IN the course of five weeks of the war, from 10th October to 14th November, 1939, the motor life-boat at the Humber was out on service ten times and rescued 102 lives. For three of these services Coxswain Robert Cross was awarded a clasp to his silver medal for gallantry, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum, and a special letter of thanks.

The first of these three services was on 10th October. At 4.20 in the morning the watchman saw a vessel heading for the beach. He gave the alarm and the motor life-boat City of Bradford II was launched at 4.55. A gale had been blowing. It had dropped to a fresh wind, from the southsouth- west, but it had left a very heavy sea running. Twenty minutes after launching the life-boat found the steam trawler Saltaire, of Grimsby, aground on the Inner Binks. She was rolling, her gunwales right under, and the seas were breaking over her. The trawler was lying head off shore, so the coxswain anchored to windward, and dropped down on his cable. By the light of his searchlight he got alongside and held the life-boat there while the nine men of the trawler's crew jumped aboard. One of the men fell between the trawler and the life-boat, but he was pulled aboard before the seas had flung them together again. At 6.30 the rescued men were landed.

In Peril a Second Time.

At low water it was possible to walk out to the Saltaire, and by now the wind had dropped. Her crew, with the owner's agent, returned to her, and a wire was run out to seaward for a tug to pick up. It was hoped to tow her off at high tide, but as the tide rose the wind went round to the eastward and freshened. The sea got up rapidly and the Saltaire was swung broadside on to the seas and fell over to seaward. She lay at an angle of 40 degrees, with seas breaking right over her. Her crew took shelter in the wheelhouse. The life-boat crew had been watching and they launched at once. It was then two in the afternoon.

There was not enough water between the Saltaire and the shore for the lifeboat to get to leeward of her, and on the windward side it was impossible to approach because, lying at an angle as she was, her masts were in the way.

The only way to rescue her crew was to haul them through the water in a breeches buoy. The coxswain anchored to windward; paid out a little cable; made fast another rope to the cable from the starboard quarter; and then, by going ahead and astern on his engines, he kept the ropes taut and held the life-boat steady while a line was fired over the wreck. Ropes, a tail block and a lifebuoy from the life-boat were then hauled across by the trawler's crew, but they had very great difficulty in finding a point sufficiently high for fastening the block.

A Difficult Rescue.

In the end, with the seas breaking over them, they succeeded in making it fast to the top of the wheelhouse. Then came another great difficulty, to get into the buoy with the deck at so sharp an angle and seas smashing over it. Three of the men had succeeded, and had been hauled through the surf to the life-boat, when some nets and other gear were washed out of the trawler and fouled the ropes and buoy. Another line had to be fired; another block sent over to the wreck and made fast; then the work of rescue began again, and another four men were hauled into the life-boat.

Three were still on the wreck.

It was now over an hour since the life-boat had anchored. The strong flood tide, the wind blowing across the tide, the shallow water, the heavy seas—all this had made it extraordinarily difficult to keep the life-boat close enough to the wreck for the buoy to be drawn backwards and forwards, and at the same time to prevent the life-boat from being flung on to her.

At times they were thirty yards apart, at times nearly touching. But the coxswain was most skilful in handling the life-boat, and his crew most skilful in working the buoy through the breaking seas, and getting the rescued men aboard. It was the proof of their skill that not one of the seven men was hurt. But the other three, who for over an hour had watched their comrades being hauled through the seas, could not face it themselves.

They preferred to be rescued from the shore, and a party of soldiers hauled them through the surf. Two of them were badly hurt. At 3.30 the life-boat left the wreck and twenty minutes later was landing the rescued men.

A Danish Ship Sunk by Enemy Action.

On the afternoon of 3rd November, 1939, the s.s. Canada, of Copenhagen, bound for Hull, was badly holed by enemy action when twenty miles northeast of the Humber, and one of her holds filled with water. Forty of her crew, including five stewardesses, left her in three boats and were picked up by the Norwegian steamer Ringhorn. The captain and thirteen men remained aboard the Canada.

At 5.40 the Humber life-boat station received the news and four minutes later the life-boat was away. A moderate wind was blowing from the south-east. The sea was very rough.

An hour and three-quarters later she found the Canada at anchor about a mile and a half from the shore off Holmpton. The life-boat sent a message by morse to the coastguard for the help of tugs. Five arrived just after midnight, but in the heavy seas they could do nothing. The steamer was gradually filling. Her decks forward were awash. She had a list.

The life-boat stood by until daylight, when the captain of the Canada shouted to her to come alongside and take him to the nearest telephone to report to his agents. The life-boat could not leave as the men on the Canada were in danger, but she took the captain off and put him aboard one of the tugs which were returning to the Humber.

By this time the steamer had a list of 45 degrees.

Just in Time.

The life-boat continued to stand by and the weather was getting steadily worse. At ten in the morning the first mate of the Canada signalled that he wished the rest of the crew to be taken off. By this time the decks were awash, and the deck cargo of timber was floating all round the ship.

Through this the coxswain took the life-boat, which was slightly damaged by the timber, and got alongside the sinking steamer. By 10.30 the thirteen men were on board the life-boat. She had lost no time in rescuing them and there had been no time to lose. Five minutes later the Canada heeled over on her broadside, and her crew on board the life-boat stood at attention with their caps in their hands as she went over.

Half an hour after midday the lifeboat was back at her station. She had been out for eighteen and a half hours, and it had been a long, arduous and difficult service.

To the Help of a Greek Steamer.

Eleven days later, on the 14th November, the Humber life-boat was again out to the help of a foreign steamer, the Georgios, of Piraeus. It was eight at night when the life-boat was launched. The night was very dark. A moderate wind was blowing from the south, with squalls. The sea was very rough. The life-boat found that the steamer had run on the wreck of the Canada. She turned her searchlight on her. The Georgios seemed a complete wreck and there was no one on board. The life-boat searched in all directions, but found nothing. Then a red flare was seen and the coxswain took its bearing and made for it. He found the twenty-one men of the crew of the Georgios and a North Sea pilot in two of the ship's boats, drifting helplessly. By this time the wind had increased to gale force. The coxswain manoeuvred so as to get the boats under the life-boat's lee and the twenty-two men were quickly rescued. They had very little clothing and their boats would soon have foundered in the very heavy seas.

The life-boat then made for Grimsby.

It was just after half-past nine. She reached Grimsby at 3.15 in the morning.

During the whole passage of over five hours she was smothered in seas and all on board were drenched to the skin.

At Grimsby the rescued men were landed, and the life-boat returned to her station. She arrived at eight in the morning having been out just twelve hours.

The Rewards.

For these three services the Institution made the following rewards to the coxswain and crew, who are permanent paid men: For the service to the Saltaire: To COXSWAIN ROBERT CROSS, a third-service clasp to the silver medal for gallantry, accompanied by a copy of the note inscribed on vellum and framed, and £5; To the motor mechanic, JOHN S.

MAJOR, the bronze medal for gallantry, accompanied by a copy of the note inscribed on vellum and framed, and £5; To each of the other six members of the crew: WILLIAM R. JENKINSON, second coxswain; WILLIAM J. T. HOOD, bowman; SAMUEL CROSS, assistant motor mechanic; SAMUEL F. HOOPELL, GEORGE F. HOOPER and WALTER BIGLIN, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum and framed, and £5.

For the service to the Canada: To COXSWAIN ROBERT CROSS, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum, and £l; To each of the seven members of his crew, £1.

For the service to the Georgios: To COXSWAIN ROBERT CROSS, a special letter of thanks and £l; To each of the seven members of his crew, £1.

Total money rewards for the three services, including the helpers, £59 5*. Sd..