Port St. Mary, Port Erin, Douglas, and Peel, Isle of Man.—At about 10.15 on the night of the 10th of June, 1948, the Ramsey coastguard telephoned the Port St. Mary, Port Erin, and Douglas life- boat stations that an aeroplane, with eight persons aboard, was believed to have crashed into the sea near Chicken Rock. The aeroplane, a De Havilland Rapide, was on private charter and was bound for Ronaldsway from Birming- ham. The Port St. Mary motor life- boat Sir Heath Harrison was launched at 10.55 and the Port Erin motor life- boat Matthew Simpson and the Douglas motor life-boat Millie Walton, five minutes later. They searched over a wide area to the east of the island, in a fresh south-easterly breeze with a moderate sea, but found nothing. The coastguard informed the Peel station at 11.16 and the motor life-boat Helen Sutton was launched at 11.55 to search between Peel and Port Erin. She also found nothing. The Helen Sutton reached her station again at 6.20 the next morning, the llth, the Matthew Simpson at 6.30, the Sir Heath Harrison at 7.25 and the Millie Walton at 7.30.

Between 7.30 and 7.40 the coastguard asked that the search be renewed as soon as the life-boatmen had refuelled their boats and had some food. The Peel life-boat was launched again at 8.15 and the Port Erin and Port St.

Mary life-boats fifteen minutes later.

They searched between Peel and Derby- haven. Then the Douglas life-boat was called out at 9.45 to search the area between St. Annes Head and Scarlett Point and was launched at 10 o'clock.

Again no trace of the aeroplane was found, and the life-boats returned to their stations, Port St. Mary arriving at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, Port Erin at 2 o'clock, Peel at 3.45 and Douglas at 4 o'clock. The wreckage of the aeroplane was found later. She had not come down in the sea but had crashed in the hills near Fleshwick.

The Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man sent his thanks to the crews.— Rewards: Port St. Mary (both services), £3619s.; Port Erin, first service, £20 Is.; second service, £14 11s.; Douglas, first service, £21 14s.; second service, £16 11s.; Peel, first service, £24 12s.; second service, £26 Is. Total Rewards £160 9s..