Launches 23. Lives rescued 10.

APRIL 2ND. - AITH, SHETLANDS. At 4.30 P.M. the naval officer in charge, Shetlands, asked if the life-boat could take a military guard to Foula, and bring back some airmen whose Whitley bomber aeroplane had crashed on the island. A moderate N.W. gale was blowing, with a heavy sea, and the weather was thick and cold. Themotor life-boat The Rankin, with the guard on board, put out at 6 P.M. She arrived at about 9.45 P.M., but found that a landing was impossible in the darkness and the heavy seas, and anchored. She had to wait until noon the following day by which time the weather had moderated and she was able to land the guard and embark the airmen who were injured. She took them to Walls, where the men were taken charge of by the local doctor, and returned to her station, arriving at 6.45 P.M., over twenty-four hours after she had set out. Letters of thanks were received from the R.A.F. at Wick and the flag officer in charge at Lerwick. - Rewards, £15 17s.

APRIL 2ND. - NEWBURGH, ABERDEENSHIRE.

At 6.56 P.M. the Collieston coastguard reported that a fishing vessel was showing distress signals, south of the River Ythan, and the motor life-boat John Ryburn was launched a t 7.30 P .M. A moderate N.W. wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. The life-boat found that the vessel was the True Vine, partly loaded with fish.

Her engine had broken down and she wished to be towed to Aberdeen. The minesweeper Lord Ashfield, which was passing, agreed to take the True Vine in tow, and the life-boat carried a rope between the two. The minesweeper toned the True Vine to Aberdeen, and the life-boat returned to her station, arriving at 8.40 P.M. - Rewards, £12 18s.

APRIL 5TH. - NEWBIGGIN, NORTHUMBERLAND.

At about 1.20 P.M .  he coastguard reported that the motor coble Humility, of Newbiggin, was overdue. She had a crew of three. A strong westerly wind was blowing, with a rough sea. The motor life-boat Augustus and Laura was launched at 1.51 P.M. and an hour later found the coble five and a half miles N.E. of Newbiggin Point. Her engine had broken down .

The life-boat towed her in, arriving at 4.35 P.M. - Rewards, £10 6s. 6d.

APRIL 7TH. - CROMARTY. At 6.35 in the morning a message came from the R.A.F. that several of their seaplanes had broken adrift from their moorings, with their crews aboard, that they had not enough boats to face the storm, and that they would be glad of the life-boat’s immediate help. A strong N.W. gale was blowing, with a rough sea, and there were heavy showers of sleet. The motor life-boat James Macfee was launched at 7.15, went to the seaplane base, took two R.A.F. officers on board, and then patrolled round the seaplanes and gave them valuable help. They were all made safe except one, which had foundered. The life-boat searched the firth for her crew of six men, but they had all been drowned. She also reported by wireless to the authorities on shore that a petrol barge at moorings west of Invergordon, with no one aboard, was sinking.

This message probably led to the barge being saved, for, as soon as the weather moderated slightly, R.A.F. men went out and boarded her, just in time to prevent her from sinking.

After the life-boat had returned to her station, a small R.A.F. launch, No. 867, was seendrifting about three miles from shore, and the life-boat went out again. She found no one on board the launch, towed her into harbour, and returned to her station at 11.45. - Rewards, £4 7s. 6d.

APRIL 7TH. - ABERDEEN. At about 10.20 A.M. the auxiliary motor schooner Else, of the Faroes, was seen from Aberdeen harbour round house to be in difficulties off the south breakwater. A strong N. wind was blowing, with a rough sea and sleet squalls. The No. 1 motor life-boat Emma Constance was launched at 10.50 A.M. and found that the naval vessel Concord had the Else in tow. A line from the Else was taken by the life-boat, and she helped to tow, but the line parted. Then the tow-line from the Concord also parted, but by this time the Else was able to go under her own power, and all three vessels entered port at 11.30 A.M.

- Rewards, £3 19s 6d APRIL 7TH. - BRIDLINGTON, YORKSHIRE.

