GOLD MEDAL SERVICE AT HARTLEPOOL JANUARY 26TH. - HARTLEPOOL, DURHAM, AND TEESMOUTH, YORKSHIRE. At 6.55 in the morning word came from the coastguard that he had seen rockets from a vessel off Seaton Carew. The life-boat was called out at once, but there was a slight delay, as the ferry boat in which the crew had to cross the harbour to the lifeboat station was packed with workmen.

The motor life-boat The Princess Royal (Civil Service No. 7) got away at 7.35. An easterly gale was blowing, with fierce squalls of snow. A very rough sea was running, breaking far from the shore, and it was still very dark. Although the vessel in distress was only three miles south of Hartlepool in a direct line, the life-boat had a longer journey, as she had to go seaward in order to keep clear of various unlighted buoys, wrecks and coast defences. Then, when she was off the entrance to the Tees, she stood inshore and, at 8.30, as day was breaking, she found the wreck about half a mile north of the Tees North Gare Jetty, the S.S Hawkwood, of London, with a crew of 23 on board.

She had broken in two immediately abaft her bridge. The stern part, on which several men could be seen, was right in shore in very shallow water off the sandy beach. The fore part, on which men could also be seen, was 200 yards farther out, but it too was in very shallow water. After studying the wreck for some time the coxswain decided that both ends were in water too shallow for the life-boat to get to them, and, as the crew were not in immediate danger, he decided to return to Hartlepool, and to attempt a rescue at high water. He arrived at Hartlepool at 9.50.

The life-boat set out a second time at 11.35 and reached the wreck at 12.15 in the afternoon. The gale was still blowing as strongly, with fierce squalls of snow and a very rough sea.

Where the stern of the steamer lay the water was still too shallow for the life-boat to get near, but the coxswain made for the fore part. It was being swept by heavy seas, and the five men on board it were now so exhausted that they could not have held on for much longer. The coxswain handled the life-boat very skilfully, brought her alongside and, with his engines working, held her there while the five men, watching their opportunity, jumped aboard. Heavy seas were continually breaking in the life-boat, and they were so violent that at times she was almost standing on end.

The coxswain could see that the coastguard life-saving apparatus was now attempting to fire a line from the shore to the stern part of the steamer, and as there was nothing more that the life-boat could do at the moment, he returned to Hartlepool, sending a request by wireless to the naval base for an ambulance to meet the life-boat.

It was there when the life-boat reached Hartlepool at 1.30 in the afternoon, and the five men were at once taken to hospital.

The gale now appeared to moderate, and the life-boat put out to sea for the third time at 2.35 to attempt the rescue of the men on the stern part. She reached it at 3.15, but the heavy breaking seas and the shallow water still prevented her from going close.

The coxswain used oil, but it would not flatten the seas. He then anchored and dropped down on the cable towards the wreck, hoping to come near enough to fire a line from the line-throwing gun and rescue the men by means of the breeches buoy, but the life-boat still could not get close enough. Though she was still out of range of the wreck she touched the sandy bottom, and a sea breaking over her stern flooded the after cockpit, stunned the motormechanic and slightly injured another member of the crew.

The coxswain could see that the men on the wreck were sheltering behind the deck house and were comparatively safe for the present, so he decided to return to harbour and make another attempt at high water that night. The life-boat reached Hartlepool at 5.20. She did not have to put out for a fourth time, for at low water that evening the coastguard reported that they had at last managed to get a rocket to the wreck, and a second message said that all the men on board had been rescued.

Throughout the three attempts the coxswain had handled the life-boat with great judgment, and in the actual rescue of the five men had shown courage, skill and determination.

Through a long and arduous day, and extremely bad weather, he had been ably supported by the crew, and particularly the motor-mechanic. The Institution made the following awards : To the coxswain, LIEUTENANT WILLIAM H. BENNISON, C.G.M., R.N.V.R., the gold medal for conspicuous gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To H. W. JEFFERSON, motormechanic, the silver medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To each of the six other members of the crew, T. GILCHRIST, bowman, R. HORSLEY, assistant motor-mechanic, E. WALLACE, emergency mechanic, and R. COULSON, W. HORSLEY and H. PEARSON, life-boatmen, the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum; To SECOND-COXSWAIN J. S. STORROW, who went out only on the third trip, and to S. REAY, life-boatman, who went out on the first and third trips, but not on the second, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum ; To the coxswain and each of the men a reward of £3 in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of £1 8s. 6d., for the three trips ; to the four helpers a reward of 5s. in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of 6s. 9d. Rewards on the standard scale, £14 3s. 6d. ; additional rewards, £31 ; total rewards, £45 3s. 6d.

The master of the Hawkwood, in a letter of thanks to the honorary secretary of the station, said : “ We would like you to know that we will always remember the fearless and persistent determination displayed by the crew of the life-boat under the gallant command of the coxswain, Lieut. W. H. Bennison, R.N.V.R., who showed such indomitable courage, initiative and superb seamanship.

“ We all deeply appreciate that we owe our lives to these men, who would have been fully justified (and felt that they had done their duty) after their first attempt to approach the wreck, to have made no further effort. But it was apparent that these men were wholly fearless and inspired by the spirit of self-sacrifice and determination not to be beaten by the tremendous odds against them.“’ THE TEESMOUTH LAUNCH At seven in the morning the Teesmouth station was told by the port war signal station that there was a ship ashore on Seaton Sands and that the Hartlepool life-boat was launching.

At 8.55 came another message that the Hartlepool boat had not been seen since launching at 7.35, and that Teesmouth should launch, as the ship seemed to be breaking up, but beforethe boat put out Hartlepool was rung up and it was found that the Hartlepool life-boat had returned and that it was impossible to approach the ship. At 11.5, as it was then known that the ship had broken in two, the Teesmouth motor life-boat J. W. Archer was launched. Three pilots volunteered to go with her as well as her crew. The life-boat reached the wreck to find that Hartlepool had already rescued the men from the fore part, and the Teesmouth life-boat returned to her station. - Rewards, £12 15s..