ABOUT 8.45 on the morning of the 29th of September, 1958, a Royal Air Force 60-feet pinnace left Falmouth harbour for a trial run in rough seas.

She had a crew of five and Corporal N. L. Dyer was in command.

A strong, south-south-easterly wind was blowing straight into the harbour, causing a rough sea. The weather was fine and the tide was ebbing.

Man Jumped Overboard A quarter of an hour after leaving harbour, when the pinnace was about half-a-mile south of Pendennis Point, Corporal Dyer saw a yacht with a dinghy in tow heading seawards. He thought the yacht might be in difficulties because of the rough seas and decided to approach her. As the pinnace began to close the yacht the man on board the yacht suddenly let go of the tiller and jumped overboard. He made no attempt to swim.

Corporal Dyer brought the pinnace as close to the man as he could and a lifebuoy was dropped within six inches of him, but he lay face downwards and made no attempt to grab it.

Dived into the Sea Senior Aircraftman Robert Keddie, a member of the crew, who is aged nineteen, dived into the sea and held the man up until a second life buoy was thrown to them with a line attached.

Both men were then hauled on board the pinnace.

The man who had been rescued was unconscious, but he was given artificial respiration. His breathing was restored after about five minutes and the pinnace landed the man at 9.55 at Falmouth, where he was taken to hospital. The yacht was recovered by another member of the pinnace's crew and escorted into harbour by a second Royal Air Force pinnace.

The rescued man was later charged with attempting to commit suicide and placed on probation.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Senior Aircraftman Robert Keddie..