UNCONSCIOUS MEN SAVED RED FLARES seen .at 10.23 p.m. on 3rd September, 1971, six miles north of the Skerries caused the Holyhead, Anglesey, life-boat St Cybi (Civil Service No. 9) to be launched.

The life-boat, with Coxswain William Jones at the wheel, headed to pass the Skerries to westward at full speed and at 11.14 p.m. was two miles west of the Skerries. At this time a number of lights were seen on the starboard bow and the life-boat altered course.

A message was then received by the life-boat that the Friesian Express was alongside the casualty and there was a man with a heart attack to be taken off. At 11.41 p.m. it was reported that the man had recovered but refused to be moved. Oxygen equipment had therefore been left on board the yacht Sinbad.

The Sinbad headed for the life-boat. Her skipper was steering with his elder son on deck and his younger son below tending the patient.

Shortly after this the younger son went to the heads at the forward end of the cabin and collapsed. His father stopped the engine and went below to assist him.

By 12.24 a.m. the life-boat was approaching the yacht and on closing it was seen that a member of the crew was waving his arms frantically and shouting, 'Emergency, have you a doctor on board ? There are three men trapped below, all unconscious, and one with a heart attack.' The conxswain immediately went alongside the casualty, accepting possible damage, and five crew members immediately boarded the Sinbad.

Two crew members, John M. Hughes and Gareth O. Jones, went into the main cabin where they discovered one man, the presumed heart case, unconscious in the starboard berth and one man also unconscious standing with his arm trapped in the folding door to the heads atthe forward end of the main cabin. Conditions in the cabin were extremely bad with a strong smell of calor gas and petrol and the crew members had difficulty in breathing. They found it necessary to go to the hatch to get a good breath of fresh air.

Mr. Hughes put his shoulder against the door to release the casualty's arm whereupon the man collapsed on the deck with his head aft. Mr.

Jones took the casualty's shoulders while Mr.

Hughes took his legs and together they managed, after a considerable struggle as he was a big man, to get him up on to one of the cockpit seats where he was left in the charge of Mr.

Richard Griffiths. Mr. Griffiths applied artificial respiration and shortly the casualty started to revive.

Meanwhile, Mechanic Donald M. Forrest had entered the very small forward cabin where the air was also very foul. He found that another casualty had collapsed in the heads which had folding doors forward and aft, one leading to the main cabin and the other to the forward cabin.

The man had collapsed on his side with his head in the pan blocking both doors which opened inwards. His lips were blue and he was not breathing.

Mr. Forrest managed to get one arm through the door and lifted the casualty's head by the hair. Mr. Hughes, working from the main cabin, managed to get one of his arms through the door to hold the mouthpiece of the resuscitator on the casualty's face while he worked the equipment with his other hand. After a short while this patient restarted breathing and the forward door to the heads was smashed off its hinges. Care had to be taken to avoid a spark as the crew considered the atmosphere was explosive.

After the door had been smashed down the casualty was dragged out head foremost by Mr.

Forrest and handed up through the forward hatch to Mr. Gareth Jones. He was laid on the deck still unconscious but was violently sick and then showed signs of recovery. He was left in the care of Mr. Donald Drinkwater.

Mr. Forrest and Mr. Jones then entered the main cabin to see what could be done for the heart case. No clear medical advice could be obtained from shore in the time available so the coxswain decided to move the casualty in the Neil Robertson stretcher as he would probably die of asphyxiation if left. It proved extremely difficult to get the stretcher on the patient as the berth was very narrow and the space confined.

After a struggle Mr. Forrest, Mr. Jones and Mr.

Hughes succeeded. Once the casualty was on the stretcher, he was brought out of the cabin and placed, still unconscious, on the fore deck of the life-boat. The casualty, who had been in theheads, was laid alongside him still barely conscious while the first man brought out was taken into the after cabin.

The life-boat turned for Holyhead leaving crew members Drinkwater and Griffiths on board the Sinbad together with the fourth member of the Sinbad's crew. On the way back to Holyhead the casualties were covered with all available blankets and oilskins, including items of clothing taken off by the crew. In addition, the life-boat crew lay around the casualties to provide a windbreak and to keep a close check on their condition.

At about 4 a.m. the life-boat arrived at Holyhead where they were met by a doctor. The casualties were transferred by ambulance to hospital where the diagnosis of all three was carbon monoxide poisoning. All three were discharged within a few days and have all made a good recovery. Subsequent examination of the boat showed a fractured exhaust pipe and there was evidently a calor gas leak as well.

After landing the casualties the life-boat returned to assist the yacht, but just off the breakwater the yacht Sinbad was found. She had been sailed back by the two crew members left on board. Then the life-boat returned to her station, reslipping at 6 a.m. when she was reported ready for service.

The Committee of Management has awarded the bronze medal of the Institution for gallantry to Motor Mechanic Forrest and crew member Gareth Ogwen-Jones. A bar to the bronze medal he won for the service to the m.v.

Nafsiporos in 1966 has been awarded to crew member Hughes. Framed letters of appreciation signed by the former Chairman of the Institution, Admiral Sir Wilfrid Woods, G.B.E., K.C.B., D.S.O., will be sent to the other members of the crew: Coxswain Jones, Second Coxswain Francis Ward, Assistant Mechanic Thomas Wright, crew members Drinkwater and Griffiths..