MAY 24TH. - WALMER, KENT. At 4.45 A.M. a message was received from the Deal coastguard that a steamer, with a number of women and children on board, had been bombed by enemy aircraft and was drifting in the South Downs. A light south-west breeze was blowing and the sea was smooth.

At 4.55 the motor life-boat Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No. 2) was launched, and was given the position of the steamer by the guardship, with orders not to take anyone off her unless they had been seriously injured.

The life-boat found the steamer to be the Tlemcen, of Rouen. There were no cases of serious injury on board and the life-boat returned to her station. On her way the guardship signalled to her to speak a French tug, which she found to be the Champion, filled with women and children, refugees from Calais. She reported this to the naval authorities and was ordered to stand by the tug. This she did and distributed her emergency rations of chocolate and biscuits among the children on the Champion. She then saw a large steamer with a heavy list approaching the Downs. She went alongside, found her to be the Bhutan, of London, and stood by her until she anchored in the Downs. The life-boat then went back to the tug, signalled the coastguard, and was told to return to her station, which she reached at 10.25 A.M. - Rewards, £14 12s. 6d.w.