Walmer, and Ramsgate, Kent.—At * 8.7 P.M. on the 4th November, 1939, a message was received at Walmer from the Deal coastguard that distress signals had been seen about two miles east of their station. A S.W. wind was blowing, with squalls. There was a moderate sea. At 8.25 P.M. the motor life-boat Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No. 2) was launched. The life-boat went to the West Goodwin Buoy and from there to the Brake Light-vessel.

There she was given the position of the signals as E.S.E. four miles outside the sands. Dead low water made it im- possible to cross the sands, but the life- boat continued her search to the North Goodwin Buoy and then back to the Brake Light-vessel. There she was told that fourteen survivors of the Greek steamer s.s. Nicolaos M. Embir- icos, which had been sunk by enemy action, were on board the North Goodwin Light-vessel, and that another of the steamer's boats with twelve men aboard, was missing. The life-boat searched for the second boat, and then went to the North Goodwin Light- vessel where she was told that the missing men had been picked up by a Dutch steamer.

Meanwhile, at 8.21 P.M., the Rams- gate station had received a message from the Ramsgate coastguard that the North Goodwin Light-vessel had re- ported a ship's boat with men on board drifting northward, and at 9.24 P.M. the motor life-boat Prudential was launched. On reaching the light-vessel she found alongside a boat with fourteen members of the crew of the steamer.

She then searched for the other ship's boat which was adrift, and near the Elbow Buoy was hailed by the Dutch steamer. The Ramsgate life-boat then took off the twelve men from the Dutch steamer, and the Walmer life-boat took off the fourteen men who had got to the North Goodwin Light-vessel. The Walmer life-boat returned to her station at two next morning, and the Ramsgate life-boat at 2.27. The owners of the steamer made a gift to the Ramsgate life-boat crew. — Rewards: Walmer, £29 Os. 6d.; Ramsgate £15 9s..