Inshore lifeboat crew members dive to sunken car The Thanks of the Institution on Vellum has been awarded to New Brighton lifeboat crew members Mike Jones and Tony Clare for the bravery and determination they showed when trying to rescue the occupant of a car which had plunged off a nearby Esplanade.Framed letters of thanks from the Chairman have also been sent to crew members Neil Jones, Barry Shillinglaw and shore helper Tony Jones for the efforts they made to resuscitate the casualty, and letters of thanks from the Director have also been sent to Helmsman Bob Barrass, crew member Mike Garbutt and shore helpers Stuart Ward, Arne Jensen, Eric Stancliffe and Bob Marr (the tractor driver) for their excellent support and quick thinking.

The incident began at 2348 on Tuesday 7 June 1994 when Liverpool Coastguard informed the station that a car had driven into the sea at the bottom of a steep hill at Egremont, Wallasey. Lifeboat assistance was requested.

Buoy By 2355 the crew had assembled and the relief Atlantic 21 class lifeboat Ernest Armstrong was on her way by road to the launching slipway. The night was fine with good visibility and a north westerly Force 3. There was a slight sea but a strong ebb stream was beginning to run.

The Coastguard now had a report of a person clinging to a nearby buoy and asked the lifeboat to investigate. Nothing was found, so she then went to the promenade at Egremont.

Immediately after the launch of the lifeboat, the tractor, shore helpers and other crew members not required for the actual launch made their way to the scene of the accident by land. The shore crew arrived some four minutes before the lifeboat and at about the same time as the police, fire brigade and the council-run inshore rescue boat.

The scene at Egremont was confused.

It was obvious that the promenade railings had been breached, but the vehicle was nowhere to be seen. RNLI shore helper and ex-crew member Tony Jones took the initiative by securing a rope ladder to the railings and shore helpers and crew members Mike Jones and Tony Clare went into the water shortly after midnight - just as the lifeboat arrived andbegan searching for the vehicle with lights, paddles and echo sounder. The water was about 10ft deep and the vehicle was thought to be about 30ft from the sea wall.

Mike Jones and Tony Clare repeatedly dived to try to locate the vehicle and two fire crew put on their breathing apparatus and entered the water. However the firemen were not trained divers and could not swim in their gear so were called back out of the water by their senior officer.

The vehicle was eventually located with the lifeboat's echo sounder, and Mike Jones was then able to stand on what was now obviously a car, lying upside down.

He attached a fire brigade rope to the car's axle and the shore crew and emergency services hauled it closer to the sea wall - into about 8ft of water - and alsoturned it onto its side. Mike Jones managed to open a back door, with the help of Mike Garbutt aboard the nearby lifeboat, and Tony Clare felt around inside the car and caught hold of the occupant. With the aid of Mike Jones he managed to pull him clear, and then into the lifeboat - with some difficulty as the man was big and his clothes waterlogged. Mike Jones and Tony Clare were able to confirm that there was nobody else in the car, a task aided by a swiftly receding tide. The time was now about 0015.

Aboard the lifeboat crew members Neil Jones and Barry Shillinglaw started resuscitation and heart massage - an extremely unpleasant task at this stage because of body fluids, blood and vomit.

Helmsman Bob Barrass decided to beach the lifeboat at a slip about 200m away and, with resuscitation continuing, he beached at moderate speed so that the Atlantic came half clear of the water.

Resuscitation The ambulance had not yet arrived so the lifeboat crew laid the casualty on the ground and shore helper Tony Jones took over heart massage until it arrived some minutes later. Resuscitation attempts continued for about 15 minutes led by the paramedics with the lifeboat crew and shore helpers backiag them up, until the ambulance left at about 0035.

The lifeboat was then manually relaunched and returned to station, being refuelled and ready for service at 0130 on 8 June.

Despite everyone's attempts, and also being kept on a life support machine at the hospital, the casualty subsequently died.

Summing up his report of the incident the deputy divisional inspector, west, George Rawlinson said 'this was an extremely traumatic service for the large number of people concerned, and left several members of the crew and helpers emotionally strained for some time. Undoubtedly the RNLI took the initiative in the early stages and those taking part have been showered with praise for their efforts. This whole service was very much a team effort with our volunteers working closely and in harmony with other emergency services.'.