AT 10.30 on the morning of the 27th of July, 1957, the coastguard told the honorary secretary of the Hoylake life-boat station, Captain H. H. Davies, that a man was in danger on a bank opposite the Heswall Yacht Club, and asked if the life-boat could reach him.

Captain Davies pointed out that the life-boat could only reach the position given at high water, which would be too late to save the man. There was a strong westerly breeze blowing and the sea was moderately rough.

Carried Canoe to Estuary John Crook, a fifteen-year-old boy of Parkgate, VVirral, was preparing his 15-feet single-seater kayak canoe for a trial run when he learnt that there was a man in need of help.

Although he knew little about his new craft John Crook immediately carried her a hundred yards and then launched her into the estuary. By this time the tide had made a wide channel between the man and the shore and he was completely cut off.

On reaching the bank John Crook found Mr. R. Bartley, who is a fisherman aged sixty-seven, up to his waist in water and had great difficulty in dragging him aboard the canoe. At first he tried to let Mr. Bartley sit astride the canoe behind him, but this made it impossible for him to control the canoe. John Crook then persuaded Mr. Bartley to go into the cockpit and squeezed himself forward with most of his body under the fore-deck.

In this way he managed to cross the choppy waters of the channel, although the canoe nearly capsized three times.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum and an engraved wrist watch h.ave been awarded to John Crook..