CROY, DUNURE, AYRSHIRE. While working on Croy shore about 12.30 in the afternoon of the 20th August, 1942, two men saw an aeroplane crash into the sea about half a mile from the shore. The weather was fine and the sea calm. The pilot got clear of his machine and was seen swimming in the water. The two men put out in a rowing boat, accompanied by a visitor who was a doctor, and saved the airman. - Rewards, £1 5s.

BRONZE MEDAL SERVICE AT PORTHLEVEN PORTHLEVEN, CORNWALL. On the morning of the 23rd of March, 1943, heavy seas were breaking on the beach, and an army sergeant, who had gone in to bathe, was seen to be indifficulties. An officer, Lieutenant Kenyon, went in to his help. Onlookers saw that he too was in difficulties and called out Mr. T. Hendy Matthews, the harbour pilot, who lived close by. It was then 7.30. Mr.

Matthews at once took charge. He got out a life-buoy and life-line and directed how they should be used if the men were washed ashore anywhere within reach. With the extraordinary run and crash of the breakers it was impossible to do more on the spot, and Mr. Matthews then went to the harbour where two men, Mr. W. H.

Williams and Mr. J. Williams, offered their help in an attempt at rescue by boat. No rowing boat could have lived in the seas and it was decided to use the 18-feet motor pilot boat. But heavy baulks had been put across the inner harbour the evening before to protect the shipping in it from attack. To lift them would take three-quarters of an hour and to save time it was decided to hoist the pilot boat over them. Mr.

Matthews and his helpers improvised slings of rope and chain and with these and the man-power crane they hoisted the boat and slid her down into a heavy run of sea, which was dashing against the wall. Two of her three oars were broken and they were left dependent entirely on the engine. Fortunately it was running perfectly. They now had the difficulty of steering the boat down the middle of the outer harbour through the breaking seas. The great difficulty was that there is a bend in the harbour, and at the entrance a heavy sea was running across it.

There the boat was in great danger of being swamped, but they brought her safely through it to the smooth sea beyond the breakers. They turned along the shore. The sergeant was already dead, killed, it was thought, by the tremendous force of the seas, but Lieutenant Kenyon was still swimming, though very feebly. They turned shorewards again towards him.

They had now to watch very carefully to keep the boat clear of the broken water and Mr. Matthews swung her round and moved her slowly stern first. When they were near enough, they flung a rope to him, but he seemed not to notice it. They triedagain and this time it struck his chest.

He grasped it, but was too exhausted to do more. Mr. Matthews continued to back the boat slowly towards him until they were near enough to grasp him. Fortunately the sea on which they were riding was smooth, and they were able, without mishap, but with great difficulty, to lift him into the boat. They were only just in time to save him. Returning, they had the same danger with the breaking seas at the entrance to the harbour, but they came safely through them. The whole rescue - so promptly had they carried it out - had taken, from the moment when they started to get the boat ready, only 35 minutes. The three rescuers were agreed that it was the worst sea that a Porthleven boat of that size had ever attempted.

ARBROATH, ANGUS. At 12.3 in the afternoon of the 17th of July, 1943, the coastguard telephoned to the life-boat station that the Bell Rock had reported that a Walrus aeroplane had crashed into the sea five miles north-west of the Bell Rock at 10.30 that morning. Four minutes later it was reported that a fishing boat which was at sea had rescued two men. She was the Girl Mary, of Arbroath, with a crew of three. The remaining airman was lost. The rescued men were landed over to a Fleet Air Arm rescue boat.

- Rewards, £1 10s.

The Institution awarded its bronze medal for gallantry to Mr. T. H.

MATTHEWS, the harbour pilot, and to each of the other two men, MR. W. H.

WILLIAMS and MR. J. WILLIAMS, the Institution’s thanks inscribed on vellum.

To each of the three men the Institution also awarded £2. Lieutenant Kenyon, for his gallant attempt to rescue the sergeant, was awarded a medal and £10 by the Carnegie Hero Fund.

