JANUARY MEETING ILFRACOMBE, DEVON. At about 5 in the afternoon of the 21st June, 1940, the coastguard reported a ship’s boat drifting some five miles north of Ilfracombe. A light N.N.W. wind was blowing, with a slight sea.

The honorary secretary sent out a motor fishing boat, manned by three life-boatmen.

They picked up the boat, which had no one on board, and brought it to Ilfracombe Harbour. - Rewards, £1 10s., 4s. for fuel used, and 4s. to coxswain for loss of earnings.

ISLAY, ARGYLLSHIRE. At about 1.30 in the afternoon of the 6th August, 1940, the coastguard received information from Port Ellen that a boat was drifting in at Soldier’s Rock, Grafdale. Port Askaig life-boat was some distance away, and a motor boat was sent out from Port Charlotte by the coastguard, manned by two men accompanied by a police officer. The drifting boat was found to be a raft. No one was on board. The boat towed the raft ashore. - Rewards, £1 10s.

and 10s. for fuel used.

PORT ST. MARY, ISLE OF MAN. Shortly after 4 in the afternoon of the 7th December, 1940, an aeroplane crashed off Langness Point. A strong gale was blowing from the N.E., with a very rough sea. Three boats put out to search, the Port St. Mary motor life-boat, the motor trawler Margaret Rose, manned by seven men, and a 14-feet open boat from Langness Lighthouse manned by the principal keeper, W. Quillan, and a bus driver, Eric Hudson, who volunteered to go. They had to bail constantly, and their boat was in danger of sinking. When they saw the trawler and life-boat approaching they returned to the lighthouse. Their action was very brave, and they ran great risk in such a boat in that heavy sea. Nothing was found of the aeroplane. - Rewards : £2 10s. and a framed letter of thanks each to Mr. W. Quillan and Mr. E. Hudson : £7 to the crew of the trawler, and £2 for fuel used.

Total rewards. £14.

(See Port St. Mary, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 139.) HILBRE, CHESHIRE. At 3.10 P.M. on the 20th December, 1940, an aeroplane was seen to dive into the sea near Hilbre Point. A party of soldiers was on the beach, and an officer from this party, two other soldiers and a fisherman, got a boat from the Yacht Club and put out. They rescued one airman.

Later the coastguard recovered the body of another from the aeroplane. - Rewards, a letter of thanks to the officer and £1 10s. to the three men.

CAISTER, NORFOLK. About one in the morning of the 28th December, 1940, a 9Wellington bomber crashed into the sea a mile north of the life-boat station and 200 yards from the shore. A N.W. wind was blowing and there was broken water at the scene of the crash. The life-boat coxswain, two other life-boatmen and a soldier put out in a small boat at 1.25. With some difficulty they got alongside the aeroplane, only to find that the crew of six had left. All six had swum for the shore, and three had reached it.

The small boat searched unsuccessfully for two hours and then returned. - Rewards, £4 and 10s. for broken stern sheets.