FOUR SERVICES IN SEVENTEEN HOURS Southend-on-Sea, Essex.—At 2.30 in the afternoon of the 23rd of April, 1947, a resident of Leigh telephoned that a fishing boat was ashore at Marsh End, off Leigh. A strong south-south-west gale was blowing, with a very rough sea.

The motor life-boat Mittmrn, on tem- porary duty at the station in place of the Greater London, Civil Service No. 3, was launched at two o'clock, but found no trace of the fishing boat. As she returned she saw a barge in difficulties close inshore, the motor barge Maid of Munster, of Rochester, with a captain and mate on board. After several attempts the life-boat rescued the two men and arrived back at her station at 4.30. Half an hour later another barge was seen to be in difficulties a quarter of a mile south of the Gas Works Pier, and the life-boat was launched again. The barge was the Asphodel, of London, with two men on board, one injured. She was being swept by heavy seas. With great difficulty the life-boat rescued the two men and returned to her station at ti.10.

At 10.15 the coastguard reported a vessel making SOS signals off East Blyth Buoy. The wind had veered to west-south-west and had increased. A big sea was running and when the life-boat was launched for the third time at 11.0 at night, she hit the sand and three of her crew were slightly injured.

She stuck on the sands for an hour, pounded by heavy seas, but then refloated and in spite of bad visibility found the sailing barge Adriatic of London. Two men and a woman were on board her, hanging on for their lives, up to their waists in water, and the barge was continually swept by the seas. She was down by the stern, and it was with great difficulty that the coxswain took the life-boat along- side and rescued the three people and a dog. The life-boat herself was slightly damaged while doing it. She made for her station and arrived at 1.20 next morning. She again put out at 2.55, this time on a report from the rescued skipper of the Adriatic that there was another barge west of East Blyth Buoy making heavy weather.

The life-boat found there the motor barge Vigilant, of Harwich, but her crew did not require help, and the life-boat finally arrived back at her station at 5.50 that morning. It had been a very trying and arduous series of services lasting seventeen hours in weather as bad as any that the crew could remember, and they had carried out the last two with three of them injured. The Institution awarded each of them its thanks inscribed on vellum and £5.—-Rewards, £59 95. Qd..