Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. — At 10.35 on the morning of the 21 st of Octo- ber, 1954, the Barry Island coastguard reported that a message had been received from the R.A.F. No. 19 Group at Plymouth that the pilot of a Javelin aircraft, which had crashed, was believed to have baled out between Cardiff and Sand Bay. At 10.50 the life-boat Fiji and Charles was launched in a calm sea, with a light westerly breeze blowing. She searched widely in a flooding tide and picked up wreckage three miles north of Sand Point. But she saw no sign of the pilot and reached her station again at 5.30 in the afternoon. At 6.45 the coastguard reported that a fire and Very signal had been seen on Steep- holm, an uninhabited island off Wes- ton-super-Mare, and it was thought that the pilot might have reached the shore there. At 10.30 the life-boat was launched again and put men on the island equipped with torches.

They searched the island while the life-boat searched round it, but the pilot was not found and the life- boat reached her station again at 12.45 early on the 22nd. The Barry Dock life-boat was also launched, but found nothing. Rewards: 1st service, £17 3s. Qd.; 2nd service, £20 13,?..