AT 12.15, early on the morning of the 13th of July, 1952, the Walney coastguard rang up the Barrow life- boat station to say that a man living in Bootle had reported that his small daughter had seen a small boat aground half a mile south of Esk Estuary. The boat at that time was about half a mile from the high water mark. The Barrow life-boat Herbert Leigh was launched at 12.50 in a rough sea, with a strong west-south-westerly breeze blowing. At 4.20 she picked up by means of her searchlight the yacht Faithful, with a crew of two. The Faithful was an old life-boat of the Institution converted. She was riding heavily to her anchor in heavy surf and sheering 90 degrees. She was in sixteen feet of water, about half a mile from a lee shore of sand and shingle. Her engine had broken down and her steering-gear was defective.

The men had laid out an anchor.

Three times the life-boat had to close with the yacht, and in those heavy seas and with the yacht yawing so violently, she had to be handledwith great skill and judgment. The first attempt failed. At the second one of the two men jumped into her.

At the third the other man was taken off. Both men had been rescued.

Neither life-boat nor yacht had been damaged. But in less capable hands the life-boat might have cut the yacht in two and drowned both her men.

The weather, already bad, was de- teriorating, and the coxswain thought it inadvisable to attempt to tow the Faithful. He, therefore, left her at anchor. The life-boat returned to her station, arriving at 8.25 in the morning after a rough passage, and the rescued men were sent to the Sailors' Home.

In recognition of his skill and judg- ment the Institution awarded to COX- SWAIN ROLAND MOORE its thanks inscribed on vellum and framed.

To the small girl who reported the boat aground the Institution awarded a copy of Storm on the Waters, the story of the Life-boat Service during the'war of 1939 to 1945. Rewards, £16 7s..