SCRATBY, NORFOLK. About 8.50 on the night of the 26th of June, 1943, the pilot of an American Thunderbolt aeroplane baled out and came down in the sea about one mile east-north-east from Scratby. The owner of a boat and another man, who were nearly two miles away in the country, saw the airman coming down. They cycled as quickly as possible to the boat, to find other men already taking her down to the water. A fresh northeast wind was blowing and the sea was breaking heavily on the beach. Three men manned the boat - two fishermen and a soldier.

She was a 14-feet rowing boat and in getting off they shipped a good deal of water. They rescued the airman and handed him over to a rescue launch. Coming ashore, like pulling out, was difficult, and not without risk. Two of the men damaged their best boots and the owner of the boat lost two oars, three lines. a rope and other gear. - Rewards, £4 10s.bwith £5 for loss of gear, 10s. for use of boat and 10s. for damaged boots. The Caister life-boat also put out, but was not needed.

(See Caister, ” Accounts of Services by Life. boats,” page 30.)

KEISS, CAITHNESS-SHIRE. At 1.34 in the morning of the 17th of July, 1943, the coastguard reported a steam trawler ashore about OVERSTRAND, NORFOLK. About three o’clock in the afternoon of the 26th of July, 1943, an American Fortress bombing aeroplane landed in the sea about 500 yards off Overstrand beach. There was a light southeast wind and the sea was smooth. Mr J W. Betts, a young man, discharged from the army on account of ill-health, was engaged in laying fishing lines between a quarter to half a mile way. He cut away his gear and rowed with all speed to the rescue. He found eight of the aircraft’s crew of ten in two large rubber boats, another was struggling in the water and another alone in a smaller rubber boat. Betts succeeded, not without risk, in rescuing the man in the water, and then took on board the man from the smaller rubber boat, which almost immediately sank. With these two men on board and with one of the large rubber boats containing four men in tow, he rowed to the beach. Meanwhile another fisherman, Mr. Dick Davies, the only man ashore at the time, with three men from the Seaforth Highlanders, stationed at Overstrand, launched his own dinghy and rowed a mile south of Keiss Harbour, making distress signals by siren. She was the Serapion, of Grimsby, bound for the Faroe fishing grounds. The weather was calm but foggy.

A motor boat, manned by three auxiliary coastguardmen, put out and brought two of the trawler’s crew ashore. Later, these two men were taken back to the trawler and the motor boat stood by until another trawler arrived, returning ashore at 8.50. The stranded trawler was refloated the following day. - Rewards, £3, and 10s. for fuel used.

PORT ST. MARY, ISLE OF MAN. About 7.30 in the morning of the 21st of July, 1943, an aeroplane came down in the sea two miles south-east of Scarlet Point, some five or six miles from Port St. Mary and a mile from Langness Lighthouse. The weather was fine, with a light easterly wind and a calm sea.

The life-boat crew were assembled, but as it was realised that with shortage of help and a very low ebb tide it would take some time to get the life-boat away the honorary secretary sent off the motor boat Penelope with a crew of four. Meanwhile, two of the keepers at the Langness Lighthouse had put out in a rowing boat and rescued two airmen who were in their rubber dinghy. They handed them over to an Air Sea Rescue launch, which arrived shortly afterwards. The Penelope arrived just after the rescue launch.- Rewards, £3 15s., and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.out. The stopper had been taken out of the dinghy to drain her, and there was no time to replace it before launching. The water came in fast, and the three soldiers were busy baling, one of them holding his hand over the hole all the time. The dinghy took on board one of the four airmen from the second of the two rubber boats, took the boat in tow, with the other three men in her and returned to the shore, the water still coming in and the soldiers baling. The gear, which Mr. Betts had cut away, was recovered. - Rewards, £2 and £2 10s.

