AT 2350 ON JUNE 8, 1974, Edwin B.

Brown, an ILB crew member at New Brighton, Merseyside, was told that a fishing boat appeared to be aground on a lee shore in Rock Channel. He telephoned the honorary secretary immediately, maroons were fired and, while the crew were assembling, a message came from Mersey Radio confirming that a fishing vessel was indeed aground off Perch Rock Light and had broadcast a mayday distress call.

Edwin Brown was to command the ILB, Atlantic 21 B509, and in view of the weather (wind force 6 westerly, sea and swell moderate) and the type of service he thought would be needed, he decided to take two extra crew members; there were, therefore, five in the crew.

Due to heavy surf and difficulty in starting the port engine, attempts to launch on the north side of New Brighton Pier were abandoned, and Helmsman Brown took the Atlantic 21 to a second and more sheltered launching site, 1 i miles by road to the south.

Here the boat was successfully launched on two engines at 0020; ten minutes later she found the motor fishing vessel aground on a sandbank, with an anchor out, about 300 yards from the beach and 350 yards west by south of Rock Light. There was a heavy, confusedground swell and the MFV was pitching and rolling in a rough quartering sea and pounding on a lee shore.

Helmsman Brown decided to anchor up wind and tide and veer down on to the fishing boat. On the first attempt the ILB's cable proved to be too short, so anchor was weighed, the ILB brought nearer and the manoeuvre repeated.

While Helmsman Brown was veering down the second time, however, thecasualty parted her anchor cable, rolled towards the easternmost groyne and was in immediate danger of breaking up.

The ILB anchor cable was slipped and she set off at full speed to approach the MFV from the lee side. Helmsman Brown crossed over the groyne on a large wave, drove the ILB on to the deck of the casualty, which was listing heavily to port, and snatched off two men.

The fishing boat was now almost ontop of the groyne, but there was a third man with an injured leg and suffering from shock in her starboard rigging.

Crew Member Robin Middleton volunteered to board the casualty. He was put aboard by Helmsman Brown and, although hampered by loose gear underfoot, successfully made his way to the injured man and got him back into the Atlantic 21.

The ILB cleared the casualty at about 0100. Shortly afterwards her port propeller was fouled, and it had to be cleared while the boat continued underway on the starboard engine.

When the ILB returned to her recovery point, at 0130, an ambulance was waiting for the three survivors; the man rescued by Robin Middleton was in fact a stretcher case.

For this service, the silver medal for gallantry has been awarded to Helmsman Edwin B. Brown and Crew Member Robin Middleton. The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Crew Members Clifford Downing, Alan F. Boult and lanM. Campbell..