AT 8.30, in the evening of 21st November, 1927, the Motor Life-boat at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston was launched in response to a wireless message received from s.s. Trent that help was urgently required to save the lives of the crew of the Dutch oil tanker, Georgia, which had stranded on the South Haisborough Sands. She had broken completely in two, and the after-part, with sixteen men on board, had drifted away to the northward, ultimately stranding off Cromer. The Trent succeeded in rescuing the men from this half of the vessel before she stranded.

When the Life-boat was launched it was blowing a full gale from the east by south, with a very heavy sea. The night was very dark and extremely cold.

The Life-boat reached the scene of the wreck at 10.20 p.m., and there found the Trent standing by. The Master of the Trent told the Coxswain of the general situation and said that, in his opinion, it would be impossible to do anything until daylight. In view of the terrible weather conditions the Coxswain agreed, and the Trent passed a hawser to the Life-boat, which enabled her to remain in a position handy to make an attempt if the situation appeared really desperate.

A careful look-out was kept by the Crew throughout the night, but no signals from the wreck were observed.

During this time the Crew of the Lifeboat were suffering considerably from the cold.

At daybreak the Master of the Trent hove up anchor, and proceeded as close to the wreck as he could, in the hope of giving some lee to the Life-boat. The Life-boat then approached and let goher anchor. The seas were terrific and were breaking over the upper bridge of the wreck, where the crew were sheltering.

The Life-boat was not near enough to establish communication, and it was impossible to approach any nearer until the force of the tide had taken off somewhat, so the anchor was weighed and the Life-boat anchored further out, hoping that the change of tide would bring about a moderation of the sea. At noon the anchor was again weighed and once more the Life-boat approached the wreck and anchored. She then attempted to establish communication with the linethrowing gun, and, after four failures, a line was thrown right across the wreck from a distance of about 60 yards. But the ill-luck which pursued the Life-boat was not yet at an end, for after the stout veering line, 2 inches in circumference, had been actually hauled aboard the wreck for the purpose of getting the Georgia's crew into the Lif e-boat,'a terrific sea swept the rope to leeward, bringing such a strain upon it that it parted.

Over 20 Hours on Service.

All the lines had now been fired, and by this time the Crew of the Life-boat were completely exhausted, having been afloat for about twenty hours. They were wet through and very cold from their long exposure ; and they had had no food except the emergency rations of biscuits, a little tinned meat and Navy rum, which had been issued to them at intervals. The Coxswain, realising that his men were at the end of their tether, weighed anchor and proceeded towards H.M. Destroyer Thanet, which had by that time arrived on the scene from Chatham. The Commanding Officer of that ship gave the worn-out Crew some hot tea, for which they were most grateful, and also supplied fresh water for the circulating system of the motor, which had given considerable trouble.

The Life-boat remained astern of the Destroyer for about twenty minutes, and the Coxswain left with a promise to her Commanding Officer that he would return at daybreak to make a further attempt. The Life-boat reached Gorleston again at six o'clock on the eveningof 22nd November. She had been out for 21 hours.The Cromer Life-boat.

Meanwhile, at 2.15 in the afternoon of the 21st, five hours before the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Life-boat was launched, the Coxswain of the Cromer Motor Life-boat had observed a large steamship apparently in a sinking condition about four miles N.E. of Cromer.

This proved to be the after-part of the s.s. Georgia, from which the Trent had already rescued 16 men. The Life-boat found nobody on board the wreck, and returned to her Station. The sea was so rough that she could not be put on the slipway, and the Coxswain after thinking that he should run to Yarmouth for shelter, decided that it was his duty to remain by the wreck, which was a grave danger to shipping, being right in the fairway. The Crew therefore spent the night in the Life-boat, suffering a good deal of inconvenience, although perhaps not quite as much as the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Crew.

At daybreak the Life-boat returned to her Station to await a favourable opportunity for being housed.

While she was waiting a message was received from the Coastguard, stating that they had observed a small boat drifting shorewards and apparently in difficulties. The Life-boat accordingly once more put to sea to search for this boat. When near Bacton she saw her drift ashore, and as there was obviously nobody on board, the Life-boat again returned to her Station, reaching it about 12.30 P.M. Arrangements were then made to house the boat, but unfortunately while this was being done the propeller became fouled, and while the Crew were clearing it, the Honorary Secretary arrived on the scene with a telegram from the Head Office in London, ordering the Cromer Boat to proceed to the Haisborough Sands to reinforce the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Boat. Once more she put out.

She reached the wreck at 4.20 P.M.

By this time there was little daylight left, and the position of the Georgia's crew appeared to be desperate. Coxswain Blogg therefore boldly decided to attempt to run alongside her withoutanchoring or using his line-throwing gun, as this seemed to give the best chance of a quick rescue. He ran alongside and attempted to get lines out to her, but the sea and strong tide turned the Lifeboat completely round and threw her stern first against the side of the wreck, doing a considerable amount of damage to her sternpost, but happily not putting her out of action. What at first appeared to be a calamity turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for it enabled communication once more to be established with those on board the wreck.

Eopes were thrown from the Life-boat to the wreck, and by ones and twos the exhausted crew jumped as the Lifeboat rose on the crest of the seas.

As soon as all were on board the ropes were cut and the Life-boat set out to get clear of the wreck. At that moment she was caught by another heavy sea which carried her right on to the bulwarks of the Georgia, and for a few seconds she was in imminent danger of being completely smashed, but the Coxswain reversed his engines, and the Life-boat was thrown clear. A few minutes later she was shaping course for Yarmouth, the rescued men receiving attention of which they were much in need.

