ON the morning of the 12th of June, 1960, an eight-year-old boy, who was on an inflatable rubber lilo, was seen being carried down Wells channel on the Norfolk coast by wind and tide. The time then was 11.30, two hours after high water. The weather was over- cast with a south-south-westerly wind of gale force and a choppy sea, and the ebb tide with an off shore wind was running fast down the narrowing channel between the exposed banks on either side. The boy was being carried out towards the bar.

About 11.40 Mr. E. B. Smith of Wells, who regularly ferries people across the channel, was landing some visitors to the north-west of the life-boat station. There a member of the St. John Ambulance Brigade told him that someone was in trouble in the channel. Mr. Smith asked for this information to be given to the life-boat station, but decided to put out at once in his own 14-feet boat, which had an outboard engine.

Tossed into the Air As soon as he was clear of the beach Mr. Smith saw a lilo being tossed into the air in the direction of the bar.

Then he noticed that a man was in the channel swimming on his back. He approached the man, who was ex- hausted, and pulled him into the boat.

He then learnt that this man was the uncle of the boy who was drifting out on the lilo and that he had been trying to swim out to help.

Mr. Smith continued the search for the boy, and at 12.10 found him in the water face downwards. He turned the boat head on into the wind and current and allowed her to drift down, towards the boy, who was then hauled on board. At this time the boat was very near the bar. She was in about ten feet of water and there was a short, steep, confused sea, but by his careful handling of the boat Mr. Smith did not take any weight of water on board.

Learnt from Television Programme The evening before Mr. Smith had seen a television programme illustrating the Holger Nielsen method of artificial respiration, and handing the tiller to the uncle with instructions to beach the boat, he began to try to revive the boy. Half an hour later the boat was beached, and a young girl visitor con- tinued the work of trying to revive the boy, who remained in the boat.

Mr. Smith asked another visitor to summon an ambulance, and with the help of the uncle and a man named Lade, who was serving in the Royal Air Force, he tried to take the boat up stream against the wind and current.

Because of sand in the water intake the engine broke down, and they had to pull the boat into shallow water. Then with the help of members of the life-boat crew the boat was hauled up. By this time Mr. Smith himself was exhausted.

Boy Recovers The boy was beginning to show signs of revival, and a doctor now appeared.

Using the tractor which normally helps to launch the life-boat, members of the life-boat crew hauled the boat over the sands to the life-boat station, where an ambulance was waiting. Members of the crew continued with the artificial respiration until the ambulance men took over, and the boy recovered.

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

The Institution also presented him with a watch and made him monetary pay- ments for loss of earnings and repairs to his outboard engine..