JANUARY 26TH. - NEWBURGH, AND ABERDEEN, ABERDEENSHIRE. On the 25th January a very heavy storm of wind and snow broke on the coast. All roads and railways became blocked with snow, making traffic impossible, and telephone wires were broken. At 4.20 in the morning of the 26th the auxiliary coastguard, unable to telephone, left his post and went to the house of the life-boat coxswain to tell him that he had seen flares to the north.

The honorary secretary called out the crew, but as the report was rather vague he tried to get further information by telephone.

When he found that be could not do this, he sent three men to the observer post to see if they could get in touch with the senior naval officer, Aberdeen. At 5 o’clock a message came from the senior naval officer that a ship was ashore in Cruden Bay, about seven miles away, and that, as the coastguard life-saving rocket apparatus had gone to her help, there was no need for the life-boat to put out. At 5.45 the life-boat was secured and the crew were dismissed.

One of the three life-boatmen sent to the observer post was George Whyte, the assistant motor-mechanic, and when he returned, he said that he had seen flares which seemed to him to be nearer than those from the vessel reported ashore by the senior naval officer.

His impression was that there was a vessel ashore somewhere about Hackley Head.

between two and three miles away. On hearing this the coxswain and the secondcoxswain went along the coast, wading through deep drifts of snow, and though it was very dark when they reached Hackley Head, and the snow was still falling, they could dimly see below them the shape of a vessel which was being dashed about on the rocks by the heavy seas. She was, it was learned later, the S.S. Lesrix, of London.

The coxswain returned to Newburgh, the life-boat crew was called out again, and at 8.40 in the morning the life-boat John Ryburn was launched. She made for Hackley Head, going close inshore. A strong S.E. gale was blowing and a heavy sea was breaking over the shoals right on to the beach. The life.

boat, however, only shipped heavy spray, She found the vessel on the rocks at HackleyPoint, with her back broken and no sign of life on board her. She was so far up on the rocks that it was impossible to get near her.

The life-boat turned back for her station. She now had the seas on her port beam. It was not possible to use the drogue as the water was too shallow and the rocks too near.

Instead the coxswain used a starboard oar to help to steady the life-boat. Several times the boat was thrown heavily on her side, and when she was about half-way back to her station, a mile north of the River Ythan, and between three and four hundred yards off the shore, a huge sea struck her and she turned right over, throwing five of her crew into the sea. The other two were caught beneath the boat when she turned over, and had to force themselves under water to escape.

The men were wearing their life-belts, and the seas carried them towards the beach. They were washed up about a quarter of an hour after the life-boat had capsized. Fortunately a man from Newburgh had seen the accident and, running along the beach, was ready to drag them clear of the sea as they were washed in. Two of the seven men were unconscious, George Whyte, the assistant motormechanic, and James Walker, one of the crew. It is probable that they had struck something when they were thrown overboard.

The honorary secretary of the station, a policeman and an auxiliary coastguard arrived shortly afterwards, followed by two doctors. For an hour they attempted to revive the two men by artificial respiration, but without success. The other five men, although exhausted and very cold, were able to go to their homes without help.

The tide was falling and the boat was washed up on to the soft sand of the beach, bottom up. It was found that some slight damage had been done to the upper structure, but the hull was unhurt. Two days later the crew were sufficiently well to take the tractor to the beach where the boat lay, get her on to her carriage and bring her back to the beach opposite the boat shed. There she was launched and anchored.

On April 14th a public enquiry was held at Aberdeen in the Sheriff’s Court. The Institution was legally represented by Mr.

George Alexander, the honorary secretary of its Aberdeen branch, and it was attended by the chief inspector of life-boats, Captain E. S. Carver, R.D., R.N.R., the district inspector, and members of the Newburgh crew. The coxswain, the motor-mechanic and members of the crew, who gave evidence, said that they had full confidence in the lifeboat.

The sheriff found that the cause of the accident was due to a risk of the sea in very severe weather, that no blame attached to the coxswain or any other members of the crew, and that the evidence abundantly showed their gallantry and devotion to duty.

George Whyte left a widow, but no family.

He had been married only ten months.

James Walker was unmarried, but he had been the sole support of his aunt, the widow of a former coxswain. The Institution paid all funeral expenses and pensioned the widow and the aunt, from the day of the accident,as if the two men had been sailors, soldiers or airmen killed in action.

The Institution also made the following rewards : To COXSWAIN ALEXANDER RABB and each of the six members of the crew, a reward of £5 in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of £1 10s. ; To WILLIAM GALL, the man who saw the life-boat capsize, went into the sea and dragged the men up the beach, £5 and a letter of thanks ; To POLICE. CONSTABLE W. GILMOUR and AUXILIARY COASTGUARD G. GREY, who helped in the attempts to revive the two lifeboatmen, a letter of thanks ; To MR. ALEXANDER A. CRUICKSHANK, the honorary secretary of the station, a letter of thanks ; To the two doctors, SURGEON LIEUTENANT COMMANDER GERRARD, R.N.V.R., and DR.

MARTIN, letters of thanks ; To AUXILIARY COASTGUARD J. LAING, who first brought to the coxswain the news of the signals of distress, a letter of thanks.

Ordinary rewards on the standard scale, £14 9s. ; extra rewards £42 . total rewards £56 9s. In addition, £47 19s. 6d. was paid in allowances, funeral and other expenses arising out of the accident.

The Aberdeen No. 1 life-boat Emma Constance was also launched at two in the afternoon, to investigate, after her crew had been assembled and had stood by from 1.15 to 3.15 in the morning. When she was at sea a message was sent to her that there was no one alive on board the Lesrix, and she was asked to go and investigate another wreck, the S.S. Empire Pilgrim, the crew of which had been taken off by the life-saving rocket apparatus, while the officers had remained on board. The life-boat found the steamer in a little cove made by the headland called Blindman, where she was completely sheltered from the weather. The life-boat returned to her station at 6.15 in the evening.

- Rewards for assembly and launch , £12 11s. 3d.