LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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Services by Shore-Boats (7)

TORBAY, DEVON. At about 6 P.M. on the 12th June, 1939, a sailing dinghy capsized in Fishcombe Bay. The weather was fine with a N.W. breeze and an almost smooth sea.

The crew of three were seen clinging to the keel. The call for help was given by motorists from the Torbay Chalets Camp.

Two motor boats put out from Brixham Inner Harbour, and the Torbay life-boat also put out. The motor boat Lady Mildred, manned by two men, rescued one, and the motor boat Winsome, manned by one man, rescued the other two. The rescued men had been in the water nearly forty minutes and were exhausted.

- Rewards, £1 2s. 6d.

RINGSTEAD, WEYMOUTH, DORSET. On the 29th June, 1939, two young naval seamen, brothers, hired a rowing boat from Portland and, accompanied by two girls, rowed to Ringstead. When they were preparing to return about 6.30 P.M., they were strongly advised by a London police sergeant, who was on holiday, not to attempt to row back but to return by bus. They ignored his advice and soon got into difficulties in a fresh westerly wind, with a choppy sea. The sergeant (whose hobby is boating with the Ringstead fishermen when on holiday) had kept the boat under close observation. When he saw that she was in danger he raised the alarm, and himself put out with a local fisherman and another visitor in a motor boat.

When they reached the rowing boat they found the sailors nearly exhausted and the girls crying. They brought them ashore. - Rewards, 25s. to the fisherman for the use of his boat, and a letter to the Metropolitan Commissioner of Police strongly commending the initiative and action of Sergeant King, B.63.

WHITBY, YORKSHIRE. At 1.45 P.M. on the afternoon of Sunday the 16th July, 1939, the coastguard reported that a small vessel was ashore off North Cheek, Robin Hood’s Bay.

The sea was smooth with no wind, although it was foggy, and it was decided that a life-boat launch was unnecessary, but as a precaution the life-boat coxswain, Mr. J. Murfield, put out in his own motor boat. He arrived to find that the vessel had got off and gone on her way. - Rewards, £1 for loss of business and fuel used.

SOUTHWOLD, SUFFOLK. On the 19th July, 1939, a small motor boat was wrecked on a submerged pile in Southwold Harbour, throwing the four people on board into the sea. The tide was ebbing strongly with a heavy swell. Two Dutchmen, employed on harbour reconstruction work, immediately put out in a small rowing boat and picked up the people in the water as they were being carried out to sea. - Rewards : letters of appreciation to the two Dutchmen, Mr. M.

Sperling and Mr. A. voor den Dag.

BARROW, LANCASHIRE. A pilot who had been on the look-out reported to the lifeboat coxswain at 1.45 PM. on the afternoon of Sunday the 23rd of July, that a sailing boat appeared to be in difficulties in Morecambe Bay, with something flying at halfmast.

A strong N.W. breeze was blowing, with a choppy sea. A motor boat went out with a crew of four. They found five seasick men on board the sailing boat, but they refused all help. - Rewards, £1 10s., and 3s.

for fuel used.

BURNMOUTH (EYEMOUTH), BERWICKSHIRE.

At about six o’clock on the evening of Sunday the 23rd July, 1939, two boy scouts drifted to sea on a raft from a position about two miles south of Burnmouth. The sea was smooth, with a light westerly wind. The motor boats Braw Lads and White Heather put out from Burnmouth manned by seven fishermen and a visitor. Before they reached the raft the boys attempted to swim to the shore. One succeeded ; the other failed.

His body was picked up by the White Heather, but it was impossible to revive him. - Rewards, £1 15s.

HASTINGS, SUSSEX. On the afternoon of the 24th July, 1939, information was received through the police that an aeroplane had come down in the sea off Ecclesbourne Glen, near Fairlight. The sea was slight, with a S.W. breeze blowing. The life-boat was launched and, at the request of the police, a speed-boat also put off from the pier, without waiting to disembark two passengers. No trace of the aeroplane could be found. - Rewards, £1.

