MAY MEETING RINGFORD, Co. ANTRIM. Two men went out in a very small boat, on the 27th October, 1941, to lift lobster pots. A moderately strong and squally off-shore wind was blowing and the sea was choppy. Apparently the small boat got into difficulties and, for some unexplained reason, one of the men went overboard and attempted to swim to shore.

The other man was unable to manage the boat by himself.. Men on shore saw that he was in difficulties and signalled to a man who was coming into Carnlough harbour in his motor fishing boat. He went to the small boat and rescued the man. Then he searched for the swimmer, but he had disappeared.- Rewards, 19s. and 4s. for fuel used.

HILBRE ISLAND, CHESHIRE. At about six in the evening of 13th March, 1942, a Hurricane aeroplane made a forced landing on the West Hoyle Bank. A moderate wind was blowing from the S.E., with a slight sea, but the tide was flowing and the bank would be covered in two hours’ time. The lighthouse keeper of Hilbre Island and an airman put off in a rowing boat to the rescue. They had a hard row for about a mile and a half, but they reached the bank in good time and rescued the pilot. It was another hard row back, and the night had come before they reached the lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper’s wife put up the rescued pilot for the night. - Rewards, £3.

ST. ANDREWS, FIFESHIRE. On the afternoon of the 15th March, 1942, two R.A.F. aircraftsmen hired a rowing boat. The sea was rough, with a stiff easterly breeze blowing, and the men were advised to keep in the harbour. After a time they took the boat outside, and when about 350 yards from the breakwater, they met rough water. They turned back, but their boat capsized , and they were thrown into the sea. They managed to get back to the boat and to hold on, although at times they had to let go as the boat turned over in the heavy seas.

Two men put out in a small rowing boat and, with some difficulty and at some risk in the rough sea, rescued the two aircraftsmen.

They had then been in the water for about 15 minutes. - Rewards, £1 18s.

TEESMOUTH, YORKSHIRE. Shortly before 10 in the morning of the 17th March, 1942, a Hudson aeroplane fell into the sea three miles N.E. of Saltscar. It exploded and burst into flames. A moderate southerly wind was blowing, but the sea was smooth. The coxswain of the Teesmouth life-boat put out in his motor boat with his two sons, who were naval ratings, and three unknown airmen.

They soon reached the scene and saw wreckage floating and several bodies, but there were no survivors. An R.A.F. rescue launch then arrived and took over the work, pickingup several bodies. The Redcar motor lifeboat also put out and picked up one body.

Six airmen had lost their lives. - Rewards, £2 17s. to the coxswain and his sons and 4s.

for fuel used.

(See Redcar, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 32.)

COLWYN BAY, DENBIGHSHIRE. Just after noon on the 8th April, 1942, a British aeroplane came down in the sea half a mile off Colwyn Bay pier. A strong S.S.W. wind was blowing and the sea was rough. Three soldiers from a Colwyn Bay camp put out at once in a rowing boat, found the rubber dinghy from the aeroplane, with four airmen on board, off Llysfaen, and took it in tow ; but they could make no headway against the wind and sea, with the dinghy in tow, and had to give up the attempt to reach the shore. A motor boat had also put out, manned by a special constable, his son and another man. They took over from the rowing boat the towing of the rubber dinghy with the airmen, and landed them at 1.40 in the afternoon. The soldiers, with no dinghy in tow, were able to row back to the Shore. - Rewards to the crew of the motor boat, £1 17s. 6d. and 4s. for fuel used. The soldiers could not be traced.

(See Llandudno, “ Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 37.) WALMER, KENT. At 1.58 in the afternoon of the 12th April, 1942, the Deal coastguard reported to the Walmer life-boat station that a British aeroplane was down in the sea, and the airman afloat in a rubber dinghy about one mile east of Walmer Castle. A light S.E.

wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. At 2.14 P.M. a motor fishing boat put out, manned by the station officer of coastguard, the lifeboat coxswain, mechanic, bowman and one of the life-boat crew. When she was about two hundred yards off the airman the fishing boat was passed by an R.A.F. rescue launch which rescued the airman and took him to Dover. A man also put out from Kingsdown, but he also did not reach the spot until after the R.A.F. rescue launch. - Rewards, £1 17s. 6d. to three of the men. The others, being Deal men, were rewarded by the Bevan Trustees of Deal and Broadstairs.

BEER, DEVON. A few minutes before 11 at night of the 12th April, 1942, a Beaufighter aeroplane was seen by the coastguard to crash into the sea. A light S.W. wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. The owner of a motor fishing boat, with two other men and two police constables, went out to the rescue. They picked up some parts of an aeroplane a mile or two south of Beer Head, but found no survivors, and returned at 3 o’clock - Rewards, £6 5s. and 8s. for fuel used.

SWANAGE, DORSET. At about eight in the morning of 10th May, 1942, the life-boat mechanic saw an invasion barge in difficulties in the bay, and endeavouring to come alongside the pier. She had been badly damaged about the bows, had a lot of water in the hold, and could only move astern. It was,however, useless for her to come alongside the pier, as it had been cut in two to prevent it from being used in an invasion, and there was no way of getting ashore except by boat.

Realising this, the mechanic told the coastguard, and it was decided not to launch the life-boat, but to make use of a rowing boat, although a fresh N.E. wind was blowing, with a nasty swell. The life-boat’s coxswain, the motor mechanic and the assistant motor mechanic put off in a boat, and, at the request of the naval officer-in-charge, gave their help to the captain of the barge and the salvage party which he had on board. They were engaged in this work from eight in the morning until six in the evening. - Rewards, £1 17s. 6d.

HASTINGS, SUSSEX. At 1.18 in the afternoon of the 17th May, 1942, the Fairlight coastguard reported that the local fishing boat Good Luck had been machine-gunned by a German aeroplane about one and a half miles S.E. of Hastings harbour. A light westerly wind was blowing and the sea was smooth. It was nearly high water. On shore there was an air-raid alert. The life-boat coxswain and four other men put off in a motor boat, met the Good Luck about half a mile out, and escorted her into harbour. No one on board was wounded, but the boat herself was holed and making water.- Rewards, £3 2s. 6d. to five men, £1 to ten helpers and 1s. 6d. for fuel used.

SHERINGHAM, NORFOLK. At 11.30 at night on the 17th May, 1942, the coastguard reported that an aeroplane had crashed about two miles E. by N. of the coastguard station.

A light southerly wind was blowing and the sea was smooth. As the life-boat was having her annual overhaul, twelve life-boatmen put off in two fishing boats at about 11.45 P.M.

A minesweeper, which had her searchlight on, reported that she had seen an aeroplane crash, and the military searchlight on shore was also switched on, but the two boats found nothing, although they searched until 2 next morning. The Cromer life-boat also came out, and the fishing boats left her there to continue the search. - Rewards, £10 and 10s. for fuel used.

(See Cromer, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 39.).