Years Ago The following article appeared in the March, 1937 issue of THE LIFEBOAT: Fifty-two Lives Rescued.

A Bronze-Medal Service at Torbay.

Early in the morning of 23rd January the 4,000-ton steamer English Trader, of London, ran ashore on Checkstone Ledge, at the entrance to Dartmouth harbour, owing to the temporary failure of the steering-gear. She had a crew of thirty-two on board, and was bound from San Nicholas to the Continent with a cargo of grain. A south breeze was blowing and the sea was rough.

The coastguard informed the Torbay life-boat station, and at 5.25 in the morning the motor life-boat George Shee put out. She reached the steamer fifty minutes later and was asked by the captain to stand by while efforts were made to refloat her. Two Dutch tugs wirelessed that they were on their way, and H.M. Destroyer Witch and a Devonport Dockyard tug also came to the steamer's help. All efforts to refloat her at high water in the afternoon failed, and early in the evening the captain asked the life-boat to stand by all night, as the weather forecast was a southerly gale.

Fresh supplies of petrol were sent to Kingswear. The life-boat put in there; refuelled; and returned to the steamer.

Standing By All Night.

She stood by all night. The wind increased to a gale from S.S.E., with a very heavy sea, and at six next morning the steamer sent up rockets of distress.

Her captain thought that she could not last until daylight. The heavy swell had lifted her, swung round her stern, and was pounding her bows so heavily on the rocks that all on board had to hold on with both hands. Seas fifteen feet high were breaking over the steamer.

They smashed the port side of the bridge and flooded two holds, one of them right up to the deck. Many of her crew had taken off their boots and were preparing to go overboard and attempt to swim to the shore. It would have meant certain death.

The life-boat closed at once, but the work of rescue was very hazardous.

The coxswain manoeuvred her in the darkness round the steamer's stern, which had swung very close to the shore, at the risk of being crushed under it. He then brought her alongside on the lee side of the steamer, perilously near the shore, which is studded with rocks. To add to the danger of the darkness, the rocks and the seas breaking clean over the steamer, a strong ebb tide was racing out of the River Dart against the seas.

Alongside the Wreck.

It took the life-boat twenty minutes to get alongside. She was made fast fore and aft, close abaft the bridge, but her engines were kept running, ahead or astern, all the time, to prevent the seas from dashing her against the steamer. She was rising and falling from ten to fourteen feet, at one moment being level with the steamer's rolling chocks, and the next lifted to the level of her rails. Once, as she rose on the crest of a sea, two of her crew only just saved themselves, by throwing themselves flat on the deck, from being crushed between the life-boat and one of the steamer's life-boats hanging low in the davit's, ready for launching, which they had not seen in the darkness until the life-boat was being lifted up right under it.

A rope-stave ladder was lowered from the steamer, and by the uncertain light of an electric lamp above, the men on board her were helped or lifted one by one into the life-boat. There were fifty-two of them, for in addition to the crew of thirty-two, fifteen stevedores, three salvage officers, a pilot and a naval signalman had gone on board the steamer the day before to help in the efforts to get her off the rocks. In a quarter of an hour they had all been rescued.

Then came the coxswain's most difficult and dangerous task, to get the life-boat clear of the wreck and the rocks. There was no room to turn her.

She had to come out astern, passing once more under the stern of the steamer, and through very confused seas, where the strong ebb was meeting the gale. The coxswain watched for his chance. Then he yelled to everyone to hang on tightly. The ropes were cut, and the life-boat went full speed astern, as the steamer's stern was lifting, and passed out under it into the full force of the gale, but clear of the dangers of the rocks and the wreck.

She made for Dartmouth, where she landed the rescued men, and then returned to her station, arriving at 12.15 in the afternoon. She had been out over thirty-one hours.

A month later the English Trader was refloated but only after part of her bow, which was held firmly on the rocks, had been cut away from the ship.

For this gallant and dangerous service the Institution has made the following awards:— To COXSWAIN WILLIAM H. H. MOGRIDGE.

a clasp to the bronze medal for gallantry, which he won on the 30th December, 1935, for the rescue of the skipper of the French trawler Satanicle To each of the seven members of the crew the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum;— WILLIAM PILLAR, Second Coxswain; FREDERICK C. SANDERS, Bowman; FREDERICK J. WELCH, Motor Mechanic; EDWIN LAMSWOOD, Assistant Motor Mechanic; FRED R.

TUCKER; JOHN B. GLANVILLE; GEORGE MOGRIDGE To MR. H. M. SMARDON, the honorary secretary of the station, a letter of thanks; To the coxswain and each member of the crew, a reward of £2 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £4 5s., making an award of £6 5s. each. Total rewards, £48 s. 6d..