LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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September (1)

HOYLAKE, CHESHIRE. On the afternoon of the 30th June, 1941, two women with two small children were cut off by the rising tidebetween the baths and wooden jetty at Hoylake. The weather was fine and the sea calm. Their plight was seen from the shore but no boat was available. Two bathers swam out and brought in a rowing boat, but it was without oars. A fisherman got paddles from the baths,, and the boat put out manned by the life-boat coxswain, a coastguard and two bathers. They reached the scene just in time. The women were holding up the children and were themselves up to their necks in water. - Rewards, £1 2s. 6d.

WHINNYFOLD, ABERDEENSHIRE. At 10 in the morning of the 3rd July, 1941, the motor fishing boat Diligent, of Peterhead, went ashore two hours after high water at the Scaurs of Cruden. Wind and sea were moderate, but the weather was foggy. The crew shouted for help and three men put out from Whinnyfold in a motor boat. They rescued the Diligent’s crew of four, and landed them at Whinnyfold at about 10.30.

The Peterhead life-boat was also launched, but she was not required. - Rewards, £1 2s. 6d.

and 3s. 6d. for fuel used.

(See Peterhead, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 59.) CRAIL, FIFESHIRE. Shortly after 2.30 in the afternoon of the 4th July, 1941, an aeroplane was seen by the coastguard to crash into the sea eight miles from Fifeness. The weather was fine and the sea smooth. Two motor boats, manned by five men, went out, rescued the airman and salved his rubber boat. - Rewards, £1 17s. 6d. and 6s. for fuel used.

(See Anstruther, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 59.) CROMER, NORFOLK. At 4.48 in the morning of the 6th July, 1941, the coastguard reported that an aeroplane had been seen to fall into the sea one mile east of Cromer. The weather was fine, with a light S.W. wind and a smooth sea. As the No. 1 motor life-boat was being overhauled, four men put out in two crab boats, which could get away more quickly than the No. 2 life-boat. Three airmen got ashore without help, but a fourth was missing.

The two boats searched for him, but found nothing and returned at 7 A.M. - Rewards, £3 12s. and 10s. for fuel used.

HASTINGS, SUSSEX. About two in the morning of the 8th July, 1941, a rubber float was reported off St. Leonards. The weather was clear, with a light N.W. wind and a smooth sea. Four men put out in a motor boat and found only a floating can and a piece of a dan buoy. - Rewards, £3 8s. and 4s. for fuel used.

SIDMOUTH, DEVON. On the evening of the 8th July, 1941, a small rowing boat was in difficulties five miles S.S.E. of Sidmouth.

A light N.W. wind was blowing, with a slight swell. The naval authorities sent out a boat, but she could not find the rowing boat and was recalled. Next morning the Exmouth life-boat station was, informed, but she was not needed, as a motor fishing boat, which was at sea with two men on board, found the small rowing boat about seven o’clock and towed her, and her crew of two, into Sidmouth at eight o’clock. - Rewards, £1 and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

FILEY, YORKSHIRE. On the evening of the 9th July, 1941, the motor fishing coble Peggy II was reported overdue and could not he seen from the cliffs. A light northerly wind was blowing, with a slight sea and some fog. The motor boat Sunbeam put out. The Filey motor life-boat was also out. While they were searching, the coble, with her engines broken down, came in under oars, arriving at 10 o’clock. - Rewards, £1 10s.

and 6s. for fuel used.

(See Filey, "Accounts of Services by Lifeboats,” page 59.) HASTINGS, SUSSEX. At 8 in the morning of 10th July, 1941, the coastguard asked for the services of a motor boat as three-quarters of a mile S.E. off Fairlight there appeared to be a submerged boat with men hanging to it. The sea was calm, with a light N.E, wind. Two men put out in a motor boat, but they found only a bather’s float with a piece of wood attached. They brought it ashore. - Rewards, 15s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

HYTHE, KENT. About 3.45 in the afternoon of the 12th July, 1941, a rifleman of the 1st London Irish Rifles got into difficulties while bathing about one hundred yards east of the Hythe coastwatching post. Two men went to his help in a motor boat and brought him ashore. He soon recovered. - Rewards, 10s.

