ABOUT one-fifteen in the morning of 24th October last a message came from the coastguard to the life-boat station at Moelfre, Anglesey, that a vessel was in distress N.N.E. of Point Lynas. A whole gale was blowing from north by east, and a very heavy sea was running.

The motor life-boat G.W. was launched at one-twenty, making for Point Lynas. She was travelling in the teeth of the gale and was repeatedly filled by the heavy seas, but she freed herself very quickly. Her coxswain tried to get further information about the position of the vessel from a pilot cutter, using both his searchlight and his Morse signalling lamp, but the cutter could not take the messages owing to the very heavy seas. One moment the life-boat was on the crest of a wave, and the next completely hidden in the trough.

Unable to get any information, the coxswain went on in the direction given by the coastguard, and at four in the morning—two hours and forty minutes after putting out—he found the vessel, nine miles from Point Lynas, and fifteen from the station. She was still burning flares.

She was an 80-ton steamer, the Lady Windsor, of Cardiff, with a crew of five. She was making very heavy weather and was very low in the water. Her captain still hoped to get her into Moelfre Roads, and at his request the life-boat stood by.

For two hours the steamer struggled on, and then, about six o'clock, she sent up another flare. The life-boat closed with her at once. The steamer seemed on the point of foundering.

The seas were breaking clean over her.

Her decks were awash.

There was no time to spare, and the coxswain took the life-boat right along- side, a perilous thing to do with the steamer rolling her rail right under in the heavy seas. He took her along- side, the five men of the Lady Windsor jumped aboard her, and she drew clear.

The homeward journey took overtwo hours, and it was not until eight- forty, eight hours and twenty minutes after putting out, that the life-boat reached" Moelfre again. The steamer herself eventually went ashore in Llanbadrig Bay, It was a fine service in which very good seamanship was shown by the coxswain, both in finding the steamer and in getting alongside in the very heavy sea, and rescuing the crew with- out damage to the life-boat. The Institution has made the following awards: To COXSWAIN JOHN MATTHEWS, the bronze medal for gallantry, accompanied by the thanks of the Institution in- scribed on vellum; To ROBERT WILLIAMS, the motor mechanic, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum; To the coxswain, motor mechanic and each of the seven members of the crew an award of £2 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £2 7s., making a reward of £4 7s. to each man. Total rewards, £87 16*. 6d. The master of the steamer at once sent a letter of thanks and appreciation, and the owners have become annual sub- scribers to the Institution in gratitude for this service..