NEWHAVEN, SUSSEX. Four men were out fishing in the motor fishing boat Little Old Lady on the 14th of July, 1943, and at about 8.30 in the morning saw a parachute from a Thunderbolt aeroplane floating down about two miles south of Peacehaven. They made at once for it but it hit the water before they could reach it. An airman in a “ Mae West ” life-belt was attached to the parachute. The sea was smooth but a fair westerly breeze was causing the parachute to drag him roughly along.

He was badly injured. The men lifted him aboard, gave him first-aid treatment and set course for Newhaven. - Rewards, £2 10s., with £1 8s. for loss of time, £1 10s. for fuel used and £1 10s. for a blanket and firstaid kit.

NEWHAVEN, SUSSEX. Four men were out fishing in the motor fishing boat Little Old Lady on the 14th of July, 1943, and at about 8.30 in the morning saw a parachute from a Thunderbolt aeroplane floating down about two miles south of Peacehaven. They made at once for it but it hit the water before they could reach it. An airman in a “ Mae West ” life-belt was attached to the parachute. The sea was smooth but a fair westerly breeze was causing the parachute to drag him roughly along.

He was badly injured. The men lifted him aboard, gave him first-aid treatment and set course for Newhaven. - Rewards, £2 10s., with £1 8s. for loss of time, £1 10s. for fuel used and £1 10s. for a blanket and firstaid kit.

CRAIL, FIFESHIRE. About 8.30 in the morning of the 28th of July, 1943, an Anson aeroplane, flying low to drop a rubber dinghy to a Swordfish pilot who was in the sea about three miles north-north-west of Fifeness, touched the water and failed to rise. The sea was smooth, with a very light westerly wind.

Two men were fishing nearby in the fishing boat Comely. They made at once for the aeroplane and took off her crew of two. From them they learnt about the Swordfish pilot, found him floating unconscious in his Mae West life-belt and rescued him. He had been in the sea since just after midnight. They gave him artificial respiration until a launch arrived and took him on board. The Anson was later salved by fishing boats. - Rewards, £1 5s., and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

PORTSTEWART, Co. LONDONDERRY. In the afternoon of the 31st of July, 1943, a sailing regatta was being held in Portstewart Bay, with a strong southerly wind blowing and a choppy sea. At 3.30 the 20-feet sailing boat Maud capsized and sank about half a mile from shore. A 14-feet boat, not engaged in the race, was sailing in the bay with her owner and two R.A.F. men on board.

The R.A.F. men had been watching the Maud. They saw her as she sank about half a mile away, and kept two men from her under observation in the water, as their boat made for them. They rescued the two, but could not find the third member of the Maud’s crew. The pilot boat also put out, but when she arrived the men had already been rescued. - Rewards, £4.

BANFF. Early in the morning of the 9th of August, 1943, the steam tug Empire Larch had two tugs in tow, but the tow parted.

The weather was wild, with a strong northwest wind blowing and a heavy swell, and the drifting tugs were driven towards the shore. H.M. Destroyer Onward was trying to tow one of them when the tow rope broke, and with one man on board she was being driven on to the rocks. Three men manned the 39-feet motor boat Pilot Me, and when the tug was within 50 yards of the rocks went alongside and rescued the man on board.

The Whitehills life-boat also went out, but was not needed. - Rewards, £1 17s. 6d. and 4s. for fuel used. (See Whitehills, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 35.) PORTH CLAIS,

ST. DAVID'S, PEMBROKESHIRE.

A woman - a non-swimmer - who was bathing at Porth Clais on the afternoon of the 11th of August, 1943, was washed off a partly submerged rock on which she was sitting. The sea was slight, but the tide was ebbing. The woman’s sister-in-law tried to rescue her, but failed. William H. John, aged 18, and three younger boys, were in a rowing boat on their way back from visiting lobster pots. People on the cliffs made signs to them and so drew their attention to the woman, who was 400 yards away. Though she could not swim she was keeping afloat. The four boys went at once to her help, and though she was exhausted William John managed to lift her into the rowing boat. As it made for Porth Clais it was met by two men who had put out in a motor boat, and they gave the rowing boat a tow. - Rewards, £1 to William John, £1 2s. 6d. to the boys and 15s. to the two men in the motor boat.

