Whitehills, Banffshire.—At 9.12 on the night of the 14th of December, 1955, the Banff coastguard reported that a vessel had sent a wireless distress message that she had run on the rocks west of Gardenstown. At 9.25 the life-boat Sr. Andrew, Civil Service No.

10 was launched. The sea was very rough, a strong gale was blowing from the east, and the tide was half flood. There were heavy rain squalls. The life-boat made for the position, and came up with a Belgian trawler one mile west of Mohr Head. The vessel which had gone ashore was another Belgian trawler, the Beatrix Fernande, which had a crew of eight, but she could not be seen from the life-boat in the very bad weather.

The wreck was lying in very broken water inside submerged reefs, on which heavy seas were breaking.

Another boat joined the life-boat, but none of the boats could come close enough to the wreck to help. Six of the trawlermen jumped into the sea.

Of these three reached the shore, but one of them died later. The other three men returned to the wreck and were rescued by the Banff coastguard Life-Saving Apparatus Company using a breeches buoy. The two other mem- bers of the crew, including the skipper, were believed to have been washed overboard.

During the rescue operations from the shore a fishery protection cruiser arrived and remained with the lifeboat and Other boats near the wreck.

Nothing could be done from seaward in the extremely bad weather condi- tions. No sign of the missing men was seen, and the life-boat returned to her station, arriving at 8.30 on the morning of the 15th.—Rewards, £32 7s..