THERE was a full southerly gale blowing off-New Brighton last September 15th, with frequent squalls of rain, and the sea was very rough. Soon after half- past one in the afternoon the coastguard noticed a three-masted schooner at anchor in the Crosby Channel, near the Beta Boat Beacon. She seemed to be in no difficulty and several other ships passed in and out close to her; never- theless, the coastguard kept her under observation.

It was as well he did, for towards half- past eight that evening he saw her burning distress flares. The New Brighton life-boat was called out a quarter of an hour later. She was the No. 2 boat, Edmund & Mary Robinson, and Second-Coxswain W. S. Jones was in command. The coxswain was away bringing the new life-boat to the station.

Search in Blinding Rain The tide was now five hours' ebb, and the weather was getting worse. Blind- ing rain and spray drove over the life-boat, reducing visibility almost to nothing. Although she used her search- light it was 9.30 before she sighted the schooner lying alongside the revetment, which was on her lee. She had two anchors down, but they had dragged home. She was the Happy Hurry of Arklow, and was some six and a half miles from New Brighton.

Heavy seas were breaking over the schooner and it seemed impossible to get alongside her from windward. The coxswain reconnoitred. The revet- ment is a training wall of limestone rubble, about twelve feet wide, built on both sides of the channel through the sands at the mouth of the Mersey to hold them back from silting it up.

When the life-boat found the Happy Harry the general level of the sea was above the top of the wall, on which it was breaking violently. But the top of the wall is very uneven and in several places there are distinct gaps in it. It was for one of these that the coxswain was looking, for he could see that the schooner was almost overhanging the wall, and that if he could sail over it, then he could get under her lee.

Life-boat Over the Wall Just ahead of her he found a size- able gap. He drove the life-boat straight for it and right over the revet- ment. She bumped several, times on the sandbank on the other side, and her last bump brought her bows against the schooner. One of the life- boatmen threw a line on board, but it was not needed. With her engines working ahead she was able to hold her position comfortably close to the schooner. The four members of the Happy Harry's crew lost no time.

They jumped from the schooner to the fore deck of the life-boat. Then the coxswain drove his boat once more across the revetment into the main channel, and made for New Brighton where they arrived at 11.15 that night.

The life-boat was undamaged.

It was a rescue carried out with speed and resource. Only the intimate knowledge of the coxswain and crew made it possible to cross the revetment at all, and even then it was done only at considerable risk. The Institution has made the following awards: To Second - coxswain W i L L i A M STEPHEX JONES a clasp to the bronze medal for gallantry which he won in 1947, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To the second-coxswain and each of the six members of the crew, a special reward of £2 in addition to the reward on the ordinary scale of 19,?.; Scale rewards, £4 15s., additional rewards, £14; total rewards, £18 155..