Shortly after 4 p.m. on 12th September, 1967, Mr R. W. S. Gould, who is second coxswain of the Bembridge life-boat, was working in his cafe on the beach at Bembridge when his attention was called to a bather in difficulties some 200 yards away in Whitecliffe Bay. Mr. Gould's cafe is some two miles south of the Bembridge life-boat station, and he decided that the quickest way of saving the bather's life would be to put out in his own rowing boat.

With some difficulty he managed to launch this through a rough sea which was breaking heavily on the beach. It was too rough for a motor boat to be launched at that point.

An east north easterly wind of force 6 was blowing. The weather was cloudy but clear, and it was two and a half hours before high water. This part of the beach is exposed to the northerly winds, and there were rough breaking seas.

Soon after he launched his boat, Mr. Gould lost sight of the bather but he had made a note of his position. The weather and sea conditions prevented himfrom turning his boat in the direction of the bather, and he therefore had to stem the seas and allow the wind to drift him down. This required skilful seamanship, and eventually Mr. Gould found the bather face down in the water with the top of his head showing. The man was then about 20 yards off the point of the bay with rocks around him. Mr. Gould boated his oars and with some difficulty he managed to drag the body aboard. He began to apply mouth-tomouth resuscitation as soon as possible.

The weather conditions made it impossible for him to continue with his attempts at revival, and he decided to make for the shore as soon as he could.

He succeeded in landing on the south side of the bay, where a number of bystanders waded into the sea to help.

WAS ON HOLIDAY A member of the Operations Department at the Head Office of the R.N.L.T., Mr. B. Barry, happened to be on holiday in the area, and he and the police carried on with mauth-to-mDuth resuscitation. An ambulance crew later applied oxygen, but the man did not recover.

A framed letter of thanks, signed by the Chairman of the Institution, Captain the Hon. V. M. Wyndham-Quin, R.N., was sent to Mr. R. W. S. Gould, and the Committee of Management expressed their thanks to Mr. Barry..