ON the evening of the 30th of August, 1948, two young Americans were swimming and wading round Baggy Point in North Devon. One of them was the son of Mr. Negley Farson, the author, the other was a photographer on the staff of the American Services' newspaper, Stars and Stripes. They intended to go right round the point to Croyde Bay, but they were caught by the rising tide and took refuge on a rock under the cliffs of Baggy Point.

The wind was oft shore, and the sea was calm, but a heavy swell was running up the Bristol Channel. It was breaking on the cliffs, with a strong back-wash, and was swirling round the rocks, making a very ugly piece of water at the cliff-foot. It would have been impossible for the men to swim through it. They were seen, and the Croyde coastguard went to their help with the life-saving rocket apparatus.

But the cliff overhangs the rocks and made it impossible to reach them from above. A line could be fired to them from further along the cliff, but it would drag them through the surf and across the rocks before it could haul them up the cliff. It could not be done without serious injury to them. So, at 9.40, the coastguard sent a message to the Clovelly life-boat station, ten miles away: "Two men on ledge at Baggy Point. Request life-boat and dinghy.

Will guide you to spot by searchlight." Five minutes later the motor life-boat City of Nottingham was launched, with an 11-feet dinghy lashed across her gunwale.

Waiting While the Tide Rose The life-boat had a journey of an hour and a half, and the tide was rising.

The coastguard turned their searchlight on the men, and when the tide was nearing the top of their rock they fired two lines. These fell within reach and the men were able to seize them.

Then, if the life-boat did not arrive before the tide threatened to wash them off the rock, an attempt could be made to haul them up the cliff.

There was now nothing to be done but to wait for the life-boat.

Guided by the coastguard's searchlight she arrived at twenty minutes past eleven, and the coxswain examined the scene. It was very dark under the cliff, but the searchlight's beam, running diagonally down the face of the cliff, showed him the two waiting men in their bathing suits, and the tide already nearly up to the top of their rock.

The coxswain anchored in two fathoms of water and called for volunteers to man the dinghy. Two men came forward and put off, but in eight minutes they had returned, saying that it was impossible. The coxswain was considering if he should take the life-boat herself among the rocks, when two more men volunteered to make a second attempt in the dinghy, Percy Shackson, the bowman, and William Braund, the assistant motor mechanic. The coxswain first moved the life-boat nearer, with his anchor still down, intending, if the dinghy failed, to take her right up to the rocks and to use his cable to haul her clear again in case of emergency.

He could only have done it, among the submerged rocks and breaking swirling waters, at grave risk to the life-boat.

At Grave Risk It was at grave risk that the bowman and assistant motor mechanic pulled the dinghy near enough to the rock to fling a line. One of the men caught it and jumped into the sea. He was hauled aboard, and then the dinghy was seized by a fierce rush of water and carried away. Those who watched from the cliff-top thought that first the swimmer and then the dinghy were lost. But the two men got her under control again, and pulled back towards the rock. The second man jumped and he too was hauled in.

Then Percy Shackson and William Braund pulled the dinghy clear of rocks and whirlpools to where the lifeboat waited. It was now close on midnight.

The two men were very cold and exhausted after those hours in the darkness on the rock with only their bathing shorts, but the life-boatmen took off their own clothes to cover and warm them and then fed them with hot tea, rum and biscuits. Meanwhile the life-boat was on her way to Clovelly, and arrived at quarter to two in the morning.

The Rewards The two men had handled the dinghy with great skill and courage in the darkness and dangerous waters and the Institution has made the following awards: To PERCY SHACKSON, bowman, the bronze medal for gallantry, accompanied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To WILLIAM BRAUND, assistant motor mechanic, the bronze medal for gallantry, accompanied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To COXSWAIN GEORGE LAMEY, in recognition of the good judgment he showed, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum; To the coxswain and each of the six members of the crew a reward of one pound in addition to the award of £l 7s. to each man on the ordinary scale. Scale rewards, to crew and launchers, £23 6s. 6d.; additional rewards to crew, £7; total rewards, £27 6s. 6d..