Flooding tide A PARTY of four wildfowlers, caravanning at Burnfoot on the Nith Estuary, on the north side of the Solway Firth, set off shooting at about 0730 on Monday January 19. It was about two hours after low water. Two of the party set off across the sandbanks which were dried at the time while the other two men stayed on shore.

At 0900 the two men on shore realised that the tide was flooding fast and that their two colleagues on the sandbanks would soon be cut off. They tried to attract their attention by firing their guns in the air, but without success.

By 0930 one of the wildfowlers out in the estuary was seen to be up to his waist in water; the other, further away, was still on a sandbank showing above the water. One of the men on shore, Stephen Latham of Melton Mowbray, ran to a cottage near the caravan and called Ramsey Coastguard by telephone.

Then he inflated a very small inflatable dinghy—little more than a toy, but the only boat available—and set out towards the wildfowler in the deeper water. He was prevented from reaching this man, however, by the moderate to fresh west-north-westerly breeze which, in the squalls of rain, gusted up to gale force, and by the strong flooding tide which was setting to the north. Wind and tide eventually set him towards the second man.

At 1030, while Mr Latham was trying to get this man aboard, the dinghy capsized so that both men were now in the water but both were able to keep a hold on the dinghy. Meanwhile a Sea King helicopter had been scrambled from RN Prestwick. She was overhead at 1055 and within minutes had winched these two men to safety.

The remaining man, last seen with the water up to his waist, had by this time disappeared. The helicopter continued to search and at 1250 the honorary secretary of Silloth lifeboat station was informed that a man was missing in Nith Estuary. Silloth's Atlantic 21 rigidinflatable lifeboat was launched at 1310 under the command of Helmsman Colin Akitt and made for Borron Point at the mouth of the River Nith. Keeping in contact with Drumore Coastguard mobile, she searched up the channel towards Glencaple.

Just after 1330 the body of the missing wildfowler was found and recovered by the helicopter. The lifeboat was released at 1350 and she was once again rehoused and ready for service at 1435.

For this service a letter of appreciation signed by Rear Admiral W. J. Graham, director of the Institution, was sent to Stephen E. Latham..