BRONZE MEDAL SERVICE AT HASTINGS MARCH 31ST. - HASTINGS, SUSSEX, AND DUNGENESS, KENT.

At 2.15 in the morning a message came from Dover asking the lifeboat to launch to the help of a vessel 3,000 yards to the south of Jury’s Gap, 10 1/2 miles from Hastings. She was H.M. Trawler Caulonia, with a crew of 24. A fresh to strong westsouth- west wind was blowing, with heavy rain, and during the night the wind had reached gale force. A heavy ground swell was breaking a quarter of a mile off shore. For some time past government contractors had been working on a large defence scheme, and the beach was blocked by obstacles of all sorts which had to be moved.

This, poor visibility, and the heavy sea made the launch long and difficult.

Soldiers took part in it, and the honorary secretary of station, Commander W. Highfield, O.B.E., R.N., the coxswain, who was in command of the boat for the first time, and themotor-mechanic, were conspicuous in the work of launching. But for their skill and knowledge the launch would have taken much longer than it did.

When the boat was first launched a heavy sea, coming from a breach in the old harbour, threw her back on the beach, and she had to be hove up and turned again. She got afloat at 4.30, and made her way to Jury’s Gap. The wind was moderating, but there was a high following sea.

She reached the trawler at 5.50 just as day came. The sea was breaking about a quarter of a mile off shore, and the trawler lay well inside the broken water, broadside on to the sea. Her fore part was under water, and her after gun was just showing. Seven of the crew were gathered round the funnel. The other seventeen had left the wreck on a raft and eleven of them had got ashore.

The coastguard life-saving apparatus had fired eight rockets with 400- fathom lines from the shore, but they had failed to reach the trawler. As the life-boat arrived the whole of the trawler’s bridge was swept away. The coxswain went round the trawler’s stern, but the heavy seas breaking over her, floating wreckage, and a strong tide made it very difficult for him to come alongside her. He handled the life-boat with great skill and coolness, and brought her close to the trawler.

A line was thrown and, with the engines working all the time, he held her alongside for half an hour, and the seven men were rescued. The lifeboat herself was undamaged, except for a few scratches, and reached Hastings again at five past eight in the morning.

Great difficulties had been overcome in the launch, and the actual rescue was due to the splendid handling of the life-boat by the coxswain, the motor-mechanic’s skill with his engines, and the able way in which they were supported by the second-coxswain, the bowman and the rest of the crew.

The Institution made the following awards : To COXSWAIN JOHN E. MUGGRIDGE, the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To W. R. HILDER, the motor-To COMMANDER W. HIGHFIELD, O.B.E., R.N., the honorary secretary, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum ; mechanic, the bronze medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To EDWARD F. ADAMS, the second coxswain and FREDERICK P. WHITE, the bowman, each the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum ; To the coxswain and each of the eight members of the crew a reward of 15s. in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of £2 7s., making a total reward to each man of £3 2s.

Rewards to crew and launchers on the standard scale, £54 1s. 6d. ; additional rewards to crew, £6 15s. ; total rewards £60 16s. 6d.

Only a few days after the Service Coxswain Muggridge lost his life when his fishing boat was blown up by a mine, and the motor-mechanic, W. R. Hilder, was killed in an air-raid on Hastings two months later.

Information was also sent to Dungeness and the life-boat was launched and went to the trawler, only to find that the Hastings life-boat was then taking off the last of the survivors.- Rewards, Dungeness, £34 17s..