that he could not manage it, so, instead of I struggling uselessly, he had the presence of mind to ship his oars and lie down ' flat in the bottom, and the canoe was carried out to sea.

In the meantime a coastguard had been told of what had happened, and seeing the canoe already far out he ' signalled to a small war craft, H.M.S.

Heather, which was lying at anchor off the lighthouse. The Heather put to sea as quickly as possible, but she had to go eight miles out before she overi hauled the drifting canoe and could ' rescue O'Mahony, who all this time had been lying naked and wet in the bottom of the canoe.

Bernard Kelly was drowned, and his body recovered the same night, but O'Mahony had made a most gallant attempt to save him, and had done it at great risk to his own life. Although it was, strictly, not an attempt at rescue from shipwreck, the Committee of Management felt it to be a case ofso exceptional a character as to justify decided to award O'Mahony the Bronze them in giving a generous interpreta- ', Service Medal, and, at the same.time, tion to the rule governing the bestowal to present him with two War Savings of the Institution's medals, and they Certificates..