At 10.37 A.M. , the coast guard reported that a coble was in difficulties off Ulrome, eight miles south of Bridlington, and that she had put up a sail which had been blown away. The weather was very bad.

A heavy sea was running, and a N.W. gale, the worst experienced for many years, was bringing down chimney-pots and tiles all over the town. At 10.55 A.M. the motor life-boat Stanhope Smart was launched, by tractor, and about an hour later she found the open motor coble Lily, of Bridlington, in ballast, with a crew of five on board. Her engine had broken down, and she was being towed by the large motor fishing boat La Mariole which, while on her way in from the fishing grounds, had found the Lily driving fast to leeward. As the Lily was half full of water her skipper asked the life-boat to stand by and she escorted the two boats to harbour, arriving at 12.45 P.M. - Rewards, £6 17s. 6d.

APRIL 7TH. - ALDEBURGH, SUFFOLK.

At 4.10 P.M., the coastguard informed the life-boat station that a sailing barge bound north had not been reported for some time.

A northerly pale was blowing with a very heavy sea. At 6.17 P.M. the coastguard reported that the barge had been seen coming out of a squall about six miles to the E.N.E.

She was making heavy weather. Her topsail had been blown away and she appeared to be flying a signal of distress. The No. 1 motor life-boat Abdy Beauclerk was launched at 6.40 P.M. and about half an hour later came up with the barge Greenhithe, of London.

She was holding her own under her foresail and the life-boat escorted her into smooth water in Hollesley Bay. It would have been impossible in that gale for the life-boat to come ashore on the beach at Aldeburgh, and she made for Harwich, arriving at 10.30 P.M.

She returned to her station on the following day. - Rewards, £58 13s.

APRIL 11TH. - SHOREHAM HARBOUR, SUSSEX. At 5.45 P.M . the coastguard reported a ship sinking four miles S.E. at Littlehampton, and at 6.17 P.M. the motor life-boat Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn was launched. A fresh S.W. wind was blowing.

The life-boat found the wreckage of the Norwegian steamer Frode, which had been mined while in convoy. Guided by a smoke signal dropped by a searching aeroplane the life-boat found and picked up a man in the water, but he was dead. Motor launches picked up some survivors and several dead bodies. After searching until dark the lifeboat returned to her station, arriving at 10.20 P.M. - Rewards, £13 5s. 6d.

APRIL 16TH. - COVERACK, CORNWALL.

At 7.35 P.M. the coastguard reported an object on the sea in a south-easterly direction from Blackhead, and at 7.40 P.M. the motor life-boat The Three Sisters was launched.

A light easterly wind was blowing and the sea was smooth. A mile and a half south of Blackhead the life-boat found a Carley float, with no one on board. She signalled Blackhead lookout, learned that this was the object to which she had been called out, and with the float in tow returned to Coverack, arriving at 9.25 P.M. - Rewards, £11 1s.

APRIL 20TH. - NEWQUAY, CORNWALL.

At 12.37 in the afternoon the coastguard reported that an aeroplane towing a target had come down in the sea about two miles west of the harbour. Most of the regular life-boat crew were out fishing, but a crew was made up of three regular men and six volunteers, and the motor life-boat Richard Silver Oliver was launched at 1.5. It was dead low water, spring tide, and the launch had to be made from the beach outside the harbour. Men from the R.A.F. helped. A light N.W. wind was blowing, with a moderate ground sea. At 1.25 the life-boat found a rubber dinghy off Pentire Point west of Fistral Bay with two airmen on board. She was just in time to rescue them, for they were very much exhausted. She took the airmen and dinghy on board and arrived back at her station at 1.55 P.M. A letter was received from the R.A.F. station to which the aeroplane belonged, thanking the life-boat for the promptness with which it had gone to the rescue. - Rewards, £16 10s.

APRIL 25TH. - LLANDUDNO, CAERNARVONSHIRE.

