Early this year at a private ceremony held at Longhope, Orkney, posthumous awards for gallantry were presented by The Duke of Atholl, Convenor of the Scottish Life-boat Council, and a member of the Committee of Management of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution, to the widows and mother of the eight life-boatmen who lost their lives on 17th March, 1969.

The men who died when the Longhope lifeboat T.G.B. capsized in heavy seas when answering a call from the Greek steamship Irene were: Coxswain Daniel Kirkpatrick, Second Coxswain James Johnston, Bowman Daniel R.

Kirkpatrick, Mechanic Robert Johnston, Assistant Mechanic James Swanson and Crew members Robert Johnston, John T. Kirkpatrick and Eric S. McFadyen.

The posthumous awards were conferred on these life-boatmen by the Academy of Athens on 29th June, 1969, and at the request of the men's families the British Ambassador in Athens received the awards on their behalf..