AT three in the afternoon of Sunday, the 3rd of April, the coastguard at Rossall told the coxswain of the life-boat that they could see a vessel outside the harbour in a dangerous position. She was about two miles away to the north-west of the harbour, near the sandbank named North Scar.

A strong wind was blowing from the south-west, with heavy showers of rain, and the seas were breaking heavily on the sandbanks. The cox- swain kept the vessel under observa- tion and at 3.40 he saw flares on board.

At 3.50 the life-boat Ann Letitia Russell was launched. The assistant motor mechanic did not get down in time for the launch, and the honorary secretary of the station, Major H, Cartman, took his place.

The First Rescue At' four o'clock the life-boat had reached the vessel. She was a 71-feet ketch, with an auxiliary engine, the Alpha, of Stranraer, bound for Aber- gele. Just a fortnight before the Gir- van life-boat had found her off Girvan with her engine broken down and her sails useless and had towed her in.

When the Fleetwood life-boat found her now she had dropped her sails and was bumping her way across the sand- bank. She was flying light and drew only four feet six inches of water.

The coxswain took the life-boat alongside, threw a line on board and attempted to tow her off the bank into deeper water, but the tow-rope pulled the windlass out of her deck. At that the ketch's crew decided to abandon her and the life-boat again went along- side. It was not easy in those heavy breaking seas. The tide was ebbing, the life-boat had very little water under her, the ketch was bumping and rolling on the sands, and at times her high wooden sides were right over the heads of the life-boatmen. But the ketch's crew of eight—one of them a boy of ten—jumped into the life-boat without mishap. She turned for Fleetwood and was back in harbour at 4.35.

The rescue had taken forty-five minutes.

A* Disappeared in the Night In the evening, when the tide was low, six of the Alpha's crew returned to her, walking across the sands. They hoped to refloat her at high water.

They went in spite of the warnings of the coxswain and others, who told them of the risks that they would run both on board the ketch and in cross- ing the gullies in the sands. Both coastguard and life-boat's crew were anxious about them, and all night they kept watch for signals, with the life- boat ready to launch at once. No signal was se«n, but when day broke there was no sign of the ketch. By this time the strong wind had risen to a gale. There were frequent and heavy squalls of rain. The sea was very rough.

A Two Hours' Search At 7.20 the life-boat was launched and ran down wind to search to lee- ward, but in the heavy rain-squalls it was very difficult to see. She searched for two hours before she found the ketch, eight miles north-north-east of Fleetwood. She was aground on another large sandbank, Clarke's Wharf, with the seas breaking over her mast- head. To the life-boatmen it looked very doubtful if any of her crew could have remained on board. Between the life-boat and Clarke's Wharf there were other sandbanks, and the water on them was so shallow that it was impossible for her to cross them.

She had to make a detour, and in the rain-squalls lost sight of the ketch.

She did not find her again for nearly an hour.

The Second Rescue She should have gone alongside in the shelter of the ketch's lee, but that was impossible. The ketch not only had a heavy list, but the gale was now driving her along the sandbank and she would have come on top of the life-boat. So the life-boat made for her weather side, but even then it was hard to get near, so fast was she travelling before the gale.The life-boat pursued her through that fierce surf. " The sea was boiling," the second coxswain said. "Water everywhere. You could mot keep your eyes open for more than a fraction of a second." But at last the life-boat drove alongside, and for the second time took off the crew without mishap, though this time she slightly damaged her stem and fender. Then she turned into the fi.ce of the gale, and fought her way home against it, through the heavy breaking seas. She arrived in harbour at noon.

The Reward* Both rescues had been difficult and dangerous. Both had been carried out with skill and speed. The second was the more difficult of the two, and could not have been accomp- lished but for the coxswain's and crew's intimate knowledge of the sandbanks.

The Institution has made the follow- ing awards: To COXSWAIN JAMES LEADBETTER, the bronze medal for gallantry, accom- panied by a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To the coxswain and each member of the crew a special reward of 10*. in addition to the ordinary scale reward of 15*., for the first service, and a special award of 20s. in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £l 7s., for the second service. Additional rewards to coxswain and crew, £12; scale rewards to coxwain, crew and launchers, £30 7s.; total rewards for the two services, £42 7s; To MAJOR H. CARTMAN, L.D.S.(ENG.), the honorary secretary, who acted as assistant motor mechanic in the first service, a letter of appreciation.