The rowing boat Meg, with no one on board, anchored in Llandudno Bay, was in danger of sinking during a strong southerly gale, with a rough sea. Three men put out in the small fishing boat Dorothy to bring her in, but when they reached her she had already sunk. They were now in difficulties themselves, and at 2.30 P.M. the motor life-boat Thomas and Annie Wade Richards was launched. She rescued them and took their boat in tow, arriving back at her station at 3.15 P.M. - Rewards, £8 19s.

BRONZE MEDAL SERVICE AT ST. DAVID'S APRIL 25TH - 26TH. - ST. DAVID’S, PEMBROKESHIRE. At ten in theevening a message was received from the coastguard, that a tank landing craft was in distress one mile southsouth- east of St. Ann’s Head. This was near the entrance to Milford Haven, but as the Angle, Milford Haven, motor life-boat was off service for overhaul, the St. David’s motor life-boat Civil Service No. 6 was launched. It was then 10.45, and she had a journey of 18 miles, through a south-west gale, with a heavy sea. It was a difficult journey in that weather, and it was made no better by the knowledge of the crew that floating mines were about.

According to a statement in the House of Commons after an official enquiry had been held by the Admiralty, there were two tank landing craft, with 70 to 80 naval men and marines on board. A deep depression had come up much more quickly than had been expected, but the commanding officers decided that they could make Milford Haven, and they had arrived off it at midday on April 25th. By this time a full onshore gale was blowing, with a heavy and confused sea. The flag officer in charge at Milford Haven sent out two tugs and two trawlers, and also diverted H.M.S. Rosemary, an escort vessel, to their help. Several times these vessels succeeded in passing tows to the landing craft, but in the heavy seas all the tows parted.

Finally one of the landing craft foundered at six in the evening, and the other at one in the morning of the 26th. In spite of all that could be done by the rescue ships 72 men in the landing craft were drowned. The Rosemary launched a whaler to the rescue, but she too was lost with the six men on board.

The life-boat reached the scene about one in the morning. Her crew noticed a strong smell of oil, and the sea was smoother, but they saw nothing. Then, at 1.20, in the pitch darkness, they heard a shout. The lifeboat steered towards it, and, in the beam of a searchlight from a naval vessel, she saw a man swimming towards her. She picked him up about 1.40. He was covered with oil, and collapsed as soon as he had been rescued. The crew stripped him of his wet clothing, massaged him and, when he had revived a little, reclothed him in one of the emergency suits carried in the boat, and put him in the engineroom with bags as a pillow and an oilskin coat over him. The lifeboat continued to cruise round until daylight. She found no one else, but just before day broke, she saw a floating mine only a few yards ahead, and avoided it just in time. It was a very narrow escape She may well have had other escapes without knowing it during the night. As she could do nothing more she returned to her station. It was again a very rough passage. She arrived about 8.30 next morning.

The coxswain had then been at the wheel just short of 10 hours, and he had before him a very difficult problem.

There was a very heavy run of sea on the slipway which would make it very dangerous to attempt to haul the lifeboat up into the house. The alternative was to leave her at moorings, but the coxswain knew that if the weather were to get worse, and the life-boat were wanted again, it would be very difficult, at moorings, to man and refuel her. He decided to take the risk of hauling her up the slipway in the heavy sea, and succeeded in doing it, with practically no damage to her.

In this he showed great nerve, skill and judgment. He was greatly helped by two of the launchers who manned the boarding boat and tended the slipping ropes from the buoys to the life-boat.

They were not fishermen used to boats, but two young farm labourers, and they ran a very great risk of being capsized. The life-boat was got into her house at 9.15, and the rescued man, a naval stoker, still suffering from shock, was taken in a car by the honorary secretary to his house. He was given a hot bath and a meal, and put to bed. After some hours he was much better, and after another good meal he left in an ambulance for his naval base at 6.30 in the evening.

