BARRA ISLAND, HEBRIDES. On the evening of 16th January, 1942, the steamer R. J. Cullen, of St. John’s, Newfoundland, was blown ashore at Leanish Point, on the S.E. side of Barra, by a S.E. gale, and on the 16th January, 1942, the Barra Island motor life-boat had been unable to get near her.

On the morning of the 17th January, when the gale had somewhat moderated, the lifeboat coxswain arranged for the motor fishing boat St. Margaret, of Vatersay, to go to her help, as the life-boat herself was at this time going out to another ship ashore. Manned by her crew of six, the motor fishing boat left Vatersay at 8 in the morning. In spite of numerous reefs and heavy swell, she got alongside and rescued the crew of forty-seven.

She landed them at Castlebay and arrived back at Vatersay at 5 in the evening.- Rewards, £5 14s. and £3 10s. for fuel used.

(See Barra Island, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 12.)BARRA ISLAND, HEBRIDES. On the 22nd January, 1942, the Barra Island life-boat rescued twenty-eight of the crew of the S.S. Eugenie S. Embiricos, which had been disabled and driven ashore, in a gale, at Leanish Point, on the S.E. side of Barra Island. On the following morning the life-boat coxswain arranged for the lobster fishing boat Joy, from Earsary, which was about a mile from the wreck, to go and rescue four men who had remained on board. A moderate S.E.

wind was then blowing, with a rough sea.

Four men manned the Joy, which was a rowing boat, and, with some difficulty owing to the reefs and rough sea, they rescued the four men on the steamer. - Rewards, £3 16s.

(See Barra Island, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 12.)

PORTHCAWL, GLAMORGANSHIRE. At 3.10 P.M. on the 30th January, 1942, five airmen in a skiff belonging to the R.A.F. left Porthcawl to go to an R.A.F. motor launch lying at a buoy about 1,000 yards off the pier.

The skiff missed the launch and was swept towards the Tusker Rocks. It could be seen that she was in very great danger, and at 3.50 P.M. a motor boat, manned by the owner and the crew of four of the R.A.F. launch, went to the rescue. They boarded the launch, and in her followed the skiff, which they picked up when she was only 100 yards from the Tuskcr Rocks. - Rewards, 10s. to the owner of the motor boat and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

VENTNOR, ISLE OF WIGHT. At 2.35 in the afternoon of the 15th February, 1942, a member of the coast life-saving corps reported what appeared to be a rubber dinghy four miles S.S.E. of Woody Point. Three men put out at once in a pulling boat. The coastguards were told, and so too were the military in case the boat was not back by sunset. An air/sea rescue launch also put out, and a Walrus flying boat. The launch rescued four airmen, whose aeroplane had come down in the sea at about 2.30 that morning, while returning from a raid on Mannheim. The launch towed the pulling boat back to Ventnor. - Rewards to the three men, £2 5s.

CLACTON-ON-SEA, ESSEX. At about 3.30 P.M. on the afternoon of the 15th February, 1942, a British Wellington bomber crashed into the sea about 300 yards off the beach, a quarter of a mile W. of Clacton Pier. A light N.N.W. wind was blowing, with a slight sea. The life-boat motor-mechanic was on the pier, and he and three soldiers at once put off in two rowing boats. The mechanic had realised that time was vital and that it would take too long to get the life-boat crew together. He took one soldier with him in the larger of the two rowing boats, the two other soldiers manning the other. Under his supervision the two boats picked up four men from the bomber and two Army officers who had swum out to help and were in serious difficulty. Some of the rescued men died later. The action of the two officers in swimming out was reported to the RoyalHumane Society and two of the soldiers who went out in the two boats, a captain and a battery sergeant-major, were thanked, but the third could not be traced. At the request of the authorities the life-boat coxswain and assistant motor-mechanic put off in a boat later in the day to take officers out to the aeroplane. These two men were engaged from 7 P.M. until 9.30 P.M. - Rewards, £2 2s. 6d.