St. David's, Pembrokeshire. At 11.45 on the night of the 16th of December,1958, the coastguard passed on to the honorary secretary a message from Ilfracombe radio station that the trawler Suzanne Adrianne of Ostend was sinking near the Smalls lightvessel. The life- boat Swn-y-Mor (Civil Service No. 6} was launched at 12.10. There was a moderate sea, a moderate east-south- easterly wind was blowing, and the tide was ebbing. The distress message sent out by the trawler was also answered by the tanker Silver Sand and the British Railways steamer Great Western, both vessels making immediately for the position given. At one o'clock H.M.

minesweeper Mileon left Pembroke dock to go to the help of the Belgian trawler. About half an hour later the trawlersent a radio message stating that a fire had been lit on her fore-deck to guide the rescue vessels, and at two o'clock a further message stated that the vessel could stay afloat for only about a quarter of an hour. By this time the life-boat and the Silver Sand were within sight of the trawler, and at 2.30 her skipper announced that he and his crew of five were abandoning ship as the decks were awash. With the aid of flares dropped by aircraft the Silver Sand found a small water-logged dinghy with the trawler's crew aboard. One by one the Belgian fishermen were hauled ori board the tanker, and after being given food and drink they were trans- ferred to the St. David's life-boat, which reached her station at 6.15. On her arrival the honorary medical adviser examined the knee of the trawler's skipper which he had injured when being taken aboard the tanker. The survivors were later transported to Haverfordwest, from where they were taken by rail to the Belgian Consulate at Swansea. The Belgian Ambassador sent a letter of thanks. Rewards to the crew, £16 10s. ; rewards to the helpers on shore, £3 12s..