THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET 156 Motor Life-boats 1 Harbour Pulling Life-boat LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Life-boat Service in 1824 to December 31st, 1949 ...

76,724 Into the Dragon's Mouth IN the afternoon of the 13th of Sept- ember, 1949, the Jersey airport rang up the St. Helier life-boat station and asked that the life-boat should help in the search for a French military aero- plane which had come down in the sea to the south-east of St. Helier. Just before half past three she put out.

She was the life-boat Hearts of Oak, from the reserve fleet, doing temporary duty at the station. Coxswain Thomas King was in command, and Mr. L. P.

Stevens, the honorary secretary of the station, went as a member of the crew.

A fresh westerly wind was blowing, with heavy squalls. There were heavy showers of rain. The sea was rough.

The St. Peter Port, Guernsey, life-boat also went out.

A Long Search The life-boat travelled some twenty miles south-east of St. Helier. She searched a wide area, hampered by the rain squalL and by fog, which at times prevented her from seeing more than 400 yards. She searched for six hours, but found nothing. Later it was learnt that the aeroplane had come down in the area where she was searching, and had sunk immediately, taking down six of the crew with her. Three others got ashore on the French island of Chausey.

Shortly after half past nine, when the life-boat's fuel was getting low, a wire- less message from St. Helier recalled her and she set her course for home. At midnight she passed the beacon Demie de Pas. She was then less than two miles from St. Helier. She had been out for nearly nine hours. Her crew were very weary; they had been knocked about a lot in those heavy seas; but they were expecting, in less than half an hour, to be home.

A Yacht in Grave Peril They had just passed the beacon when another wireless message came.

A light had been seen near Demie de Pas. The life-boat turned about at once to search for it.

Though her crew did not know it until later, the light was on board a St. Helier yacht, the Maurice Georges.

She was a 10-ton cutter with an auxiliary engine, and she had four on board. She had left St. Malo that day for St. Helier on her engine. At dusk, when she was off the Demi de Pas beacon, the engine had failed. She anchored there, off a lee shore. It was the only thing that she could do, but in the heavy seas the cable very soon parted, and before she could get out a second anchor she was right among the rocks. There her second anchor held for a little, but it would not hold for long, and when it failed it would not be many minutes before the yacht was broken into pieces on the rocks. Such was her position and her plight when the life-boat turned about to look for her.

Into The Dragon's Mouth It was not easy to pick up her light, deep among the rocks, and when at last the life-boat saw it, everyone on board her realised at once into what a terrible place they were to go. The chart gives some idea of its perils. But on the chart the rocks are plain to see.

On this very dark night nothing could be seen, except the light from the yacht.

The coxswain could not be certain where he was. His knowledge of the coast went for nothing. The strong west wind was blowing against the tide, making a very rough sea, and the sea was breaking heavily among the rocks, so that from moment to moment the rocks were changing, some out of the water, some awash, some beneath it. The tide was ebbing, and the rocks each moment -became more dangerous.

To go among them was to go blindfold, right into the dragon's mouth.

All the Odds Against Them It added to the dangers that the Hearts of Oak, unlike the double- engined Queen Victoria, had one engine and one screw. But the coxswain did not hesitate. He put men in the bows of the life-boat with the searchlight to warn him of such rocks as could be seen, and went straight in. He well knew the risks; and he took them. He went in faith, trusting to the strong build of the life-boat to save him and his crew, if she should hit anything. All the odds were that she would.

As he came near the lights of the yacht, he turned her up to throw a line on board the yacht, and at that moment a very big sea took hold of the life-boat and washed her right over a ledge of rock; but the only remark made was by one of the crew: "That's one of the . . . passed anyhow." The line was thrown, and was seized by the men on the yacht. The normal course would then have been for the life-boat to stand in close enough to the yacht to be able to take the men off her. But the coxswain decided that it would be a rather smaller risk to try to tow her out than to venture further in. As he passed her a tow- rope, her men made it fast, and cut their own cable; the life-boat towed her out. Again all the odds were that life-boat, or yacht, or both would run on the rocks, but they both came into the open sea without touching them.

The rescue had taken only fifteen minutes, but every minute they had been on the edge of destruction. If the life-boat had grounded on a rock in those heavy seas—and all on board knew it—that would almost certainly- have been the end of her, and her crew would have been beaten to death between the seas.and the rocks.

Half an hour after midnight the life- boat entered St. Helier. She had been out for nine hours.

When the district inspector went in the life-boat to the scene of the wreck, it was a flat, calm sea. They lay about a mile off. The inspector asked the coxswain to get him a bit closer so that he might see exa'tly where the life- boat found the yacht. On this lovely day the coxswain answered: "Oh, no, sir, I wouldn't like to go in there now.

We might hit something." The Rewards For this most gallant and reso- lute service, carried out against the gravest perils by a crew already weary from a long-and heavy strain, the Insti- tution has made the following awards: To Coxswain THOMAS J. KING, the gold medal, which is given only for con- spicuous gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum and framed.

This is the first gold medal to be awarded since 1944; To each of the seven members of the crew, PHILIP BOITELL, acting-second coxswain, KENNETH S. GUBBEY, reserve motor mechanic, B. TALBOT, acting assistant mechanic, C. KING, G.

STAPLEY, R. J. NICOLLE, life-boatmen, and Mr. J. P. STEVENS, honorary sec-- retary of the station, the bronze medal, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum and framed; To the coxswain and crew a special reward of £5 each, in addition to the reward of £2 15*. on the ordinary scale; ordinary rewards, £18 3s.; additional rewards, £40; total rewards, £58 3*..