CRICCIETH, CAERNARVONSHIRE. At about 11.30 in the morning of the 26th March, 1941, a Wellington bomber crashed into the sea, between Criccieth Castle and Harlech. The weather was foggy, with a heavy swell. Two rowing boats, each manned by two men, put out, but before they could find anything an R.A.F. speed boat and the Pwllheli life-boat arrived, and the two rowing boats went back.

- Rewards, £2 5s. In addition to a small monetary award and 27s. for damage, paid by the R.A.F. to one of the boats.

(See Pwllheli, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 41.) CULZEAN, AYRSHIRE. At one in the afternoon of the 24th May, 1941, a Spitfire aeroplane was seen to fall into the sea about one and a half miles north-west of Maidens. Something was seen to fall away from the aeroplane, but it was not possible to say if it was the pilot or part of the aeroplane. The aeroplane sank. A north-east wind was blowing: and the sea calm. Six men in two motor fishing boats, which were anchored in Maidens Harbour, immediately put out and searched for an hour, but all they found was an oxygen cylinder, a seat cushion, a head pad, and boot. - Rewards, £2 5s. and 5s. for fuel used. The crew of one of the boats returned their rewards as a donation to the funds of the Institution.

WHITSTABLE, KENT. At 4.30 in the afternoon of the 28th May, 1941, two men were fishing from a small dinghy a quarter of a mile west of Whitstable harbour. They hoisted sail to return ashore, and their boat capsized. The motor fishing smack Express CK.231 was informed by the coastguard and, manned by her crew of three, she went immediately to the rescue. She found the two men clinging to their upturned boat. They had been in the water twenty minutes and were exhausted. The three men brought them ashore. Had they not been so prompt in going out the two men would probably have been drowned. - Rewards, £2 5s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

ABERYSTWYTH, CARDIGANSHIRE. At 4.15 in the morning of the 1st .June, 1941, the honorary secretary of the life-boat station was called to the police station and told that a German aeroplane had been shot down twelve miles due west of Aberystwyth. The life-boat’s coxswain and motor-mechanic putout in a motor boat at 5.10, with three police officers. They searched a large area, but found nothing and returned at 3.30 P.M.

They had then been over ten hours at sea.

The Barmouth motor life-boat also searched and found nothing. - Rewards, £1 10s. to the two life-boatmen and £1 for fuel used.

(See Barmouth, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 56.) WATCHET, SOMERSET. On the 10th June, 1941, the second-coxswain of the life-boat, E. J. Escott, learned that two little girls had been trapped by the tide on a ledge to the west of the harbour. Escott is a pilot, and was about to board a steamer. After he had got aboard her, the steamer towed his hobble boat to the scene. The hobble boat then cast off and her crew of two men rowed her to the ledge. In the meantime two other men had got down the 50-foot cliff to the beach and one of them had reached the ledge.

He helped the girls into the hobble boat.- Rewards, £1 10s. and a letter of thanks to Second - Coxswain Escott.

FILEY, YORKSHIRE. At 2.55 in the afternoon of the 14th June, 1941, the coastguard reported that the fishing coble Topsmoz was broken down four miles E.N.E. of Filey Brigg, and was being towed by a naval trawler towards the Bell Buoy. Her mast had gone overboard. A fresh W.S.W. wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. The life-boat crew were assembled, but the coxswain thought a coble would be more suitable than the lifeboat, and put out in his own coble with three other life-boatmen. The trawler left the Topsmoz when about a mile off Filey Brigg whistling buoy, in order to join two other trawlers which were waiting for her, and the coxswain’s coble towed in the Topsmoz and her crew of three. - Rewards, £1 10s. and 4s. 6d. for fuel used.

CRAIL, FIFESHIRE. At about 5 P.M. on the 16th June, 1941, the coastguard reported that a raft was adrift one and a half miles S.S.W. of Fife Ness. There was a light west breeze, with a smooth sea. Two fishermen went out in a motor fishing boat, found three soldiers and a civilian on the raft and rescued them. - Rewards, £1 10s. and 3s. for fuel used.

PORTSOY, BANFFSHIRE. At 11.15 in the morning of the 17th June, 1941, the coastguard saw a small fishing boat, under sail, but not making headway. A light N.W.

wind was blowing, with a slight sea, and the tide was four hours ebb. The man on board the fishing boat was inexperienced. He lowered sail as he approached a lee shore, and tried to row off, but he made no headway and was in danger of going ashore on the rocks on the east side of Portsoy Bay.

At the request of the coastguard two men put out in a motor fishing boat and towed the small boat into harbour. - Rewards, 10s.

WATCHET, SOMERSET. On the afternoon of the 20th June, 1941, an R.A.F. training aeroplane came down in the sea about five miles E.N.E. of Watchet harbour. Theweather was fine and the sea calm. An R.A.F. officer asked for help, and four men, including the life-boat coxswain and second-coxswain, put out with the officer in a rowing boat. They used this boat in preference to launching the life-boat, as it could be got away at once from the pier-head.

Nothing was found but oil and wreckage, and the boat returned to harbour at 7.40 P.M., getting a tow for some distance from a patrol vessel. The Minehead life-boat had also put out, but found nothing. - Rewards, £4.

(See Minehead, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 57.)

HASTINGS, SUSSEX. On receipt of a message from the Dover naval authorities, at about 5 P.M. on the 21st June, 1941, that an aeroplane was coming home damaged, two men stood by in readiness to put off, but their services were not required. - Rewards, 5s.

COVERACK, CORNWALL. At about 3 in the morning of the 25th June, 1941, an aeroplane crashed into the sea two miles from Coverack.

The crash was heard and reported by a coastwatcher, and three men put off from Coverack in a motor boat at 6.5. They found a German airman floating in the water, and returned with him at 7.30 A.M. - Rewards, £1 10s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

WELLS, NORFOLK. The Wells motor lifeboat was launched at 9.45 in the morning of the 26th June, 1941, to the help of an aeroplane which had come down in the sea about three miles north of Wells. A light westerly wind was blowing. The sea was smooth and the weather fine. The life-boat found nothing but a rubber balloon. About half an hour after the life-boat had gone out an object, which might have been a parachute, was seen, and three men put out in a motor fishing boat, but the object began to drift more rapidly, as if some weight attached to it had fallen off it, and it disappeared to the eastward. - Rewards, £1 10s. and 5s. for fuel used.

(See Wells, “ Accounts of Services by Lifeboats,” page 56.) MONTROSE, ANGUS. About 4.15 in the afternoon of the 2nd July, 1941, it was reported to the police that a boy, who was bathing off the beach pavilion, had disappeared.

The tide was low, with a light easterly wind and a smooth sea. The police appealed to the life-boat honorary secretary for help. In view of the low tide and the position where the boy had last been seen, he sent out the coxswain’s motor fishing boat, towing a small boat, instead of the life-boat.

Three men manned the motor boat, and after about two hours’ search they recovered the body. - Rewards, £1 17s. 6d. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.