On the evening of 18th June, 1970, the coastguard told the honorary secretary of the Walmer inshore rescue boat that two people had been cut off by the tide in St. Margaret's bay. At 9.30 the IRB crew were summoned. They launched 14 minutes later from the steep shingle beach on which the sea was breaking.

It was hazy weather with a north east wind force 4 to 5 giving a short, steep sea.

By 10 o'clock the IRB had covered the four miles to St. Margaret's bay where they made contact with the Coastguard. It was suggested that they search along the foot of the cliff to where there had been a recent fall of earth, some quarter of a mile away. Mr. Cyril Williams, the helmsman, took the boat close inshore at slow speed and a careful search was made, during which they touched bottom more than once.

The cliffs at this point are from 250 to 350 feet high, with a sheer drop to the sea alternating with small shingle beaches, off-lyingrocks and piles of rubble from old cliff falls.

The swell was breaking against the cliffs causing a nasty backwash.

The search having proved fruitless, after discussion with the coastguard it was decided that the people were probably marooned in one of the caves. Of these, the most likely was the largest which was easily distinguished as it had two holes like eye-sockets above the entrance.

Off the cave, the crew blew whistles, flashed the torch and shouted, but there was no response, so Williams decided to beach the boat and search the cave. Accordingly he drove the IRB at half speed on to a patch of shingle at the cave mouth. A few yards from the beach they were swamped by a big wave over the stern as the backwash from the cliff struck the bow. The IRB broached to, spilling all three men into the water and stopping the engine. However, they grabbed the life-lines and managed to beach the boat on a patch of shingle with a chalk outcrop in the middle, on which the sea was breaking.

Mr. Williams told Mr. Taylor, one of the crew, to search the cave while he and Mr.

Leslie Coe, also aboard, tended the boat.

Entering the cave, Taylor could see two men on a low ledge, by the light of his now dim torchlight.

They were apparently asleep and as he approached he could see that one man had a knife in his hand. The sea was washing over the chalk floor of the cave as he shook the nearest man, who sprang up brandishing the knife. It appeared that they were German students and he tried to explain the danger of the situation and persuade them to come to the boat but they refused.

At this point Williams became concerned and, leaving Coe to tend the boat he went into the cave, where he and Taylor were eventually able to persuade the students to leave. In the meantime a big sea had broken over the IRB, knocking Coe off his feet so that he came down half under the boat, but he managed to scramble clear.

Having got the survivors and their gear into the boat, one of the students decided to return to the cave for something he had left behind and Taylor had to go back for him. At the first attempt to launch the boat was thrown back on the beach but next time they got away under oars. Coe was assisting Taylor on board but he fell and was knocked out momentarily.

Offshore, the outboard motor was started but it ran very roughly owing to water having got.