ON the afternoon of the 16th of July, 1957, a number of people, children as well as adults, were bathing in the sea off Barmouth beach. About three o'clock somebody raised the alarm that a swimmer was in difficulties, and a local policeman asked everyone to come out of the water. It was then learnt that several people were missing.

Mr. William Morris, the motor mechanic of the Barmouth life-boat, was on the quay about half a mile away. Hearing what had happened, he immediately put out in his 20-feet motor launch Skylark, accompanied by Mr. George Berridge, the winchman of the Barmouth life-boat station.

A fresh north-north-westerly breeze was blowing and the tide was half ebb. There was a short steep sea.

Two Passages Into Channel There are two passages into Barmouth harbour divided by a small island called Ynys-y-Brawd. The main channel is to the south but there is also a narrow channel to the north, which is normally used only in fine weather. The stream in the channel was then running at four knots, but to save time Mr. Morris took his boat through the northern channel, where the water was shallow and broken; There was a strong ebb tide behind her.

His boat touched bottom a number of times, and only careful handling saved her from disaster.

Two bathers were soon found and picked up. They were young girls and both exhausted. Shortly afterwards two more bathers were sighted. One was a girl of thirteen who was wearing an inflated rubber life-belt. A boy of about ten was clinging to her, and both children were in an extreme state of exhaustion. They were being carried out to sea by the ebb tide into water which was becoming increasingly rough. They were both picked up by the boat. As he could see no other bathers, Mr. Morris decided to land those he had rescued, so that they could be given medical attention at once, and he then returned to the harbour through the main channel.

Near the harbour bar a nine-year-old boy was seen to be floating. He was picked up and found to be unconscious.

Artificial respiration was applied at once and continued until the boat reached the shore, but the boy died.

The Barmouth life-boat was also launched and carried out an extensive search, and another motor boat, the Welsh Girl, skippered by Mr. John Berridge and crewed by Mr. James Shotter, also searched along the coast.

A visitor to Barmouth, Mr. J. Zehetmayer, who also went out in the Welsh Girl, climbed over the side to secure the body of a girl which was found in shallow water. Again artificial respiration was carried out but without success.

Girl's Body Recovered Another boat, the Thomas Sinclair, recovered the body of a fifteen-yearold girl a mile and a half outside the harbour bar, and two more bodies, those of a thirty-seven-year-old man and a seventeen-year-old girl, were found washed ashore the next day.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Mr. William Morris and Mr. George Berridge. Monetary rewards were paid to others who took part in attempts to rescue the swimmers..