DINAS ISLAND, NEAR FISHGUARD, PEMBROKESHIRE.

The boat Cwmsara, with two men on board, went out at about 7 in the evening of the 17th August, 1943. A strong south-east-by-east wind was blowing, with squalls, and the sea was rough. The weather grew worse and the boat got into difficulties.

As she had not returned when darkness set in two men put out in the rowing boat Snowdrop and found the Cwmsara on the rocks. In attempting a rescue the rescuers’ own boat was carried on to the rocks, and the four men were stranded at the foot of steep cliffs.

The crew of the Snowdrop managed with some difficulty to climb to the cliff top and told the coastguard about the other two men. The coastguard brought them up the cliff. It was then 4.30 A.M. on the 18th. The two men who had put out in the Snowdrop had been engaged from ten at night until 4.30 in the morning, and but for them the other two men might have lost their lives. Both boats were left high and dry but were subsequently got off without much damage. - Rewards, £4, and 10s. for the use of the boat. The 10s.

was returned as a donation to the Institution.

BALLANTRAE, AYRSHIRE. At 1.17 in the afternoon of the 18th of August, 1943, a Beaufighter aeroplane crashed into the sea one and a half miles north of Ballantrae. A light south-west wind was blowing, but the sea was smooth. The coastguard called out the motor fishing boat Bayana, with a crew of four, and she rescued the crew of two of the aeroplane. - Rewards, £2 10s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

PENNAN, ABERDEENSHIRE. About 3.50 in the afternoon of the 27th of August, 1943, the auxiliary coastguard at Pennan saw an object at sea two miles away in a northerly direction.

A light westerly wind was blowing and the tide was ebbing. As it was thought that an aircraft might have crashed, three auxiliary coastguards who were off duty manned a motor boat. They found a derelict naval balloon, which they transferred to a rescue boat. The Fraserburgh life-boat was launched, but her services were not required.- Rewards, £1 17s. 6d. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

(See Fraserburgh, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 36.)

WINSPIT, DORSET. On the afternoon of the 31st of August, 1943, a man from London was cut off by the tide at the foot of the cliffs.

The tide was rising and there was a moderate swell. Three men put out in a rowing boat.

The man jumped into the sea and was taken into the boat. - Rewards, £1 10s.

MARGATE, KENT. At 4.40 in the afternoon of the 5th of September, 1943, a British Moth aeroplane crashed into the sea about half a mile north of Margate Pier. A moderate south-west wind was blowing, but the sea wassmooth. Five men promptly manned a motor boat and put out from the harbour.

They picked up the airman, but he was dead.

The Margate life-boat was also launched, but reached the scene after the body had been picked up. - Rewards, £3 2s. 6d. and 2s. for fuel used. (See Margate, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 40.)

NEWTON-BY-THE-SEA, NORTHUMBERLAND.

At 9.35 in the morning of the 8th September, 1943, a British Hurricane aeroplane crashed into the sea, two miles east of the coastguard look-out at Embleton Bay. The weather was fine and the sea smooth. The coastguard called out the motor boat Royal Diadem, and she left with a crew of three.

They found an airman floating in a life-jacket and rescued him. There is no doubt that his life was saved by their promptness, for he was suffering from shock when they rescued him.

The Boulmer life-boat arrived after the rescue and picked up a rubber dinghy and some wreckage. - Rewards, £1 17s. 6d. and 2s. 6d.

for fuel used. (See Boulmer, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 38.)

