BRONZE MEDAL SERVICE AT RAMSEY NOVEMBER 20TH. - RAMSEY, ISLE OF MAN. About seven in the morning, the steam trawler Strathairlie, of Aberdeen, of 193 tons, on her way from Fleetwood to the fishing grounds, ran ashore at Skellig Bay, about three miles north of Ramsey. The wind was blowing strongly from the south-southeast,, with a heavy on-shore sea, and the night was very dark, with rain. The launch of the life-boat by tractor in the heavy sea and darkness was very difficult, but the motor life-boat Lady Harrison got away at 7.45. She reached the trawler at 8.30 and found her right in the surf on a flat sandy shore. The seas were sweeping clean over her, banging her heavily on the sands, and all the time driving her further in. The life-boat herself was nearly standing on end in the heavy surf. In that shallow water it was very difficult and hazardous for her to go near enough to rescue the trawler’s crew, and the trawler gave no lee on either side, where the life-boat could have found some shelter from the seas.

The coxswain anchored and droppeddown on his cable with the engines running. He could not, in the shallow water, go alongside in the ordinary way, but he managed to get two lines to the trawler from the life-boat, one from her bow and one from her stern.

When a sea had passed, the life-boatmen hauled the life-boat near enough to the trawler for one of the trawler’s crew to jump aboard. Then, before the next sea came, they hauled her out again by her cable. Again and again she went in, and again and again she was within a foot of being flung right on the trawler. Those who were watching from the shore expected at any moment to see them crash together. They knew that if they did it would certainly be the end of the trawler, the life-boat and both crews. But the coxswain handled the life-boat very skilfully. Thirteen times he took her without mishap near enough to the trawler for a man to jump aboard, until all the thirteen men of the crew had been rescued. Then he hauled her clear and brought her safely into Ramsey harbour at 9.36.

It was a hazardous rescue, carried out with great skill, and the Institution made the following rewards : To COXSWAIN JOHN COMISH, the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote on vellum ; To ERNEST STARKEY, acting motormechanic, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum ; To the coxswain, acting motormechanic and each of the five members of the crew, a reward of £1 1s. in addition to the ordinary scale reward of 19s., making a total reward of £2 to each man, and an additional reward of 10s. to each helper. Standard rewards to the crew and launchers, £11 10s. ; additional rewards to crew and helpers, £16 7s. ; total rewards, £27 17s..