BRONZE MEDAL SERVICE AT NEWCASTLE JANUARY 19TH- 2 1 ST. - NEWCASTLE, CO. DOWN. At 6.45 in the morning the motor life-boat at Newcastle, Co. Down, L. P. and St.

Helen, was launched in a blinding snow-storm to the help of the motor vessel Hoperidge, of Newcastle-upon- Tyne. A gale was blowing from the east, and the sea was very rough.

With the help of her searchlight the life-boat found the vessel, which wasashore at Minerstown, in Dundrum Bay, between two reefs of rock. By signal lamps the Hoperidge asked the life-boat to come alongside. She then said that she was in immediate need of a doctor, and passed to the life-boat an urgent message for the Admiralty.

The life-boat anchored and dropped down towards the land. The second coxswain then waded ashore, no easy thing to do in the snow-storm and heavy surf ; telephoned to an army camp for a doctor ; and handed the message for the Admiralty to the coastguard. When the army doctor and an orderly arrived it was impossible to get out to the life-boat from the beach, but the second coxswain found a spot partly protected from the gale, where the life-boat could be run on a flat shelving rock. He guided her to it. There the coxswain, by keeping his engines running, was able to hold the life-boat’s head on the rock, but the assistant motor-mechanic had to jump over to help the secondcoxswain before it was possible for them to get the doctor and his orderly aboard.

With great difficulty, and at great risk, the coxswain brought the life-boat alongside the stranded Hoperidge, for at one moment, as the seas rushed in, she was filled with water, and the next, as they washed back, she was almost stranded herself.

She put the doctor and his orderly aboard, stood by, took them off again, and at 1.30 that afternoon landed them at Newcastle. She had then been out for nearly six hours.

The crew had a hurried hot meal and at two o’clock in the afternoon put out again, taking the honorary secretary of the life-boat station and another doctor with her. On her way she met the S.S. Stanleigh entering Dundrum Bay and standing into danger. The life-boat told her where she was, advised her to make for the Isle of Man for shelter, and gave her the course. Then she returned to the Hoperidge, put the honorary secretary and doctor on board, and stood by until high water. It was then safe to leave the Hoperidge, and the life-boat returned to Newcastle at 6.30 in the evening.Two days later she again went out to help in an attempt, which was unsuccessful, to refloat the Hoperidge.

The gale was moderating, but there was a heavy sea. The life-boat was out for nearly six hours.

The first service was very skilfully carried out in very severe weather, and the Institution made the following awards : To COXSWAIN PATRICK MURPHY, he bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To SECOND-COXSWAIN WILLIAM MURPHY, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum ; To THOMAS MCCLELLAND, the assistant motor-mechanic, a reward of £2 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £3 6s. ; To the coxswain and each member of the crew, except Thomas McClelland, a reward of £1 in addition to the ordinary scale reward of £3 6s.

Standard rewards to crew and launchers, £47 11s. 4d. ; additional rewards to crew, £8; total rewards, £55 11s. 4d.

Standard rewards to crew and helpers for the second service, £54 0S. 6d..