Walton and Frinton, Essex.—At 5.35 on the evening of the 23rd of November.

1956, the Deal coastguard reported that an aircraft of the United States Air Force had crashed into the sea near the Cork lightvessel and asked for the life-boat to be launched to search for the pilot. At 5.55 the life-boat Edian Courtauld put out. There was a heavy swell and a moderate north-north- easterly breeze. The tide was ebbing.

The coxswain was asked to search an area approximately three miles east of the lightvessel. Aircraft and a sea rescue launch were also searching. At 9.10 the life-boat picked up a message from the S.S. Ringwood, whose position was half a mile west of Rough buoy, saying she had just passed on her port beam a yellow dinghy but had lost sight of it. The life-boat made for the position at once, and both she and the Ringwood saw the dinghy again some fifty yards on the port beams. The life-boat picked up the airman and the dinghy, which was almost filled with water. The airman was huddled up with his head bent forward, and when he was aboard the life-boat it was found that he was dead. The cox- swain asked for a doctor and ambulance to be waiting on his return to Felixstowe, which was reached at 10.40.

The body of the airman was handed over to a doctor, and the life-boat returned to her station, arriving at 1.8.

—Rewards to the crew, £23; rewards to the helpers on shore, £5 5s..