FOR the rescue of six people from a motor fishing boat on the 21st February, 1968, Coxswain George Jappy of Buckie has been awarded the Institution's bronze medal for gallantry.

At 12.40 a.m. on that day, the Buckie honorary secretary, Mr. A. J. I. Wilson, learnt from the coastguard Chat the motor fishing vessel Mistletoe was aground off the mouth of the River Spey and needed help immediately. Maroons were fired six minutes later. Visibility was good, there was a slight southerly wind, and the tide was half flood.

The reserve life-boat, George and Sarah Strachan, which is one of the 45-foot 6-inch Watson type, put out at 1.5 p.m. She reached the casualty half-an-hour later and found her aground and heading in a southerly direction. She was rolling and pounding heavily and was only about 350 yards from the beach.

Near the estuary there was a heavy confused swell caused by the considerable fresh water spate from the river combined with the flood tide.

ROCKET LINE Three other motor fishing vessels, Arcturus, Lead Us and Orion, were standing by outside the three fathom line, and the life-boat maintained communications with them by medium frequency radio. The skipper of the Arcturus asked Coxswain Jappy to run out a towline from the Mistletoe, but the coxswain decided that it would be unwise to close the casualty because of the broken water and heavy swell. He therefore ordered a rocket line to be fired at a range of about 100 yards. A manilla rope was secured to this rocket line and towed out to the Arcturus, which was some 450 yards out to sea.

It was intensely cold, the deck of the life-boat was coated with ice, and the towline froze solid. Nevertheless, the manilla rope was secured aboard the Arcturus, but when she took up the strain the rope parted. Meanwhile the crew of the Mistletoe had launched a life-raft, but the lanyard securing the raft to the fishing vessel's rail parted, and the raft was swept away.

The skipper of the Arcturus then informed Coxswain Jappy that he had a nylon towline and asked for it to be passed to the Mistletoe. This was done by the use of a rocket line, but once again the line parted as soon as the Arcturus took the weight.

A further offer of help now came from the Orion. The life-boat went alongside her and took a life-raft from the fishing vessel on board.

PARACHUTE FLARES The Mistletoe was now rolling and pounding heavily with waves breaking right across her deck. At 4.12 her skipper informed Coxswain Jappy that he was concerned for the safety of his crew, as conditions were becoming too dangerous for them to remain on board. At about this time the coastguard managed to fire a rocket line over the Mistletoe, but her skipper declined to use the breeches buoy as he considered the risk too great.

Coxswain Jappy then signalled that he intended to come alongside the casualty and that her crew should be prepared to jump. Parachute flares were fired by the coastguard from the shore, and with the help of these and the life-boat search- light Coxswain Jappy succeeded in bring the life-boat alongside the Mistletoe's port side. The crew of six were able to jump from the fishing-vessel on to the deck of the life-boat with the help of the life-boat's crew. Rum and hot food were given to the survivors and the life-boat reached Buckie at 4.50, when the survivors were landed.Medal service certificates recording their part in the service have been issued to the other members of the crew. They were: Second Coxswain James Murray, Motor Mechanic John G. Cole, Assistant Motor Mechanic James G. Roy, Crew Members Alexander Slater, Roderick Davidson, James Coull, Robert Garden, and Alex Cursiter, District Engineer, Scotland, who was visiting the station at the time.

A framed letter of thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution, Admiral Sir Wilfrid Woods, G.B.E., K.C.B., D.S.O., has been sent to the skipper of the Arcturus..