Mr. Robert Stewart and Mr. Andrew Scott of Amble have become the first men ever to be awarded medals for gallantry by the R.N.L.I. for a service carried out in one of the Institution's inshore rescue boats. The service was a combined operation in which the Amble life-boat also took part. Coxswain William Henderson and crew member James Stewart have also been awarded bronze medals. The remaining members of the Amble life-boat crew have been accorded the thanks of the R.N.L.I. inscribed on vellum.

At 6.30 p.m. on 29th September, 1969, the coastguard at Amble was watching a yacht entering harbour in a heavy swell. He had a maroon ready to fire as he thought help might be needed. In fact the yacht entered the harbour safely, but the R.A.F. pinnace No. 1386 capsized at that moment as she approached the harbour from the north. Her position was about half a mile from Amble north pier head. The coastguard immediately fired the maroons and two minutes later telephoned the honorary secretary of the Amble Life-boat Station, Mr.

L. J. Matthews. While the life-boat crew were assembling, Mr. Matthews called out the IRB which was manned by Mr. Robert Stewart and Mr. Andrew Scott.

AT FULL SPEED The IRB was launched at 6.34 and made for the pinnace at full speed once she was clear of the harbour entrance. The seine net vessel Provider also cast off and made for the casualty, and the Amble life-boat Millie Walton, which is one of the 46-foot Watson class, was launched at 6.39. Coxswain William Henderson had decided, in order to avoid a delay even of minutes, to include in his crew some men who were not experienced life-boatmen.

The weather was overcast and visibility was good. There was a westerly wind with a slight sea, but a heavy swell was breaking in the Pan Bush area and on the bar outside the harbour entrance. It was high water.

The IRB crew spotted two men clinging to a life-buoy. They took their boat into the water breaking heavily on Pan Bush without regard to their own safety and hauled the two men aboard. This was done at 6.42 and only 12 minutes after the first alarm. The IRB continued to search for the captain of the pinnace who, the survivors stated, was still alive and somewhere near the life-buoy.

As it was thought possible that three men were still in the hull of the pinnace, a radio message was sent via Provider asking for skin divers. The two survivors were in a distressed state and the IRB therefore returned to harbour.

TAPPING SOUND Two minutes after the IRB had picked up the two survivors the Amble life- boat reached the scene. One man was clinging to the bottom of the pinnace, with seas continually washing over him. Coxswain Henderson brought the life-boat alongside and Mr. James Stewart jumped on to the hull. From there he helped the survivor aboard the life-boat. A helicopter had also reached the scene and carried out a search, in the course of which one survivor was picked up from the sea. Coxswain Henderson learnt from the men the life-boat had rescued that tapping could still be heard inside the hull of the pinnace. He tried to right the pinnace by pulling her over with the grapnel line, but this could not be done. He therefore decided to tow the pinnace into the harbour as quickly as possible.

The life-boat came alongside the pinnace once more and Mr. James Stewart again jumped aboard, this time to secure a line for towing. The propeller shafts provided the only means of making fast, and with great difficulty the tow wassecured and Mr. Stewart was brought aboard the lifeboat again. The life-boat managed to tow the pinnace clear of the heavily breaking water, but after a time the tow line became chafed and parted. Mr. Stewart jumped aboard the pinnace once again and this time he succeeded in securing two lines before he returned to the life-boat.

Meanwhile the IRB had landed the two survivors, and she now took on board two skin divers whom Mr. Matthews had contacted. The IRB reached the life- boat and pinnace at 7.10. The life-boat stopped with the wreck in tow and the divers tried to go under her. The IRB tried dropping the divers both on the lee side down tide and on the weather side up tide, but the divers, though they were both experienced men, found it impossible to get underneath the pinnace because of the tide and heavy swell. They were taken aboard the IRB exhausted and brought back to harbour.

STRUCK BOTTOM Coxswain Henderson decided it was necessary to bring the pinnace into more sheltered water and the life-boat made for Amble. She was given help by the seine netter Ocean Vanguard whose crew passed a line to the forward bollard of the life-boat. This reduced the difficulties in steering which were caused by the square transom of the pinnace. When the harbour bar was reached the mast of the pinnace and the derrick struck bottom. Efforts were made to break the mast,but it was impossible to move the wreck and the two tow lines then parted. The line from the Ocean Vanguard also parted and the seine netter went inside the broken water on the bar to stand by and give any help which might be needed.

The tide was falling and the swell was breaking more heavily on the bar. It was clear no further diving attempts could succeed until the wreck provided some protection to further teams of skin divers who were now on their way. The life- boat therefore returned to harbour, which she reached at 8.30 p.m., and landed the man she had rescued. Two regular crew members, who were not available when the life-boat first launched, then took their places in the boat.

As the swell increased the wreck was washed behind the south pier, where she finally stuck. At 10.30 p.m. naval divers from Rosyth together with the life-boat crew carried cutting gear across the rocks. They then waded out to the wreck and eventually at 11.15 they succeeded in cutting through the bottom of the pinnace. There they freed one survivor and found there were no others in the wreck.

SOME DAMAGE Three men were still missing and the search was resumed at daylight, both the Amble and the Newbiggin life-boats taking part. The bodies of the three missing men were eventually found among the rocks by searchers from the shore.

The life-boat received a certain amount of damage on her starboard side, 19 outside and 7 inside diagonal planks having to be replaced. Two nylonwarps were badly damaged in towing the wreck and the nylon drogue rope was also damaged.

The crew members who received the thanks of the R.N.L.I. on vellum were: Second Coxswain John Connel, Acting Bowman Ronald Falcous, Motor Mechanic Ronald Sabiston, Assistant Motor Mechanic Hugh Jones Matthews, and Crew member Hugh Ronald Matthews, jnr.

Framed letters of thanks signed by the Chairman of the R.N.L.I. were sent to: Crew member Edward Armstrong, Crew member Raymond Henderson, and the two skin divers, Mr. James Sample and Mr. Eric Bramham..