SILVER MEDAL SERVICE AT ANGLE DECEMBER 18TH. - ANGLE, PEMBROKESHIRE.

A gale was blowing from the south-west and a very rough sea was running. In the early evening a small Dutch ship, the motor vessel Thor, of Rotterdam, which was evidently seeking shelter, was seen in difficulties off St. Anne’s Head at the entrance to Milford Haven. Here the sea is always worse than farther out, and as the Thor approached the midchannel buoy she was overwhelmed by a following sea and thrown on her beam ends. Just before this happened the honorary secretary of the life-boat station had been asked to assemble the crew. He realised that in such weather and in such a position a small vessel must be in great danger, so, instead of assembling, he called the motor life-boat out at once, and the Elizabeth Elson was launched at 5.50.

It was well that he did so.

When the life-boat approached the Thor Coxswain Watkins found a tug standing by. The life-boat asked for information, and the tug’s skipper told him, in so many words, ” We can do nothing. Do what you can.” The coxswain went closer to the Thor and by the light of his searchlight saw her on her beam ends, all awash, with heavy seas breaking right over her. She looked, he said, “ like a half-tide rock.” It was dangerous to go any closer, but he did it, and saw that some of the crew had abandoned the wreck and were in the water, and in great straits. It was now pitch dark and it was very difficult to see the men, but the life-boat picked up two of them. A third was carried away and drowned. The life-boat was on the weather side of the Thor. To go any closer on that side was certain disaster, so the coxswain took her to leeward to see if any more men were left on the Thor. She was now nearly bottom up, with heavy seas breakingover her. Gear and wreckage to leeward made the approach dangerous, but the coxswain brought the lifeboat so close to the Thor that he was able to drag two of her crew to the life-boat with veering lines, and two more were able to jump into her from the bottom of the Thor. No one remained on board. So far as could be discovered the Thor had had ten men on board. The life-boat had rescued six ; the tug had rescued one ; three were lost.

The coxswain, a man of sixty-seven, took great risks. He handled the lifeboat with great skill and daring, and his responsibility and risks were increased by the fact that he had not all his regular crew with him.

The Institution made the following awards : To COXSWAIN JAMES WATKINS, the silver medal for gallantry, with a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum ; To ALBERT E. REES, the motormechanic, the thanks of the Institution, inscribed on vellum ; To the coxswain and each of the eight members of the crew a special reward of £1, in addition to the ordinary reward on the standard scale of £1 17s. 6d. each. Standard rewards to the crew and launchers, £19 2s. 6d. ; additional rewards to the crew, £9 ; total rewards, £28 2s. 6d..