On 28th to 29th October, the night following the service of the St. Mary's Life-boat, the gales reached their worst, striking with special violence on the coast of North Wales and Lancashire.

That night nine Life-boats were launched. Five of them were from Stations in North Wales, and of those five, four were from Anglesey. These nine were the Pulling and Sailing Lifeboat at Moelfre, the Motor Life-boat at Beaumaris, the Holyhead Steam Lifeboat (which was launched twice), and the Holyhead Pulling and Sailing Lifeboat (all Stations in Anglesey), the Motor Life-boat at Porthdinllaen (Carnarvonshire), the Pulling and Sailing Life-boat at Maryport (Cumberland), the Motor Life-boat at Weymouth on the South Coast, and the Motor Lifeboat at Cromer and the Pulling and Sailing Life-boat at Sheringham on the East Coast.

The first of the nine to be called out was the Moelfre boat.

At about 3 in the afternoon a message was received from Point Lynas that a vessel was in distress about 3| miles off the lighthouse. A whole gale was blowing from the S.W. with a very heavy sea, and the weather was very cold. The Coxswain of the Life-boat was away, and the Second Coxswain took charge,having with him Captain Jones, who, although not a regular member of the Life-boat Crew, as he is otherwise occupied, goes out when he can, and is always ready to put his local knowledge and experience at the service of the Life-boat. A quarter of an hour after the message was received the Life-boat was launched.

After getting a more exact position from pilot vessels sheltering undei Point Lynas, she made for the position given, reaching it about 5.30, and there found the auxiliary ketch Excel in a helpless condition, made fast to a German steamer, which apparently could do nothing to help her.

As the Life-boat approached them, the steamer cut the tow-rope to the ketch, leaving it to the Lifeboat to rescue her crew. The ketch fell ofi to leeward, and the Life-boat made an attempt to get alongside.Life-boat right over the Wreck.

This attempt failed. The ketch was already water-logged. It was obvious that she could not last much longer.

If her crew were to be rescued before she sank, they must be rescued without delay. The Second Coxswain and Captain Jones did not hesitate. They chose the desperate course of taking the Life-boat under full sail right over the water-logged wreck. They knew that at the best they must seriously damage the Life-boat, and that the odds were that they would completely wreck her. Their bold and heroic gamble succeeded. The Life-boat was carried by a heavy sea right on top of the upper deck, and was stove in in three places, two on the port side and another, very much larger, on the starboard side.

The three men on the ketch were grabbed and hauled aboard, and the Life-boat was swept back by another wave.

Shortly afterwards the ketch foundered, and the German steamer went on her way.

In being hauled aboard, one of the three men of the ketch received injuries from which he died. In the pitch dark, •with a full gale blowing, no one knew how he received them, or even when he died. All that is known is that hewas dead before the Life-boat reached shore.

The Life-boat was still in great difficulties and considerable danger. Her hull had been badly damaged, she was full of water, and instead of rising over the seas, she cut through them.

Shortly after she left the wreck her jib was blown into ribands. Her sailing qualities were HOW seriously impaired, but she struggled towards the Menai Straits, beating against the gale, and reached them at about two o'clock next morning, anchoring by Puffin Island.

The distance she actually sailed before reaching the comparative shelter of the Straits must have been 15 to 20 miles.

It was during this passage, through the height of the gale, that William Eoberts, one of the Life-boat's Crew, collapsed and died of exposure.

Meanwhile the Beaumaris Station.

had been notified of the launch of the Moelfre Life-boat, and the Motor Lifeboat there was ready in case she was required. Soon after six o'clock the telephone and telegraph, both broke down, and the Coxswain was stationed at the Boathouse to watch for signals.

Shortly before ten o'clock, signals were seen going up from Penmon, and about the same time a messenger arrived to report that much uneasiness was felt about the Moelfre Life-boat, as she had not returned. Soon after ten o'clock the Beaumaris Motor Life-boat was launched. She made for Lynas Point, cruised towards Meolfre Roads, and then returned to the Menai Straits. Here she sighted the Moelfre Life-boat, near Puffin Island, but, through an \mfoitunate misunderstanding, believing her to be in no need of help, the Beaumaris Life-boat returned to her Station.

As no help reached her, the Moelfre Life-boat, with her exhausted and practically helpless Crew, remained at anchor in the Straits until daylight, when she was seen, and the Motor Life-boat again came out, took her in tow, and brought her into Beaumaris, which was reached at 8.30 in the morning. There the Crew were taken up to the Bulkeley Arms, where they were received and cared for withthe greatest kindness by Mr. and Mrs. Musgrave. They had then been out for over seventeen hours. During the whole service the Second Coxswain, William Roberts, had remained at the tiller. For some hours after he landed he was completely blind, from the salt water, the wind, and the terrible strain of that unceasing and unrelaxed watching at the tiller through the whole night. While the Second Coxswain was at the tiller, the leadership in this magnificent service, and in the heroic decision by which the crew of the ketch were saved, was shared with him. by Captain Jones.

The Awards.

The Institution has therefore made the following awards :— To Second Coxswain William Roberts, the Gold Medal, the highest honour which it can bestow, and which it gives only in recognition of great courage and leadership in face of very grave danger.

To Captain Jones, the Gold Medal.

To each of the other members of the Crew, the Bronze Medal.

To the widow of William Roberts, the Bronze Medal. She will also receive a pension, as her husband died on service, and an allowance for a grandchild dependent on her.

In addition to the Medals, the Institution has made the following awards : To Colonel Lawrence Williams, Honorary Secretary of the Moelfre Branch, an inscribed barometer in recognition of his unremitting exertions to keep in touch with his boat and to keep up such communication as was possible, most of the telegraph and telephone wires having been blown down. He was out all night in his motor-car, had some narrow escapes from falling trees, visited many places in the course of the night that are considered dangerous for a car even in daylight, and did not return home until he knew his boat was safe.

To Captain B. B. Davies, the Honorary Secretary of the Anglesey local committee, an inscribed barometer in recognition of the prompt steps he took to try and keep communicationopen when the telephone wires were blown down, and for his work in meeting the Moelfre Life-boat and arranging for the accommodation of the crew at Beaumaris. Captain Davies, like Colonel Williams, was out all night and spared neither himself nor his car.

The whole crew were completely exhausted by their long and terrible struggle. All needed medical attention, and were unable to return to work for a week, while some of them did not recover for two and three weeks.

A letter of thanks has been received from the owners of the Excel..