The following message was received from the flag officer of the naval base at Milford Haven : “ Please convey to your crew of the St. David’s life-boat my appreciation of their prompt answer to our call, and admira-tion for their efforts during the rescue during last night.” The Institution made the following awards : To COXSWAIN WILLIAM WATTS H.

WILLIAMS for his devotion to duty in a difficult service, and his great skill in rehousing the life-boat, the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum, and a reward of £3 in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of £1 17s. 6d. ; To each of the seven members of the crew a reward of £2 in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of £1 17s. 6d. ; but nothing could be found. - Rewards, £12 13s. 9d.

APRIL 4TH . - NEW BRIGHTON , CHESHIRE. A red light had been reported, To PERKIN JONES and EDWIN PHILLIPS, who manned the boarding boat, a reward of £2 in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale to launchers of 13s. 6d. ; To the other two launchers a reward of £1 in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale to launchers of 13s. 6d. ; Standard rewards to crew and helpers, £13 19s. ; additional rewards to crew and helpers, £23 ; total rewards, £36 19s.

APRIL 26TH. - THE HUMBER, YORKSHIRE.

At 2.50 A.M. the naval authorities reported that the balloon vessel Thora had got on to the boom defence, but that the tug Yorkshireman was going to her help. A whole W.S.W. gale was blowing with a very rough sea . At 4.18 A.M. came another message asking for the life-boat, and at 4.45 A.M the motor life-boat City of Bradford  II was launched. She reached the position twenty minutes later and with the help of searchlights from the Bull Fort found a man clinging to a life-buoy. With difflculty, she got him on board, and spoke to the patrol vessel Forethought. She had rescued five men of the Thora from a Carley float, but the remaining two were missing. The life-boat put the man whom she’d rescued on board the Forethought, so that he could receive better attention, and be taken more quickly to Grimsby, and then searched for the two missing men, but she found only wreckage. She then made for Grimsby, arriving at eight in the morning, the crew were put up at the Missions to Seamen, and returned to their station the following day.- Paid permanent crew. - Rewards, £2 2s. 8d.

APRIL 29TH. - ILFRACOMBE, DEVON.

At 4.45 A.M. the naval officer in charge at Appledore reported that an aeroplane had crashed, and a quarter of an hour later he asked for the life-boat to be sent to help naval and R.A.F. boats searching for the crew of a Wellington bombing aeroplane which had crashed off Morte Point. The sea was calm with a light westerly wind. The motor life-boat Rosabella was launched at 4.50 A.M. and about 6 A.M. she saw wreckage of the aeroplane three miles N.W. of Morte Point. She picked up some of the wreckage and articles from the aeroplane, but found no survivors although she searched for several hours until the search was abandoned on instructions from the naval officer in charge. She returned to harbour at 10.55 A.M. - Rewards, £13 15s. 9d.

The following life-boats were launched, but no services were rendered for the reasons given :

APRIL 4TH. - PORT ASKAIG, HEBRIDES.

A British aeroplane had been reported down, but nothing was found.- Rewards, £14 12s. 6d.

(See Ardfern, “ Services by Auxiliary Rescue-boats,” page 68.) APRIL 5TH. - CROMER, NORFOLK. A Lancaster bomber aeroplane had crashed and her dinghy had overturned with six airmen on board, but a destroyer escorting a passing convoy rescued two of them, and of the other four only two dead bodies were found. - Rewards, £17 6s. 6d.

APRIL 6TH - 7TH. - CLACTON, ESSEX. At 12.55 in the afternoon the coastguard reported that a barge was showing signals of distress about five miles off Clacton, and the Clacton motor life-boat Edward Z. Dresden was launched at 1.15. A north-westerly gale was blowing, with a very rough sea. The lifeboat found the barge an hour later, the Tam o’ Shanter, of London, anchored one and a half miles east of the Swin Bell Buoy. She was loaded with brick rubble and bound for Maldon. Her crew consisted of a man and a boy. The skipper said that she was leaking, but refused to abandon her and asked the coxswain to tow him to Brightlingsea. He also asked for two or three life-boat men to be put on board to help him weigh anchor.

