About 11.40 on the morning of the 31st July, 1962, an 11-foot dinghy capsized about a mile north-west of St.

Helens fort off Bembridge in the Isle of Wight. There were three people aboard, a Mr. Gleave and his eleven- year-old son and a Miss Price. None of them wore lifebelts, and the boy could not swim. There was a choppy sea, a moderate wind was blowing from the north-west, and it was nearly high water. The tidal stream was setting north-west at one knot.

The three people in the water were unable to right the boat, for the anchor had fallen to the bottom and the anchor cable had been fouled by the mast- head so that the dinghy remained bottom up. Miss Price lay over the stern and Mr. Gleave over the bow while they tried to hold the boy over the capsized boat, which had about two inches freeboard. A sailing boat ap- proached, and a heaving line was thrown twice, but both times it fell short. Neither Miss Price nor Mr.

Gleave could leave without endanger- ing the boy, and the sailing boat left, apparently to summon further help.

Meanwhile Derek Humfryes, a fourteen-year-old boy, who was fish- ing in his ten-foot dinghy about half a mile inshore of the scene of the acci- dent, saw a line being thrown, and wondering what had happened got under way, using his outboard mo- tor.

Perfect Timing As he approached he saw three people in the water and brought his boat along the lee side, cutting out his engine with perfect timing. Mr. Gleave grabbed the boat's bow and he and Derek Humfryes pulled the eleven-year-old boy aboard. Miss Price was then helped aboard, and Mr. Gleave managed himself to climb in.

Derek Humfryes gave his duffle coat to the boy, who was in a bad state, and then made for the yacht club pontoon, where the three rescued people were landed.

For this service an inscribed wrist- watch has been awarded to Derek Humfryes,.