TREVOR, CAERNARVONSHIRE. About 5 in the afternoon of the 9th of September, 1943, an Anson aeroplane was seen to crash into the sea fifty yards from the shore off Trwyn-Ta1 Point, Trevor. The weather was fair, with a light south-east wind and a slight sea. A pilot and a member of the Royal Observer Corps at once put out in a rowing boat. After a hard pull they reached the aeroplane and rescued three men who were on the wings. These they landed. They then returned to the aeroplane as three other men were trapped inside. They recovered two bodies and put them on board a rescue launch, but the third body they could not reach. They had incurred some risk and had been engaged for about 3 1/2 hours, and the pilot in his determined efforts to save the men in the aeroplane had damaged, beyond repair, his suit and boots. - Rewards, £2 and £9 5s.

for damaged suit and boots. (See Porthdinllaen, Accounts of Services by Lifeboats,” page 40.) HOPE COVE:, DEVON. About 5.30 in the afternoon on the 16th of September, 1943, an American Fortress aeroplane crashed into the sea four miles north-west of Bolt Tail and her crew of ten took to their dinghy. The sea was rough, with a moderate south-west wind blowing. Ex-coxswain Isaac Jarvis, now aged 78 years, and his grandson, aged 20, were returning from fishing in their motor boat. They rescued the ten airmen at some risk, for their boat was overloaded, and one of the men was badly injured. The Salcombe life-boat was launched, but was recalled. A silver cup was presented by the crew of the aeroplane to their rescuers. - Rewards, £4 and 3s. for fuel used. (See Salcombe, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 40.)

TENBY, PEMBROKESHIRE. On the 16th of September, 1943, four boys in an open boat were blown away to sea by a strong southwest wind. The sea was rough. A 29-feet motor fishing boat was at anchor in the roads, and when her crew of two saw the boys indanger they put out. They did not reach and rescue the boys until they were two miles out and their boat half full of water. - Rewards, 15s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

NEWBIGGIN, NORTHUMBERLAND. At 2.30 in the afternoon of the 20th of September, 1943, the fishing boat Two Sisters, which was without her engine, as it was under repair, was seen drifting out to sea. She had a crew of four on board. They had taken the boat out under oars, but were unable to regain the harbour in a rough sea, with a strong, squally, westerly wind blowing and an ebbing tide.

The motor fishing boat Sylvia put out with a crew of five, picked up the drifting boat three quarters of a mile east-by-south of Newbiggin Point, took the four men on board and towed the Two Sisters to the shore. - Rewards, £2 10s. and 4s. 6d. for fuel used.

SOUTHWOLD, SUFFOLK. At 1.25 in the afternoon of the 4th of October, 1943, a parachute was seen coming down from a Flying Fortress aeroplane, which was in difficulties.

Her crew had baled out over land ; the pilot had taken her over the sea and then had baled out himself. A strong south-west wind was blowing, with a very choppy sea. Two men put out in the 19-feet motor boat Excelsior, launching her at some risk of being swamped in the heavy surf. One mile from the shore north-east of Southwold they found the pilot, with his parachute harness entangled round his legs, and rescued him. He was in a very distressed condition. A second motor boat the 16-feet Golden Dawn also put out with a crew of four to help in the search.

- Rewards, £3 15s. and 5s. for fuel used.

WATCHET, SOMERSET. At 5.10 in the afternoon of the 8th of October, 1943, the honorary secretary of the life-boat station was asked by the R.A.F. camp to send a boat to the help of two men whose aeroplane had come down in the sea about a mile and a half north by east of Watchet. A light south-east breeze was blowing, with a smooth sea. He went to the life-boat station and saw a boat already on the way. She was a rowing boat manned by a crew of five, the life-boat head launcher, a member of the life-boat crew and three men from the Bideford ketch Ade. With the ebb tide the boat reached the scene in a quarter of an hour, but could find no survivors. The men had a hard pull back against the ebb tide.

- Rewards, £3 2s. 6d. (See Minehead, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 43.).