THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET 154 Motor Life-boats 1 Harbour Pulling Life-boat LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Life-boat Service in 1824 to March 31st, 1953 - 78,157 Barge Sunk in the Thames Estuary Silver Medal Service by Margate Ox the night of the 6th of November, 1952, a whole gale was blowing from the north-west in the estuary of the Thames, with gusts of wind at over 50 miles an hour, and a very heavy sea running. At quarter to three next morning the coastguard rang up the life-boat station at Margate. The Mid-Barrow Lightvessel had reported two red flares, between two and three miles to the westward. This was on the north side of the estuary over twenty miles from Margate. The nearest life-boat station was Southend, but the Southend life-boat was already at sea on another service. So too were the other Essex life-boats, at Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the- Naze.

It was then high water at Margate.

The sea front was partly under water, and whole seas were breaking over the pier and against the doors of the life-boat house.

At 3.10 the North Foreland, Civil Service No. XI, was launched and set out on her twenty-mile journey across the estuary. She had the gale against her. The squalls of rain and sleet, and the spray blowing continually over her, made it very difficult for her crew to see; but the life-boat made very good time, and just after six in the morning reached Barrow Deep.

There she searched in the darkness along the south side of West Barrow Sands to the West Barrow Buoy, and turning there moved up the West Swin on the north side of the sands.

Day broke at seven o'clock, and about two miles away, near the Maplin Spit Buoy, the coxswain saw the mast of a submerged barge. She was the Vera. of London, with two men on board. They were in the rigging, standing on the head-rope of the mainsail, about fifteen feet above the water, and holding to the halliards: there they had been since the barge had sunk at anchor, nearly five hours before. The tide was now at its last hour of ebb, with the forty-mile gale blowing across it. A vicious short sea was running, and nothing but broken water was to be seen. The barge lay head to wind with waves four to five feet high breaking over her.

Exhausted Men The coxswain brought the life-boat round the stern of the barge and had a quick look at her. It was clearthat the two men were exhausted and that there was no time to lose. He doubted if they would be able to come down the shrouds. He must take the life-boat over the barge's deck and lay her right under them so that they could slide down the wires into her. As he made the first attempt a sea knocked the life-boat's head away. He had to come out stem first, circle round and take her in again. He drove the bow of the life- boat between the rigging and the mast, narrowly missing the barge's davits which were then visible in the trough of the seas. As he held her there one of the two men slid down a wire. He slid too fast, and missed her, but the crew seized him as he went into the water and hauled him aboard. The other man was now seen coming hand over hand down the fore-stay. He too would miss her, so the coxswain again, came out stern first, circled round and brought her over the barge for the third time, this time on the fore-side of the shrouds.

A line was quickly passed round the stay, and the boat held there until the man dropped on her fore-deck.

Both men were wet through, shiver- ing with the cold, exhausted by their five hours in the rigging. One was on the verge of collapse. They were wrapped in blankets and given rum and food, but it was clear that they must be brought ashore as quickly as possible and the coxswain made for Brightlingsea, seventeen miles away.

It was then a quarter to eight in the morning. At quarter to ten the life- boat arrived and the rescued men were handed over to the Shipwrecked Mariner's Society.

It was then six and a half hours since the life-boat had left Margate, and she had travelled forty-three miles, twenty-six across the estuary to the barge, seventeen from the barge to Brightlingsea. She did not arrive there undamaged. Her searchlight and loud hailer had been carried away by a heavy sea, a piece of the gunwale capping torn off and an end of the port bilge-keel displaced.

The life-boat left Brightlingsea again at a quarter to twelve and arrived at Margate at a quarter to five that after- noon.

Rewards It was a hazardous service promptly and successfully carried out in very bad weather and in waters with which the coxswain and crew were not familiar. The Institution made the following rewards: To COXSWAIN* DENIS RICHARD PRICE, the silver medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum and framed.

To SECOND-COXSWAIN EDWARD JAMES PARKER, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum and framed.

To the motor-mechanic, ALFRED WILLIAM LACEY, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum and framed.

To the coxswain and each of the seven members of his crew a special award of £3 in addition to the reward on the ordinary scale of £4. Scale rewards to crew and launchers, £45 19s.; additional rewards to crew, £24. Total rewards, £69 19*..