Southend-on-Sea, Essex.—At 12.50 in the early morning on the 26th of Feb- ruary, 1950, the coastguard at Southend Pier Head reported that a man and his two boys, who had left Sheerness during the afternoon in a rowing boat to go to Dead Man's Island, had not been heard of since. At half past one the life-boat Greater London, Civil Service No. 3 was launched. Half an hour later she reached the Island, where, in a very choppy sea with a north- north-easterly gale blowing, she carried out a fruitless search until 5.30. Then, after moving alongside a tug until day- light, she continued the search. At last the man and two boys were found.

The life-boat was driven head on to the Island and two members of the life- boat's crew jumped ashore to help them aboard. They were quite ex- hausted and almost frozen, for they had spent the night on the Island with- out shelter. The life-boat landed them at Sheerness at 7.30 and got back to her station at eight o'clock.—Rewards, £21 1*..