Awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Humane Society for the bravest deed of the year. WHEN the trawler Sarepta of Lowestoft was returning from the fishing grounds on October 31st last, in heavy, squally and very cold weather, with a heavy sea running, one of the crew, who was standing on a pile of nets, was thrown overboard by a sudden roll. The mizzen was lowered and the engine reversed, but the trawler was running before wind and sea, and she was three hundred yards away before she could go about.

As the trawler got near again to the drowning man, a life-buoy was thrown which fell close by him, but he was too exhausted to make any effort to reach it. Seeing this, another member of the crew, Harry Smith, aged twenty, jumped overboard. He seized the man under water when he had already begun to sink, and held him. up until a line with a life-buoy attached was thrown. This Smith managed to reach, and the two were hauled alongside, and with great difficulty got on board, the one un- conscious, the other very much exhausted. For this gallant rescue Harry Smith has been awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal Humane Society and also its Gold Medal for the bravest deed of the year. He is a member of the Life-boat Crew at Kessingland, Suffolk. His father, Edward Smith, was at one time Second Coxswain of the Life-boat, and was awarded the Institution's Silver Medal for the very fine service of the Kessingland Life-boat to the sailing smack A.J.W., of Rye, on the night of December 11th, 1919, and his uncle Christopher Smith received the Bronze Medal for the same service. The smack had sunk on the sands; her crew of four were in the rigging; the tide was flowing ; there was not half an hour to spare before it would have risen over them ; and the Life-boat, at great risk, was taken right over the sunken rail of the vessel until she was between the masts. For that service the Silver Medal was awarded to the Coxswain and Second Coxswain, and the Bronze Medal to each member of the Crew.