ABOUT 9.45 on the morning of the 16th of April, 1960, a rubber and canvas collapsible canoe, which had left Burn- ham Overy Staiths for Blakeney, Nor- folk, capsized in the surf off Blakeney Point. There were two men on board, who were brothers. The weather was cloudy but clear with a fresh northerly breeze blowing and a rough sea.

About 10.30 Mr. W. E. R. Eales, a National Trust warden of Point House, Morston, was approaching the extreme tip of Blakeney Point in his 27-feet open motor boat to land passengers, when he saw an object in the surf some four hundred to five hundred yards off shore.

At first he thought it was a seal, but then he realised it was a human being clinging to a floating object. He immediately beached his boat and landed the passengers, and after calling for two volunteers from among the passengers put out to help, accompanied by Mr. Herbert Metson and Mr. Duncan Waugh. It was then high wacer at Blakeney, but where the canoe had capsized the ebb stream had begun to run north-eastwards.

Through Narrow Cutting As soon as the boat was clear of the beach Mr. Eales headed to the west- ward along the inshore edge of the shingle spit for about three hundred yards before turning northwards to bump his way through a narrow cutting in the shingle about five hundred yards east of Far Point. The sea was break- ing heavily on the spit, and the boat touched bottom twice. With con- siderable difficulty Mr. Eales reached the canoe, which was drifting in the surf, and found one man holding on to it. The man was so exhausted that he could do nothing to help himself.

With his boat lying across the wind in the trough of the sea in less than seven feet of water Mr. Eales and the other two men managed to haul the man aboard. They then returned through the same gap with the wind and sea astern and landed the survivor on the slipway of the life-boat station at Blakeney Point.

Helicopter and Life-boat Called When the rescued man was able to speak he asked what had happened to his brother, who had also been in the canoe. This was the first indication Mr. Eales had that there had been another man aboard. He therefore telephoned the coastguard to ask for the help of a helicopter. The Wells life-boat Cecil Paine was also launched.

At eleven o'clock Mr. Eales put out again. This time he had on board with him, in addition to the two men who had gone out before, Mr. Martin Pumphrey, an experienced seaman.

They made a thorough search of the inshore waters, but as conditions grew worse with the ebb tide he decided to return to the old life-boat station, not wishing to expose the men who had come out with him to further risk.

Thanks on Vellum On returning ashore for the second time Mr. Eales found that the rescued man needed medical help, and after making the necessary arrangements he took him in his boat to Morston quay, from which a police car drove him to hospital.

Mr. Bales then returned to continue the search for the missing man. The helicopter and the Wells life-boat had already reached the scene. About 1.55 Mr. Eales found the canoe in shallow water. On wading out to it he saw that the dead body of the second man was entangled in some ropes attached to the canoe.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Mr. W. E. R.

Eales.

Letters of appreciation have been sent to Mr. Herbert Metson, Mr.

Duncan Waugh and Mr. Martin Pumphrey..