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 have been worse. A whole gale was blowing from the north. A tremendous sea was running, and there were heavy squalls of snow. This was the day, as recorded elsewhere, 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 a tug, but not, at the moment, of the Lifeboat's help, so the Life-boat re-; turned. The Honorary Secretary, however, kept the Whinstone under observation, as he was confident that sooner or later she would need help, and he advised the Motor Life-boat at! Spurn Head, on the other side of the mouth of the Humber, to stand by. His own Crew were ready to put out again,She found the Whinstone at anchor, after 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.

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 CROSS, of the Humber Motor Lifeboat, a bar to his Silver Medal; to Coxswain JOHN T. DOBSON, of Donna Nook, the Bronze Medal; to GEORGE W. HUMBERSTONE, Second Coxswain, of Donna Nook, and FRED. WILSON, Bowman, the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum. The Coxswains and Crews of both Life-boats also 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 Bronzs 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.

A month later, on the night of 22nd December, the Gorleston Motor Life-boat was launched with a full blowing from the N.E. and a gale very got up very o'clock. The ketch Henrietta, of Goole, was lying in the Yarmouth Roads with two anchors down, but the cables had parted, and she was being carried towards the shore.

heavy sea, which had suddenly about eleven The Life-boat was launched at 11.45, and reached the Henrietta when she was already on the edge of the breakers , swept by heavy seas and in great danger.

The first attempt at rescue failed, the Lifeboat getting under the Henrietta's lee, but being swept away immediately by the seas.

At the second attempt she got near enough for the four men of the crew to j u m p aboard her. The Henrietta later went ashore and became a total wreck. In recognition o f the promptness and gallantry with which this risk incurred, the service was carried out, and the great Committee awarded the Bronzeltfedal to Coxswain WILLIAM G. FLEMING, and extra monetary awards | to the Crew. Coxswain Fleming already holds the Gold Medal, awarded to him for the very gallant service to the Hopelyn in 1922. He was one of the eight Gold Medallists decorated by the King in 1924 with the Medal of the 1 Order of the British Empire.