HERNE BAY, KENT. On the night of the 25th July, 1939, a boy on license from Borstal took a boat belonging to the Whitstable Council, at Tankerton, and put off without oars. A fresh southerly breeze was blowing, the sea was choppy, and the boy got into difficulties. He was seen and heard by two boys, shouting for help, but the information did not reach the coastguard until 11.30.

The Margate life-boat put out, and Mr. A Pressley, a Herne Bay fisherman, also put out in a motor boat, and joined in the search.

An aeroplane dropped Very lights to help them, but it was not until dawn that the boy was found by Mr. Pressley. He was then exhausted. After giving him water and chocolate from the life-boat’s stores Mr.

Pressley then took the boy ashore. Mr.

Pressley was out for about four hours and covered over thirty miles. - Rewards, £1 5s., and 7s. for fuel used.

SHOREHAM HARBOUR, SUSSEX. On the 26th July, 1939, it was reported that an aeroplane had come down in the sea off Shoreham. A speed-boat put out on the instructions of the honorary secretary of the life-boat station and the coastguard. She found nothing. - Rewards, £1.

WHITBY, YORKSHIRE. At 9.30 P.M. on the 27th July, 1939, a fisherman came ashore and reported to the life-boat coxswain that he had seen flares about four miles to the north. The sea was calm, with a light S.W.

wind. The coxswain and three other men put out in the motor coble Brighter Hope and found that the flares came from the motor coble Silver Line which had a pleasure fishing party on board. Her engine had broken down. The Brighter Hope towed her into Whitby Harbour. - Rewards, £2, and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

HARWICH, Essex. - On the afternoon of the 4th August, 1939, four men,, who were sailing in Harwich Harbour in a dinghy, capsized in a squally N.E. wind. The sea was rough and the tide was ebbing strongly. A local waterman waterman put out with another man in a motor boat. They succeeded in picking up two of the men in the water, but, unfortunately, the other two were drowned. - Rewards, 15s. to the two men.

RUNSWICK, YORKSHIRE. On the afternoon of Sunday the 6th August, 1939, two men visitors put out in a small canoe. There was some sea running and they capsized.

One man swam ashore, but the other clung to the canoe. The life-boat second-coxswain and four other men put off in a rowing boat and picked up the man who had to be revived by artificial respiration. - Rewards, £2 10s.

ILFRACOMBE, DEVON. At about 4.30 P.M.

on the afternoon of the 17th August, l939, information was received from the coastguard that someone was in difficulties on Torr Cliffs between Ilfracombe and Lee. The lifeboat’s honorary secretary sent off the mechanic in his speed-boat, followed by the second-coxswain in his motor boat. Two people were in difficulties, a man and a woman. The man was hauled up the cliffs by the coastguard, the woman was taken on board his boat by the second-coxswain. - Rewards, 15s.

SWANAGE, DORSET. At about 4.15 P.M.

on the afternoon of Sunday, the 20th August, 1939, three small boats got into the tide-rip off Peveril Point in a strongly ebbing spring tide. One of the boats upset. At the request of the coastguard a boatman put out in his 20-feet open motor boat. He was on the spot in about ten minutes and searched for an hour, but could find neither the boat nor the man who had been on board. He was able, however, to help the other two boats.

One of them had lost a rowlock, and the other could make no headway. - Rewards, £1.

WALMER, KENT. At 6.30 P.M. on the 26th August, 1939, information was received that two boys who had put out in a home-made canoe at two in the afternoon, had not returned. The life-boat coxswain and six other men put off in a motor boat and found the boys about three miles away near Kingsd o w n . T h e y w e r e i n n o d a n g e r . T h e motor boat returned with them. - Rewards, £2 12s. 6d., and 5s. for fuel used.

LLANDUDNO, CAERNARVONSHIRE. At about 6 P.M. on the 29th August, 1939, the coastguard reported to the life-boat coxswain that a man had fallen off Orme’s Head. The weather was misty, with a north-easterly wind and a moderate sea. Four life-boatmen put out in a motor boat. They found that the police had already arrived, but stood by in case it was necessary to take the man on board their boat. He was, however, hauled up the cliffs. - Rewards, £1 10s., and 3s. for fuel used..