ON 25th November, just before eight o'clock in the morning, the Donna Nook Life-boat went out in answer to signals of distress. The conditions could not i She found the Whinstone at anchor, after have been worse. A whole gale was I having run aground on the sands, and but were so exhausted by their struggle that he would not let them go, and the Humber Life-boat was launched at 9.30.

blowing f r om the north. A tremendous sea was running, and there were heavy squalls of snow. This was the day, as recorded elsew h e r e , on which the District Inspector reported that a very severe gale, with terrific squalls, was sweeping the whole of this coast, and that the spray at Flamborough Head was flying 200 feet high. The Life-boat pulled within hail of the vessel, and found her to be the s.s. Whinstone, of Preston, on her way from Hull to Berwick. She was in need of the seas were breaking over her. By means of the breeches buoy, with great difficulty, the six men of her crew were hauled into the Life-boat. The Life-boat herself was buried in the breaking seas nearly the whole time, and the Coxswain reported that it was the worst weather he had known during twentythree years in the Life-boat Service.

In recognition of the skill and courage shown by both Crews in weather of exceptional severity, the Institution awarded to Coxswain a tug, but not, at the moment, . of the Lifeboat's help, so Motor Life- the Life-boat re-; boat, Silver Medal; to turned. The Honorary Secretary, however, kept the Whinstone under observation, as he was confident that sooner or later she would need help, Coxswain JOHN T. DOBSON, of Donna Nook, the Bronze Medal; to GEORGE W. HUMBERSTONE, Second Coxswain, of Donna Nook, and FRED. WILSON, and he advised the Motor Life-boat at! Bowman, the Thanks of the Institution Spurn Head, on the other side of the j inscribed on Vellum. The Coxswains mouth of the Humber, to stand by. His j and Crews of both Life-boats also own Crew were ready to put out again, received extra monetary awards.The Silver Medal which Coxswain Cross already holds was awarded to him in December, 1915, for his personal gallantry in jumping overboard from the Life-boat in the breaking water on a sandbank in order to get a line to a stranded ship. He also holds the Bronze Medal for a gallant attempt to rescue the crew of an unknown ship in October, 1922, all the members of the Crew on that occasion receiving the Thanks of the Institution inscribed o n Vellum.

The Coxswain and each member of the Crew of Donna Nook had previously received the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum for the rescue of the crew of a Danish fishing vessel in December, 1921, when the Lifeboat capsized, but righted herself, without loss of life.

The courage and skill shown by the Donna Nook Coxswain and Crew are the more remarkable since they are most of them farm labourers, who only go to sea on service in the Life-boat and for the quarterly exercises.

The owners of the Whinstone, Messrs.

Thornley Binders, Ltd., who are already subscribers to the Stromness Branch, made a special donation in gratitude for this service.