SHERINGHAM, NORFOLK. About 3.40 in the afternoon of the 26th of July, 1943, an American Fortress bombing aeroplane crashed into the sea about two miles north-byeast of Sheringham. The sea was calm, but the Fortress sank in seven minutes. The life-boat crew were assembled, but meanwhile six men had got away in a motor fishing boat. They found the whole crew of ten American airmen, some in their rubber dinghy, others clinging to it, and rescued them. On their way back they met the lifeboat.

- Rewards, £3 15s. ; and 2s. 3d. for fuel used. (See Sheringham, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 32.)

PORTHDINLLAEN, CAERNARVONSHIRE.

About nine on the night of the 30th of July, 1943, the life-boat head launcher was out in a rowing boat, accompanied by four visitors on a fishing trip. The weather was fine and the sea smooth. When about half a mile out in Porthdinllaen Bay he saw two boys swimming between 400 and 500 yards farther out. They were swimming hard, but were being carried out by the current. He rescued them just in time, for they were nearly exhausted.

- Rewards, 12s. 6d.

NEWQUAY, CORNWALL. About 12.30 in the afternoon of the 9th of August, 1943, it was learned from Perranporth, through the coastguard, that a Hawker Handley target towing aeroplane had crashed into the sea off Carters Rock, north of Penhale Point. A light northerly wind was blowing and a moderately heavy sea running. The life-boat and two motor boats put out. One of these was manned by the late honorary secretary, Mr. H. P. Thomas, the other by two fishermen.

These men acted promptly and made a thorough search, found no one, and returned to harbour just before three o’clock. - Rewards, Letter of Thanks to Mr. Thomas and £1 5s. to the other two men. (See Newquay, Cornwall, " Accounts of Services by Lifeboats,” page 33).

SELSEY, Sussex. At 6.30 in the evening of the 9th of August, 1943, the coastguard telephoned the life-boat coxswain that a boy had telephoned that his brother was on an island in Pagham Harbour, where he had been bathing, and could not get ashore owing to the rising tide. A light west wind was blowing, with a slight sea. The coxswain arranged for two men to put off in a motor fishing boat and himself cycled to the shore opposite the island, a distance of two miles.The men found that the boy had cramp and brought him ashore. - Rewards, £1 5s. and 7s. 6d. to the coxswain, with 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

NEW BRIGHTON, CHESHIRE. At 2.15 in the afternoon of the 20th of August, 1943, the police reported that a woman was drowning off Harrison Drive and asked that a boat be sent. A strong south-west wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. The coxswain, secondcoxswain and motor mechanic put out at once in the motor dinghy. They picked up the woman, who was unconscious and floating up with the tide. They applied artificial respiration and this was continued on the landing stage until the ambulance arrived, but no sign of life was seen. Whilst they were on the stage another police message came that a policeman who had jumped in after the woman had disappeared. With an additional man on board they put out again, but found nothing. - Rewards, £2 5S., and £1 for damage to clothing.

SCARBOROUGH, YORKSHIRE. At 6.40 in the evening of the 22nd of August, 1943, the coastguard telephoned the life-boat coxswain asking him to search for an object floating out to sea a mile from Cayton Bay. The sea was smooth with a light north-west wind. Four men put out in a motor coble, found a tree trunk, two miles east-north-east of Yon’s Nab, and brought it into harbour. It looked very much like a man on a float. - Rewards, £2 10s. and 8s. 6d. for fuel used.

ILFRACOMBE, DEVON. About noon on the 26th of August, 1943, the honorary secretary of the life-boat station, who was at the harbour, received a message, originating from an ambulance driver, that someone had fallen from the cliffs at Hillsborough and that a boat was needed to help from below the cliff.

The weather was moderate. The honorary secretary sent out two men in a rowing boat.

On arrival they found that it was a boy of about seventeen, who had fallen over the cliffs, and that he was dead. They took on board the body and a policeman, and brought them to Ilfracombe Harbour.- Rewards, £1.