Portlethen, Kincardineshire, and Southwold, Suffolk.

ON 26th November, 1924, two acts of great individual gallantry were per- formed in rescuing life from vessels stranded near the shore. One was on the rocky coast of Portlethen, in Kin- cardineshire, the other on the sand- banks off Southwold, in Suffolk. Apart from this difference of the kind of shore, there was a remarkable similarity between the two acts of gallantry, per- formed on the same day at places hundreds of miles apart.

About six in the morning the trawler Press Home, which was on her way home to Portgordon from the English fishing at Yarmouth, ran on the rocks inshore.

A moderate gale was blowing, there was a thick mist, and a heavy swell. Almost at once on these terrible rocks the trawler began to break up. Her crew of eight were in grave danger. Their only hope of safety was to leave the vessel at once, and they tried to reach a ledge of rock.

Three succeeded; the other five were drowned.

When the trawler struck she sounded her siren. Among those who heard it was George Craig, a fisherman in his seventieth year, who lives close by.

What happened then was graphically told in the Mearns Leader : " About 6.30 old George Craig was roused by his son, who lives close by and told him that a boat was ashore.

He hurriedly dressed and rushed down to the rocks. Picking his way down the! cliffs in the dark of the morning was a precarious task, but Old George knows in every foot of them. Seven or eight people were there before him, and soon the little group were joined by numerous others.

' The boat was smashed by this time, however, and the three survivors had found sanctuary on a precarious rock, Another Gfeorge Craig, of 60, Portlethen, had brought a rope, and they tried to; throw it to the shipwrecked men. The intervening boulder frustrated their efforts. As it was impossible to reach the men with the rope, which always landed on the top of the boulder, the heroic veteran decided to try to ' clamand her ' out to the nearest rock, the one that was causing all the difficulty.

" The rock was over twenty feet away, but he knew submerged boulders by which he could make his way. ' When my son saw me gaun oot, he nearly went mad,' was how Craig described his son's anxiety on seeing his father set out on his heroic attempt to rescue the men.

, There was little wonder at the son's mis- givings, for any moment the old man .might be dashed to death against the rocks.

'"I buller, jist scram'led fa'in' noo and fra buller again, bit tae aye gettin' up. Sometimes the water would be up tae ma waist. Still, I reached the rock. There were only the three on the opposite rock, and nae sign o' the ithers.

One was in his bare feet, and the ither two shouted to get him first, as they thocht he was near gone.' In these simple words George Craig compressed an epic into a few sentences.

" He threw the rope to them, and they fastened it round the waist of their exhausted shipmate. He pulled him to the rock, where he himself stood, and afterwards pulled the other two over.

He shouted to the anxious watchers on the shore, and one by one they dragged the four of them to safety, ' Fan theywere pu'in' me back, I went right under,* he concluded, with a quiet smile." Undoubtedly George Craig saved three lives. The tide was rising, and with that and the heavy sea the three men, before very long, would have been washed off the rock. Apart from his age, the! it was an act of very great gallantry, and I the Institution has awarded him its Silver Medal, a copy of the Vote inevery j scribed on Vellum, and framed, and a j monetary award. These were presented to him at Portlethen on his seventieth birthday. He has also been decorated by the King with the Board oi Trade's Silver Medal lor Gallantry in saving life j at sea.

Southwold.

to; Early in the morning of the same day j three motor fishing boats of Cromer left Southwold to lay cod-lines. A gale got up from the S.E. with a very heavy sea, clamand as they had not returned by noon a look-out for them was kept. It was close on one o'clock when one of the j three was seen lying off the harbour, apparently not daring to attempt the entrance. The Life-boat was launched, j to stand by, and first one and then another of the fishing boats ran in under her own power. The third was less fortunate. Her crew could not make the harbour but beached her about three quarters of a mile to the north. At this point there are two shoals lying off the beach, one about forty, the other between sixty and seventy yards from it, with I deep gullies separating them from the j shore and from one another. Over these shoals a very heavy sea was running.

As the boat crossed the outer one she was struck by a wave and broached to.

The shock threw two of her crew of three men out of her. One kept hold and managed to struggle back on board. The other was flung clear into the deep water between the two shoals. He was encumbered by his heavy oilskins and in grave danger.

A number of people had gathered on the beach to help if help were needed, and one of them, Mr. T. H. Gillings, rushed at once into the sea, fully clothed.

He struggled through the first gully, crossed the inner shoal, and went on into the deep water beyond. He was at least forty yards out, and up to his neck in"water, when the waves receded, but they still continued to break far above his head.

Between the two shoals he seized the fisherman, by now utterly exhausted, and after a hard struggle brought him safely ashore. Mr. Gillings's prompt and courageous action undoubtedly saved the fisherman's life. He said himself that when Mr. Gillings reached him he was " completely done." In recognition of his gallantry the Institution has awarded Mr. Gillings its Bronze Medal, and with it a copy of the Vote, inscribed on Vellum and framed.

Some years ago Mr. Gillings per- formed a similar rescue in even more difficult circumstances and was deco- rated by the King at Buckingham Palace.