This was done. The men were the secondcoxswain, Frank Castle, the assistant motormechanic, A. Liddiard, and the bowman, A. Griggs. In forty minutes they had got the anchor up and the life-boat took the barge in tow. After she had towed her for one and a half miles, to the Swin Bell Buoy, the tow parted, and at 4.45 P.M. the barge anchored for the night to wait for a more favourable tide. The life-boat lay astern of her all night, secured to her by a line.

Through the night, wind and sea fell, giving prospect of a fine day, but on the morning of the 7th the wind increased again to an exceptionally strong gale from the west, with a heavy sea. Again the coxswain tried to persuade the skipper of the barge to abandon ship, but again he refused and, on account of the change of wind, asked the coxswain to towhim to Harwich. The life-boat and barge waited for a favourable tide, and it was not until one in the afternoon that the barge again weighed anchor. The life-boat then towed her through the Swin Spitway but after she had been towing for about three miles, in very heavy seas , the tow again parted.

The wind and sea were now almost abeam, so the barge hoisted a sail and went on her way with the life-boat escorting her. Both the barge and the life-boat were rolling heavily and shipping a good deal of water, and they had only gone a short distance when suddenly, at 2.50 P.M., the barge capsized, throwing the skipper, the boy and the three life-boatmen into the sea. The life-boatmen were wearing life-belts, but the other two were not. The life-boat went at once to their rescue, but the boy had sunk almost immediately, and though the crew were able to get hold of second-coxswain Castle with a boathook, he appeared to be either dead or unconscious. They lost hold of him and could not find him again. They then went to the help of the other men, who were seen to be alive. They rescued the bowman, and then the assistant motor-mechanic.

The latter had been supporting the skipper of the barge, but before the life-boat’s crew could get hold of the skipper, he had loosed his hold and disappeared The life- boat searched for over an hour, but found nothing of the three who had been lost and returned to her station, arriving at five in the afternoon.

She had then been at sea for 28 hours.

The assistant motor-mechanic was suffer- ing from shock and exposure, and the bowman from a slight injury to his wrist. The coxswain and motor-mechanic were also suffering from injuries, the coxswain with badly bruised hands, and the motor-mechanic with a sprained muscle in his back. As neither of the motor-mechanics was fit for duty and the coxswain had no strength in his hands, the boat was off service for a day or two. The second-coxswain, Frank Castle, who lost his life, was nearly 50 years old.

He was unmarried and left no dependants.

His body was never recovered.

In view of the exceptionally bad weather and the hardships endured, a reward of £3 in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of £2 10s. was made to each member of the crew. Standard rewards to crew and helpers, £16 11s. 6d. ; additional rewards to crew, £24 ; compensation for injuries, £1 5s. ; total rewards and compensation, £41 16s. 6d.

APRIL 7TH. - SOUTHEND - ON - SEA, ESSEX. A barge had been reported sinking, but she had sunk, and there was no sign of her crew when the life-boat arrived. A steamer had gone ashore, but tugs were standing by her and she did not need the life-boat.

- Rewards, £4 17s. 6d.

APRIL 12TH. - ANGLE, PEMBROKESHIRE.

Lights had been reported on Grassholm Island at night, but it was found that grass on the island had been on fire.- Rewards, £8 14s. 9d.

APRIL 12TH. - CROMARTY. The engine of an Admiralty motor vessel had broken down, but she was towed in by another vessel. - Rewards, £6 5s.

APRIL 20TH. - CLACTON - ON - SEA, ESSEX. A German aeroplane had been shot down in flames, but the only survivor was picked up by another boat. The lifeboat then learnt that two British aeroplanes had come down and joined in the search for them, but nothing was found. - Rewards, £5 15s. 6d.

APRIL 28TH. - SENNEN COVE, CORNWALL.

An aeroplane was reported to have crashed but nothing was found. - Rewards, £7 2s.