ON the 27th of October, 1959, the day on which the Moelfre life-boat carried out the service which earned her cox- swain the gold medal, the crew of the Islay, Hebrides, life-boat also per- formed an outstanding service in ex- ceptionally arduous conditions.

At 8.55 in the morning, the honorary secretary of the station, Mr. Neil MacMillan, was told by the police that a fishing boat was ashore near Black Rock buoy in the sound of Islay. The first news that the boat was in distress had come from the motor vessel Loch Nevis and was received by the coast- guard station at Southend. The news had to be passed to the life-boat station with the help of the police because the gales which had been blowing for some time had disrupted telephone communication on the island.

Gusts of Hurricane Force When Mr. MacMillan received the message a whole gale was blowing from the north-north-west with gusts of hurricane force. There were frequent squally showers, and the sea, with the wind funnelling down the sound against the flood tide, was extremely rough. Mr.

MacMillan later reported that he had never before seen such bad weather in the sound of Islay. Nevertheless it was agreed to launch the life-boat Charlotte Elizabeth, which is one of the 45-feet 6-inches Watson type, although the crew had considerable difficulty in boarding her. Coxswain James Gillies at some personal risk ran a rope from the port bow of the life-boat to a ring bolt on the shore in order to heave the buoy to the northward and so help the life-boat to put out. The sea was breaking over the rocks on both sides of the berth, and it was a difficult task to get the life-boat away. She succeeded in putting out at 9.30.

After steaming for an hour and a half against a four-knot tide the life-boat found the 45-feet motor fishing vessel May of Tarbert ashore on the reef im- mediately east of Black Rock buoy. She was lying with her head to the south-east.

Anchored at Fifth Attempt Coxswain Gillies decided to approach from the southward and to anchor as near to the fishing vessel as possible.

He had great difficulty in finding holding ground, and it was not until the fifth attempt that he successfully anchored the life-boat in two fathoms of water on a rocky bottom about sixty yards to the south-east of the May.

Attempts to fire a line across the fishing vessel, which was to windward of the life-boat, were made, but in the gale conditions prevailing they did not succeed. Coxswain Gillies, using the loud hailer, then told the crew of the fishing boat to float a line down to the life-boat. This was done, the breeches buoy was rigged, and the whole crew of four of the fishing boat were success- fully taken on board. The life-boat weighed anchor at 3.15 and returned to Port Askaig, arriving at 4.30.

For this service the bronze medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain James Gillies.

Medal service certificates are being issued to the other members of the crew: Second Coxswain J. W. Norquoy, Motor Mechanic W. McEachern, Assis- tant Mechanic N. MacTaggart, mem- bers of the crew D. Mackinnon, A.

Campbell, J. MacCormick, and D.

MacNiven.

Scale rewards to the crew, £16 ; reward to the helper on shore, £1 3s.

Additional rewards to the crew, £20..