The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded collectively to the crew of the Swanage life-boat for the rescue of a man who had been stranded in a cave for more than two days.

At about 9 o'clock on the morning of the 8th May, 1964, the skipper of the fishing boat Lucky Me, Mr. M. Lane, who was engaged in the hauling of pots off Worbarrow Head, heard a repeated whistle. He went to investigate and saw a man standing on a ledge some 25 feet up and near the entrance to a narrow cave. He came as close as he could and learnt that the man had been stranded in the cave for two days.

As it was impossible to reach the man Mr. Lane burnt distress flares and fired rockets, but visibility was poor and the signals were not seen. Mr. Lane therefore returned to Swanage, which he reached at about 11.45, and immediately informed the life-boat mechanic, who was in the boathouse, what had happened.

The mechanic, Frederick Crutchfield, told the honorary secretary, Captain D. A. N. Aldridge, as well as the police and the coastguard. The maroons were then fired. The Swanage life-boat R.L.P., which is one of the 4i-foot Watson type, put out at noon. In addition to her normal crew she had on board Mr. R.

Blanchard, a member of the crew of the Lucky Me, who had volunteered to show the coxswain where the cave was. Visibility was still poor, there was a slight south-westerly wind, and the sea was choppy. The tide was flooding.

Meanwhile Mr. G. A. Plant of the Lulworth shore life-saving apparatus team and Police Constable K. Pearce of the Wool police assembled a scratch rescue team, consisting largely of soldiers, and arranged for the use of a police radio car. The rescue team made their way to the cliffs, and while the others remained on the cliff top Mr. Plant and Police Constable Pearce went along the bottom of the cliffs.

The Swanage life-boat arrived off the cliff about 1.40, and the man was still seen to be on the ledge. The wind had freshened slightly and Coxswain Robert Brown decided to anchor about 50 yards from the cliff. The small inflatable dinghy, which is carried on board the boat, was launched on a long line and manned by Second Coxswain Ronald Hardy, who rowed the dinghy towards the cave.

There was a confused sea at the base of the cliff, and it was impossible to take the dinghy in. It was also clear that the man was too high up the cliff to be rescued from below. Coxswain Brown decided it would be too dangerous to try to fire the rocket line into the cave.

By now Mr. Plant and Police Constable Pearce had reached the bottom of Gad Cliff, which lies slightly to the east of the cave. They found that because of the rising tide and the confused sea they could not go any further. They therefore decided to climb to the top and come down again to the west of the cave.

Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting the climbing ropes passed down the cliff as the men on the cliff top could not see those below because of the fog. The noise of the sea also prevented the life-boat crew from hearing anything that was said and Mr. Plant had to mime his instructions. Coxswain Brown tried to relay these to the clifftop party by loud hailer, but the sound was distorted by the cliffs and fog. In the end messages were passed by radio telephone from the life-boat to Wyke Regis coastguard, then by telephone to the police headquarters at Dorchester and then by radio telephone to the police car which was near the clifftop party.

Mr. Plant and Police Constable Pearce reached the top about 4 o'clock and made several attempts to find a way down. The fog began to clear, and Coxswain Brown anchored the life-boat in a new position. Mr. Plant and the Police Constable were then lowered over a 30 foot overhang, from where they were able to reach the cave by means of a ledge.

The life-boat continued to relay messages. The two rescuers reached the stranded man, passed a harness across and hoisted him over a crevice. They then lowered him on to another ledge near the water's edge.

Coxswain Brown weighed anchor and again changed his position. By veering down on his cable he was able to bring the life-boat near enough for Second Coxswain Hardy to throw across a heaving line. The coxswain held the life-boat clear of the rocks and the rubber dinghy was used to ferry the stranded man to the life-boat.

Mr. Plant and Police Constable Pearce were also brought by dinghy to the life-boat, which weighed anchor at 5.30.

It was then learnt that the rescued man, who was 26 years old, had been in the cave without food since the morning of 8th May. He was given soup and biscuits and slept through most of the return journey. The life-boat finally reached her station at 7 o'clock and was re-housed a quarter of an hour later.

The crew were: Coxswain Robert Brown, Second Coxswain Ronald Hardy, Bowman Walter Brown, Motor Mechanic Frederick Crutchfield, Assistant Mechanic Eric Dorey, and crew members Donald Dyke, Phillip Dorey, Raymond Blanchard, Arthur Hardy..