JANUARY MEETING SILVER MEDAL SERVICE AT RHOSNEIGIR RHOSNEIGIR, ANGLESEY. About 11.30 in the morning of the 28th of August, 1941, a British bombing aeroplane crashed in the sea off Rhosneigir.

A gale was blowing from the south-west, with a very heavy sea. The nearest life-boat, the Holyhead motor lifeboat, was at a shipyard for overhaul, and her crew were away fetching a relief life-boat. The Porthdinllaen motor life-boat was called out and launched at 12.48 in the afternoon.

She reached Rhosneigir about 2.30.

By that time there was nothing to be the crew. The most gallant attempts at rescue were made by four shore boats, and by many people working from the beach, but all the efforts failed, and not only were the three airmen lost, but eleven of the rescuers.

The honorary secretary of the Holyhead life-boat station, who visited Rhosneigir afterwards, said that these gallant attempts must have been hopeless from the start, for the seas that were driving on shore with the tide running out against them were not rolling in and breaking on the open beach in the usual way, but moving like walls of water, with curling tops.

Almost as soon as the aeroplane came down on the water two of her seen of the aeroplane, but even had crew were washed off her. The third the life-boat been able to arrive earlier clung to the fuselage. He was the aeroplane was in water so shallow that it would have been impossible for seen by two boys of seventeen, Mr. John L. S. Wood, of Chester, the life-boat to reach her and rescue and Mr. Derrick Baynham, of Walton-on-Thames. With a total disregard for their own safety they at once launched a small dinghy and set out to the rescue. It took them threequarters of an hour of hard rowing to reach the aeroplane, and they showed wonderful seamanship in handling, and keeping afloat that small open boat through the heavy seas. But as they turned it to go alongside the aeroplane, a sea caught it broadside on and capsized it. Both the boys were thrown into the water, but both succeeded in clinging to the over-turned boat. Then they left it and swam to the aeroplane on which the airman was crouching. When they had regained their breath they decided to make for their boat again.

It was being driven shoreward and they feared that at any moment the aeroplane might sink.

They persuaded the airman, a Pole, to go with them. He had been slightly injured in the crash, and was weak from shock and exposure. He was scarcely able to help himself, and was supported by the two boys as, battered by the seas, they struggled to keep their heads above water. The aeroplane as well as the boat was being carried shoreward, and in their struggle they used anything they could get hold of, an oar, the boat and occasionally the aeroplane itself. In this way they gradually drifted nearer to the shore and one of the boys and the airman managed to seize a beach defence post. It was not strong enough to bear their combined weight, so the boy left the airman to hold on to it, and again struck off towards the shore. Both the boys had now almost given up hope of reaching another defence post or the shore itself, but people on the shore, who had watched their splendid struggle, were preparing to go to their help. They formed a human chain, reaching far out from the shore, and this chain succeeded in seizing and passing in the two boys.

Unfortunately it was not able also to rescue the Polish airman. He was actually then in his own depth as he clung to the post, but he was so exhausted that he could not hold on.

He lost his grip, was swept away and drowned.

Meanwhile other, very gallant, efforts had been made to reach the aeroplane. One man had put out in a boat alone, but was forced by the heavy seas to turn back. Then nine men put out in a whaler. Seven of them were soldiers and the other two were an officer of the merchant navy and a police constable. They must have realised that they were making an almost hopeless attempt, at the risk of their own lives, but they refused to listen to the warning of other people on the shore. They felt it their duty to make the attempt. They succeeded in rowing the whaler well out to sea, but in trying to bring her under the lee of the aeroplane they were caught and capsized by a heavy sea, and were thrown into the water in all directions.

One of the nine men managed to struggle ashore himself. Two, neither of whom could swim, clung to an oar.

A man swam out from the beach to help them, and brought them in.

They were only half conscious, but were revived. The other six men were all washed up, but it was impossible to revive them.

Yet a fourth boat put out with two men on board, a coastguard and an aircraftsman. This boat too was capsized.

The coastguard was drowned, the aircraftsman was saved.

People on shore saw the capsize of the boats and the men on board them thrown into the water, and fourteen soldiers and airmen swam out to help them. Four of these fourteen men lost their lives.

During these heroic efforts aeroplanes were flying low overhead and dropping life-belts to the rescuers struggling in the water.

The Institution made the following awards to those who had attempted rescue with the use of boats : To JOHN L. S. WOOD and DERRICK BAYNHAM, each the silver medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum. They were also both awarded George Medals, and received money rewards from the Air Ministry, and silver cigarette-cases from General Sikorski, Commander-in- Chief of the Polish Forces, with his signature on them ; To SERGEANT C. JACKSON, LANCEBOMBARDIER T. TAYLOR and GUNNER J. W. PARKINSON, the three survivors of the nine men who manned the whaler, each the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To AIRCRAFTSMAN(1St Class) ALBERT E. ATKINSON the survivor of the two men who manned the fourth boat, the bronze medal for gallantry, and a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum.

The bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum, was also posthumously awarded to each of the seven men who lost their lives in the boats, as follows : SECOND-LIEUTENANT PETER T. WHYSALL R. A. BATTERY SERGEANT-MAJOR ALFRED W. MOGER, GUNNER CLARENCE H. THORNTON, SECOND MATE, MERCANTILE MARINE, ARTHUR J. OWEN, POLICE CONSTABLE GEORGE C. ARTHUR, COASTGUARD OFFICER EVAN JONES and GUNNER REGINALD EATON.

The Royal Humane Society rewarded those who had made attempts at rescue by swimming.

Fourteen men put out in boats.

Seven of them lost their lives. Fourteen men swam out. Four of them lost their lives.

(See Porthdinllaen “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” 1941, page 67.) SANDAY, ORKNEYS. On the morning of the 30th October, 1941, the Norwegian motor vessel Anna went aground on a lee shore at Hyngreenie Point, Sanday. A light S. wind was blowing, with a slight sea. The coastguard informed the Stromness life-boat, but she was not needed as two men had put off from the shore in a small rowing boat and brought ashore the whole crew of eleven.- Rewards, £2.

BALLYHALBERT, CO.. DOWN. On the afternoon of the 26th November, 1941, the motor vessel Francois Tixier, of Bristol, with a crew of fourteen, was seen to be in distress in Ballyhalbert Bay. She had sprung a leak, was listing heavily, and was circling round her own anchor with her propeller out of the water. A fresh S.W. wind was blowing, with a rough sea. The Cloughey and Donaghadee life-boat crews were called out, but the boats were not launched as a boat, which was already at sea, went to the rescue. She was a 35-feet motor boat, with a crew of two, and she rescued all the crew of the vessel except one man, who was drowned. - Rewards, £2 and 10s. for fuel used.

HERNE BAY, KENT. About 8 in the evening of 27th November, 1941, coastguards watching an aeroplane coming in from seawards saw it crash in flames near Herne Bay pier, and Beltinge observer post reported cries for help. These cries were heard by two men, who jumped into a rowing boat, and rescued one man who had come down by parachute. - Rewards, £2 10s.

NEWQUAY, CORNWALL. At 4 in the afternoon of the 20th December, 1941, information was received at the life-boat station that a British aeroplane was in the sea six miles N.W. of Penhale Point. The weather was fine, with a smooth sea and a light N.E. wind.

At 4.25 P.M. a 26-feet motor boat - the Early Dawn - manned by the life-boat coxswain, the mechanic, the bowman and Mr. E. H. Trembath, the honorary secretary, put out.

They reached the spot, to find that four aeroplanes and an R.A.F. rescue launch were already searching. A few minutes later the launch picked up one survivor and then two bodies. The fourth airman was not found.

- Rewards, £3 and 10s. for fuel used.

LYTHAM-ST. ANNE'S, LANCASHIRE. About 4.30 in the afternoon of 21st December, 1941, a Lytham resident telephoned to the honorary secretary of the life-boat station that an aeroplane had crashed. About a quarter of a mile south of the pier, on the bank by the ninth mile light, a British fighter aeroplane could be seen, burning fiercely.

A strong S.W. breeze was blowing, with a moderate sea. As there was no water over the south training wall the life-boat was not launched, but the life-boat coxswain and seven men manned the life-boat’s boarding boat, and the second-mechanic and another man manned the mechanic’s punt. The motor mechanic remained on shore to stand by the life-boat. As the boats were putting off, an Admiralty launch came alongside the pier, and took them in tow. The honorary secretary of the life-boat station went in the launch. The launch towed the two boats as far as it could, and when the water became too shallow cast them off, leaving them to go to the burning plane while It searched the river for any survivors. The life-boat crew and volunteers landed from the boarding boat on the sandbank, but they found that the aeroplane had buried itself in the mud and quicksand to a depth of about five feet. They picked up parts of the aeroplane and an airman’s helmet. As the aeroplane had crashed at full speed, there seemed to be no hope of any survivors, and the boarding boat returned to her station, arriving at 6.30 P.M. The Admiralty launch, after searching the river, had returned at 5.45 P.M.

The naval authorities were thanked for the help which they gave, and a letter of thanks was sent to the honorary secretary, Fergus Dearden. - Rewards, £10.

NEWQUAY, CORNWALL. At 11 in the morning of the 7th January, 1942, a British Avro Anson aeroplane was reported to he down in the sea. A moderately rough sea was running, with a fresh northerly wind.

The motor fishing boat Bonny Girl, which had just returned from sea, put out at once with a crew of three and found the aeroplane three hundred yards east of Goose Rock, Pentire Point, and rescued the three airmen just as the aeroplane sank. They were suffering from slight cuts and shock. The Newquay motor life-boat was launched after the fishing boat, but the fishing boat reached the aeroplane first. - Rewards, £3 and 5s. for fuel used.

(See Newquay, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 27.).