AUCHENMALG, WIGTOWNSHIRE. At 4.30 in the afternoon of the 13th July, 1941, a visitor reported to the coastguard that an aeaoplane had crashed in Luce Bay half a mile from the shore. Two men went out in a fishing boat. They picked up one man alive and one dead. - Rewards, £1 and 5s.

for use of the boat.

.JOHNSHAVEN, KINCARDINESHIRE. About 4.20 in the afternoon of Sunday the 18th July, 1941, two Spitfire aeroplanes collided and crashed into the sea two miles S.E. of Brotherton Point. A few minutes later two Johnshaven fishing boats put out to their help, each with a crew of four men. They found only a rubber cushion. The Gourdon life-boat also put out, but found nothing. - Rewards, £4 and £1 for fuel used.

(See Gourdon, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 59.) STROMA ISLAND, PENTLAND FIRTH. On the morning of the 18th July, 1941, a Spitfire aeroplane, escorting a convoy, crashed in the sea about 400 yards off Mell Head, south-west of Stroma Island. A moderate S.E. wind was blowing, with a moderate swell. Two men in a rowing boat saw it, and at once went to the rescue. They picked up the pilot ten minutes after he had crashed. Meanwhile the coastguard had called out a motor boat, and she had put off with three fishermen anda schoolboy on board. They towed the rowing boat to the nearest landing place, where the pilot was taken to a house. The motor boat then fetched a doctor from the mainland and later conveyed the rescued airman to the mainland. - Rewards, £1 2s. 6d., 5s. for fuel used and £3 for loss of fishing.

PORT-WRINKLE, CORNWALL. At 4.45 in the evening of the 4th July, 1941, a British bombing aeroplane, returning from Brest, crashed into the sea off Tregantle cliff, near Portwrinkle. Two men put out at once in a motor fishing boat and found that the aeroplane’s crew, two of whom were wounded, had got ashore in their rubber dinghy. They took the men aboard their fishing boat and brought them to Portwrinkle. - Rewards, 15s.

HUNSTANTON, NORFOLK. About 6.40 in the evening of the 25th July, 1941, a British trainer aeroplane crashed into the sea off Hunstanton look-out hut. Two men in a motor fishing boat, on their way from Heacham to Brancaster, altered course and reached the spot in a few minutes, and an Army captain and two other soldiers, who were bathing, swam to the spot, but the aeroplane had sunk, and there was no sign of her crew. The fishing boat picked up the swimmers and landed them, and after cruising round for a short time went on to Brancaster.

- Rewards, 15s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

CROMER, NORFOLK. Shortly after 8 in the morning of the 26th July, 1941, the naval base at Great Yarmouth reported, through the coastguard, that H.M. Trawler Strathgarry was going to anchor off Cromer and wanted a boat sent out to land some airmen.

The weather was fine. The life-boat coxswain and three other men went out in a motor fishing boat and brought ashore from the trawler six Polish airmen, one slightly injured.

- Rewards, £1 10s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

BURGHEAD, ELGINSHIRE. At 2.35 in the morning of the 27th July, 1941, the coastguard saw an aeroplane come down in the sea off Burghead, and asked the police to send out a motor boat. Two men put out ten minutes later, and found the aeroplane’s rubber dinghy with a complete crew of six of a Whitley bomber belonging to an R.A.F.

training school. They brought the men and their dinghy ashore. - Rewards, £1.

DUNGENESS, KENT. At 12.45 in the afternoon of the 1st August, 1941, an aeroplane was seen to crash into the sea about one mile from the coastguard look-out at Lade. Two rescue boats and a fishing boat with two men on board were close by and went to the spot. The fishing boat rescued one airman and the crash boats the other two. - Rewards, to the two men, 15s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

CRICCIETH, CAERNARVONSHIRE. At 10.50 in the morning of the 1st August, 1941, a raft was seen drifting seawards from the coastwatching post at Llandanwg, and a motor boat from Criccieth put out at 11.25 WH I T S T A B L E , KE N T . A b o u t 2 i n t h e afternoon of the 12th August, 1941, the fishing boat Express, manned by two men, father and son, of Tollesbury, Essex, struck a mine and sank off East Spaniard Buoy.

The men were able to get away in their small boat. They hoisted a blanket as a distress signal, and it was seen by the motor fishing boat Emma which was fishing four miles away.

