BRONZE MEDAL SERVICE AT MARYPORT OCTOBER 9TH. - MARYPORT, CUMBERLAND. During the afternoon a strong southerly wind was blowing. Towards the end of the afternoon it veered to west-north-west, growing rapidly stronger, and just before dark it was blowing a full gale, with fierce squalls and blinding rain.

The herring drifters were fishing in the Solway Firth, and, as the wind increased, they hauled in their nets and made for port. All the Maryport boats got back safely, but the weather grew worse so quickly that one drifter, which took five minutes longer than another to haul its nets on board, was over an hour later in reaching port.

Visibility was very bad, but at 6.30 a drifter could just be seen as she rose on the biggest seas about 2 1/2 miles out from Maryport pier. She appeared to be in distress, and the gale was so violent that it seemed unlikely that she would be able to ride it out. The runner was sent to collect the crew, and at 7.47 the motor life-boat Joseph Braithwaite was launched. With the seas from westnorth- west meeting the southerly swell, a very heavy sea was breaking right in the harbour entrance. In that sea, and in the darkness, with no guiding lights, it was a very daring and skilful feat to take the life-boat through the narrow harbour mouth between the piers - at high tide it is only 100 yards wide - but it was successfully accomplished.

At 8.30 the life-boat reached the drifter. She was the Mourne Lass, of Workington, with a crew of four. Her nets had fouled her propeller, and when her crew attempted to sail her home, the wind split the mizzen sail into shreds. She had anchored, but when darkness set in her crew had given up all hope, in that wind and sea, of being rescued, and when the lifeboat arrived they were completely exhausted. With great difficulty the life-boat took the four men on board.

She made for home, and in less than half an hour she had reached the harbour entrance. While still some way off, the coxswain had flashed hismorse lamp, and this was answered by the harbour-master flashing his electric torch. That was all the light that the coxswain had to guide the boat into the dark and narrow entrance in the blinding rain, but again he brought her safely through the heavy, confused seas between the two piers.

The coxswain’s own summary of the rescue was, “ It was a bad night and I had an anxious time.” It was a dangerous service very skilfully carried out, and the Institution made the following awards : To COXSWAIN THOMAS B. REAY, a clasp to his bronze medal for gallantry and a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To HERBERT ROOK, the motormechanic, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum ; To the coxswain and each member of the crew a reward of £1 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £1 17s. 6d.; standard rewards to crew and helpers, £21 5s. 6d. ; additional rewards to crew, £7 ; total rewards, £28 5s. 6d..