Gorleston was reached at 6.25 P.M., and the Life-boat remained there for the night, returning to her Station the day following. When they arrived at Yarmouth the Crew had been on duty for twenty-eight hours.

Shortly after the Cromer Life-boat reached Gorleston, the Gorleston private Life-boat, being in ignorance that the 15 men had already been rescued, put out and stood by the empty wreck all night.

The Southwold Life-boat.

To the south of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston are two other Motor Life-boat Stations—Lowestoft, and still further south, Southwold.

At 1.15 P.M. on the 22nd November, the Coastguard handed to the Honorary Secretary at Southwold a telephone message from Lowestoft, advising him that the Lowestoft Boat had been damaged on service and would be out of action until late that night, and that instructions had been received from the Head Office that if Lowestoft could not launch, the Southwold Boat was to go out to reinforce the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Boat at the wreck. She was also ordered to embark oil, which was being held in readiness for her at Gorleston, where she had instructions to call. Gorleston was reached at about 4 P.M. and Captain Carver, District Inspector of Lifeboats, and Mr. W. C.

Johnson, a Gorleston drifter skipper, whose local knowledge of the Haisborough Sands it was felt would be valuable, embarked in the Life-boat.

The Southwold Boat was many miles out of her area, and the Coxswain could not be expected to be familiar with the dangerous sands off this part of the coast.

When the Southwold Life-boat left Gorleston the Cromer Life-boat had just succeeded in rescuing the 15 men, and was on her way with them to Yarmouth.

The two Life-boats actually passed one another unseen in the darkness, and the Southwold Boat, not knowing what had happened, continued her way to the now deserted wreck. H.M.S. Thanet was still standing by, and the Life-boat made for her and asked for information about the survivors. The Destroyer turned her searchlight on the wreck and a careful examination was made of her, but there was no sign of life. The District Inspector and the Coxswain, however, decided that they must know with absolute certainty whether or not any one was still aboard her, and this could only be done by actually running alongside the wreck. The Life-boat therefore left the Thanet at about 9.15 P.M. and proceeded to the wreck in the rays of the Destroyer's searchlight.

The Life-boat's own searchlight was also used, and with considerable difficulty it was definitely established that there was no one on board.

As with the Cromer and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Boats, the Crew had a very trying experience. The District Inspector in his report stated that he was standing up with his arms round the mizen-mast conning the Boat alongside, when suddenly a huge break-ing sea completely engulfed her. She lay over at an angle of nearly 45 degrees and for a moment the District Inspector seemed, so he reported, to be clinging to a mast that rose straight out of a roaring mass of foam, none of the Crew and nothing of the rest of the Life-boat being visible.

Her search completed, the Life-boat made for Great Yarmouth. She had been out for 13 hours.

There is no question that had not the Cromer Boat rescued the men at 4.30 P.M., the Southwold Boat would have been successful at 9.30 P.M., and the greatest credit is due to all concerned for their determined effort.

With the return of the Southwold Life-boat, thus happily ended a service almost unique in the annals of the Institution. It was characteristic of the Crews of these Life-boats that they should disregard their own personal safety, and endure great hardships in their efforts to help their brother seamen, and while all three Crews nobly played their part, to the Crew of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston is due a very large measure of sympathy for their failure, through no fault of their own, to complete the task. In the words of their gallant Coxswain, " What could I do ? We were all finished and half dead." It is all the more gratifying to be able to record that this Crew were the first to express their admiration for their Cromer comrades, who, brilliantly led by a Coxswain whose courage and ability are only eclipsed by his modesty, so worthily upheld the traditions of the Life-boat Service.

The Awards.

The exceptional character of this service justified the Institution in recognising it by exceptional awards, as follows:— To Coxswain Henry Blogg, of Cromer, a Second Service Clasp to the Gold Medal of the Institution which he won in 1917 for the service to the Swedish steamer Fernebo. Coxswain Blogg is the only living man who has twice received this, the highest honour which it is in the power of the Institution to bestow for gallantry in rescuing life from shipwreck. The last time on which the Gold Medal was twice awarded to the same man for actual services was in 1848.

To each of the other twelve men in the Cromer Crew the Bronze Medal, and to the Coxswain and each member of the Crew an additional monetary award.

To Coxswain William Fleming, of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, the Silver Medal. Coxswain Fleming already holds the Gold and Bronze Medals.

To each of the other fourteen men of the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Crew the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum, and to the Coxswain and each member of the Crew an additional monetary award.

To Coxswain Frank Upcraft, of Southwold, the Bronze Medal.

To the Coxswain and each member of the Southwold Crew, an additional monetary award.

To Mr. W. C. Johnson, the Gorleston skipper who went out with the Southwold Lifeboat, a Letter of appreciation and thanks and a monetary reward.

To the following the Committee of Management sent letters of appreciation and thank:—• Mr. F. H. Barclay, J.P., Honorary Secretary of the Cromer Station.

Mr. A. H. Cartwright, Chairman of the Committee of the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Station.

Mr. A. D. Snell, Honorary Secretary of the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Station.

Mr. Sydney Taylor, Honorary Secretary of the Lowestoft Station.

Major Bernard D. Hayton, Honorary Secretary of the Southwold Station.

The Commanding Officer of H.M.S.

Thanet.

The Manager of the Gorleston Mariners' Refuge, for his hospitality to the Southwold Crew.

Captain Howard F. J. Rowley, B.E., R.N., Chief Inspector of Lifesoats, who directed operations from the Bead Office, London.

Captain E. S. Carver, R.D., R.N.R., Inspector of Life-boats for the Eastern District, who was in charge at Gorleston, and went out with the Southwold Lifeboat..