JANUARY 9TH. - GREAT YARMOUTH AND GORLESTON. NORFOLK. At 1 0 A.M. an explosion was heard to the north-east of the life-boat station, and the Gorleston coastguard reported that the Caister Look-out had seen aircraft diving towards the sea, apparently dropping bombs eastward of Caister. At 10.30 A.M. the tug George Jewson was seen getting under way, and news reached the life-boat station that she was going to the help of the Trinity House Vessel Reculver. The life-boat crew continued to stand by until 12.30 P.M.

Then a message was received that the naval authorities did not need the life-boat's help.

At 1.15 P.M. a further message was received from the coastguard that the naval authorities did, after all, want the life-boat launched, and at 1.25 P.M. the motor life-boat Louise Stephens put out. A moderate E. breeze was blowing with a moderate sea. The life-boat found the Reculver one mile W.N.W.

of the Cross Sand Light-vessel. She was being towed by a trawler and tug, with a naval yacht standing by. The yacht signalled the life-boat alongside, put on board her two stretchers and a frame, and asked her to bring from the Reculver injured men, as, owing to the seas, she could not get alongside herself to take them off. The life-boat then went alongside the Reculver and found that she had been bombed and machinegunned from the air, and that all her boats had been blown away, with the exception of one which was leaking badly. With great difficulty, owing to the rough seas, she took on board six injured men, two of them being stretcher cases, a doctor and a sick-bay attendant. While she was doing this she was hit and slightly damaged herself by the Reculver, which had had her steering gear damaged and was sheering violently about.

It was decided that the life-boat should take the injured men ashore, to save the risk of hurting them in putting them aboard the yacht, and also to save time. She made direct for the harbour, signalling for ambulances.

which were waiting at Lower Ferry Steps when she arrived at 5 P . M . - Rewards.

£12 5s. 6d.