A fresh W.N.W. wind was blowing, with a choppy sea. The Emma went to their help, picked them up and landed them at Whitstable.

The two rescued men had themselves been rewarded by the Institution the month before for rescuing other men in difficulties.- Rewards, £1 and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

manned by a boatman and an airman who was on leave. They reached the raft at 12.38, rescued two men and a boy who were on board, and took them to Harlech, returning to Criccieth again at 5 o’clock. - Rewards, £1 5s. and 12s. 6d. for fuel used.

PEEL, ISLE OF MAN. While the motor fishing boat Emulate, of Pittenweem, was drift-net-fishing for herring off the west coast of the Isle of Man on the night of the 4th August, 1941, the wind changed and her nets fouled the propeller. She anchored. The wind was now blowing half a gale from the N.W., with a rough sea, and about eight next morning the Emulate was reported in distress about four miles W.N.W. of Peel. The Peel life-boat was launched, but before she reached the spot the Emulate had been taken in tow by another Scottish fishing boat, the Protect Us, which brought her safely into harbour.- Rewards, £2 12s. 6d. and 5s. for fuel used.

The rewards were returned as a gift to the Institution.

(See Peel, “Accounts of Services by Lifeboats,” page 60.) BARROW, LANCASHIRE. On the morning of the 15th August, 1941, a British aeroplane came down in the sea off Walney Island.

A light S.E. wind was blowing, with a slight sea. One man put out in a rowing boat from Barrow, and two men in a motor boat from Haverigg. The Barrow motor life-boat was also launched, and the man in the rowing boat helped the airmen from the wings of their aeroplane into the life-boat. The lifeboat then took his boat in tow. The engine of the boat from Haverigg had broken down, and the life-boat took this boat in tow as well. - Rewards, 12s. 6d.

(See Barrow, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 65.) ABERYSTWYTH, CARDIGANSHIRE. While the Aberystwyth life-boat was out searching for an aeroplane on the afternoon of the 21st August, 1941, a message was received through the coastguard from the Air Sea Rescue Service, Liverpool, reporting an aeroplane in the sea nine miles N.W. of Aberystwyth.

Two men put out at about 3 in the afternoon in a motor boat and the resident naval officer at Aberystwyth went with them.

They searched, but found nothing, and re-turned about four hours later. - Rewards, £1, 9s. for fuel used and £4 for loss of earnings.

(See Aberystwyth, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 66.) BARDSEY ISLAND, AND PORTHYSGADEN, CAERNARVONSHIRE. On the evening of the 21st August, 1941, information came that an aeroplane was down in the sea off Porthysgaden.

A light westerly breeze was blowing, and the sea was smooth. Three boats put out to the rescue : a motor boat from Porthysgaden, with a crew of three, at 5.50 in the evening, a Bardsey Island boat from Aberdaron, with a crew of five at 6.25, and the Porthdinllaen life-boat at 6.51. The Bardsey Island boat found nothing. The Porthysgaden boat picked up the body of an airman and the life-boat took her in tow.

- Rewards, £6 17s. 6d. and 9s. for fuel used.

(See Porthdinllaen, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 65.) WHITSTABLE, KENT. About 8.45 P.M. on the 21st August, 1941, it was learned that the motor boat Juno, with a crew of two, had broken down off Whitstable. Darkness was falling and she was in danger of drifting ashore. Two men went out in a motor boat and brought her in. The rescued men had had their boat mined nine days before and had been rescued. Earlier in the year they had themselves been rewarded for a rescue.- Rewards, £1 5s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

LLANDUDNO, CAERNARVONSHIRE. During the evening of the 26th August, 1941, a small boat, in which there were two visitors from a convalescent home, got into difficulties.

A strong N.N.W. wind was blowing, with a choppy sea. Two fishermen put out in a rowing boat to the rescue, but they also got into difficulties. The life-boat coxswain and another man then went out in a motor boat, but when they reached the boat with the two visitors on board their petrol had run out.

They anchored and the coxswain put the two visitors on board the motor boat.

Leaving them there, he, and the man with him, then got into the visitors’ rowing boat and pulled ashore. This took them about two hours. They then got a second motor boat, returned to the rescue and towed in their own motor boat and the rowing boat which had gone out to the rescue. - Rewards, £2 15s. and 2s. for fuel used..