AUGUST MEETING LANNERCOMBE, SALCOMBE, DEVON. About 7.30 in the evening of the 9th July, 1940, the Latvian steamer Talvaldis was attacked by enemy aeroplanes off Start Point. The weather was moderate. The Salcombe motor life-boat was called out, but a Lannercombe motor boat was also sent out, as the steamer was sinking fast. The motor boat, which was manned by three men, arrived before the life-boat and rescued six men from a raft. She then stood by a water-logged boat containing six men until the life-boat arrived and rescued them. All twelve men were taken into the life-boat, which then towed the motor boat back to Lannercombe.

One member of the steamer’s crew had been killed. - Rewards, £1 10s., and 6s. for fuel used. The master of the steamer had given the three men £1 each.

(See Salcombe, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 88.) WHITBY, YORKSHIRE. On the 9th July, 1940, several boats put out to fish. All had returned by noon except the coble Ramlah and the boat Eileen. In the afternoon a strong S.W. off-shore wind got up, with a rough sea and thunder showers, and the two boats were seen about 3 in the afternoon three miles off, showing a distress signal. As the life-boat was under overhaul the motor coble Margaret put out, with a crew of three.She found that the engines of both boats had broken down and towed them in.- Rewards, £1 17s. 6d., and 6s. for fuel used.

BALLYCOTTON, CO. CORK. At 6.20 in the evening of the 10th July, 1940, a sailing punt was capsized in Ballycotton Bay by a heavy squall, and a fisherman, on board, and five visitors, four women and a man, were thrown into the sea. A very strong northerly wind was blowing, with rain and hail. The second-coxswain of the life-boat, John L. Walsh, put out at once, with three other men, in a motor fishing boat, and rescued all six people. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to Second-coxswain Walsh,, whose prompt action prevented the loss of life, £2 10s., and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

RHYL, FLINTSHIRE. On the evening of the 15th July, 1940, two boys, Gwilym Hughes and Ronald Robinson, both about fifteen years old, went out in a home-made canoe of laths and canvas. The weather was fine, and they drifted out to sea on the ebb tide. They were about half a mile off the pier when, shortly after nine o’clock, the auxiliary coastguard on the pier was told by the police that the boys’ canoe appeared to have capsized. He kept them under observation. At 9.15 he thought the boys were in danger, but five minutes later he changed his opinion and came to the conclusion that they were in no difficulty.

Meanwhile at 9.15 someone had rung. up Mr. Ernest Jones, the honorary secretary of the life-boat station, to tell him that a boat with boys in it was in distress and was drifting out to sea. He immediately rang up the auxiliary coastguard on the pier and spoke to him and police officers. As the result of this conversation he came to the conclusion, at 9.25, that the boys were in danger, and he immediately instructed the life-boat coxswain, who was at the life-boathouse, to charter a motor boat from Voryd harbour.

He did this, instead of ordering a life-boat launch, as he was certain that an ordinary boat would get out to the boys much more quickly than the life-boat, in view of the time needed to assemble the life-boat’s crew and launchers, under war-time conditions, when the firing of maroons was forbidden.

It was at 9.25 that Mr. Jones decided to send out help. At 9.35 a motorboat, manned by the coxswain and five men, left the harbour. At 9.45 it had arrived off the pier. About five minutes later it found one of the two boys and rescued him. The other could not be found.

There was very strong feeling in Rhyl about the accident and a protest was sent to the Institution that the life-boat had not been launched. The district inspector was sent down and made a full enquiry. He came to the conclusion that no blame attached to the life-boat station, that Mr.

Ernest Jones, the honorary secretary, took the right action in sending out the motor’ boat instead of the life-boat, and that had he taken any other course both boys instead of only the one boy would have been drowned.

Letters were sent to the president of theRhyl branch, and to Mr. E. Jones, expressing the Committee of Management’s approval of the action which he had taken, and letters expressing this opinion were sent to the fathers of the two boys and to the Rhyl Journal. - Rewards, including 6s. for fuel used, £3 8s. 6d.

LLANDUDNO, CAERNARVONSHIRE. At about noon on the 18th July, 1940, the lifeboat coxswain saw an R.A.F. machine fall into the sea near Little Ormes Head. A strong breeze was blowing, with a moderately rough sea. The coxswain at once sent out two of his motor launches, which were afloat, as this was quicker than calling out the lifeboat.

They were manned by the coxswain himself and four other men. They found the pilot fastened to a parachute, and dead.

- Rewards, £2 10s., and 16s. for fuel used.

CEMAES, ANGLESEY. On 21st July, 1940, three men and a little boy put out in the yacht Eryl for a. sail. The engine was out of order. The three men were without experience in boat sailing. In the evening the boat was seen being carried helplessly eastward by a strong flood tide. A S.W. breeze was blowing, with a choppy sea. Four men, including two ex-officers of the Cemaes lifeboat, put out in a motor boat at about 9.15 in the evening, found the yacht east of Porthwen and towed her to Cemaes at 11.30.

- Rewards, £4, and 10s. for fuel used.

LLANDUDNO, CAERNARVONSHIRE. About 11.30 in the morning of the 23rd July, 1940, the Ormes Head coastguard reported that two people were in difficulties at Pigeons Cave. The weather was fine. The life-boat coxswain and another man put out in a motor boat and brought them ashore.- Rewards, 10s., and 3s. for fuel used.

NEW QUAY, CARDIGANSHIRE. At 11.38 in the morning of the 1st August, 1940, information was received from the coastguard that an aeroplane had come down in the sea thirteen miles N.W. of New Quay Head. A very light wind was blowing, with a calm sea, and it was decided to send out a motor boat instead of the pulling and sailing life-boat.

She was manned by the life-boat coxswain and three other men. She was launched at 12.10 P.M. and did not return until 5.30 P.M.

She had found nothing, but other boats, including the Aberystwyth life-boat, took part in the search, and four airmen, two alive and two dead, were picked up. - Rewards, £2 10s., and 12s. 6d. for fuel used.

(See Aberystwyth, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 93.).