ANNAN WATERFOOT, DUMFRIES-SHIRE. At 11.30 in the morning of the 27th of August, 1943, a Beaufort aeroplane crashed and exploded in the Solway Firth, about half a mile south-east of Annan Waterfoot. The sea was calm, with a light westerly wind blowing. Within five minutes of the crash Mr. George W. Irving reached the scene in his motor boat Jean, but could find nothing. He returned ashore and informed the police. He remained on hand and as the tide ebbed he put out again and recovered four bodies. He had to act promptly as in a matter of minutes the bodies would have been silted up and lost.

It is reported that other men took action, but that chief credit belonged to Mr. Irving.

About two years before he had rescued two airmen, who would have had no chance but for his help, as one was without a life-belt and the other had a belt which he could not inflate. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to Mr. George W. Irving.

ANNAN WATERFOOT, DUMFRIES-SHIRE. At 10.30 in the morning of the 31st of August, 1943, Mr. F. Woodman and his son were trawling in his motor boat Eliza Jane in theSolway Firth. The sea was calm. They saw a Hurricane aeroplane alight on the sea and went at once to the rescue. It took them an hour to reach the aeroplane, one mile south of Annan Waterfoot, but they were in time to rescue the airman. They landed him at Annan Waterfoot. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to Mr. F. Woodman.

KILMORE Co. WEXFORD. About a week previously to the 17th of December, 1943, two men were left on the Small Saltee Island to trap rabbits. Owing to gales the boat tending them could not put out. They were without food and signalled for help. The landing place on the island is very difficult.

On the morning of the 17th of December the honorary secretary of the life-boat station arranged that the life-boat should go for them the following morning unless a shore boat took them off during that day. The sea was still rough, owing to the gales, but there was a lull and only a moderate west-south-west wind was blowing when, at mid-day, four men, including the life-boat coxswain and motor mechanic, put off in the motor boat St. Joseph. They took with them a small landing boat. The life-boat coxswain and mechanic took off the men in this boat.- Rewards, £3 10s., and 7s. 6d. for fuel used.

NEWHAVEN, SUSSEX. On the morning of the 30th of December, 1943, four men were at sea in the motor fishing boat Little Old Lady.

At 11.30 they saw a Fortress aeroplane crash in the sea about two miles east of them. The weather was clear, with a fair sea and a tenmile- an-hour wind from the west-north-west.

They made at once for the aeroplane, but motor launches arrived before them and rescued the airmen. - Rewards, £4 and 10s.

for fuel used.

RHYL, FLINTSHIRE. Shortly after eleven in the morning of the 14th of February, 1944, a Mosquito aeroplane crashed in flames half a mile south-by-east of Chester Flat Buoy.

A light north-west wind was blowing. The sea was fairly calm. Mr. A. O. Jones saw the accident, and with help carried a boat from his garden and launched it. It was a 12-feet skiff and not built for use on the sea.

Mr. Jones and another man, Mr. J. McWalter Shepherd, put out in it, but were unable to give any help. The Rhyl life-boat was launched at 11.49 and picked up a body and some wreckage. - Rewards, letters of appreciation to Mr. Arthur O. Jones and Mr. .J.

McWalter Shepherd. (See Rhyl, ”Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 14.) MARGATE, KENT. At 11.40 in the morning of the 26th of February, 1944, the coastguard watchman at Margate saw a rubber dinghy a mile and a half from the lookout. The sea was calm, with a light north-east wind. He reported it to the naval authorities at Ramsgate and they asked the Ramsgate fishing boat Princess Betty to go out. She went with a crew of three and they found a rubber dinghy with the body of an airman in it. They took them both on board, and on the way back to Margate they were overtaken by a motorboat. They handed the body and the dinghy over to her and she took them to Ramsgate.- Rewards, £3, with 6s. for fuel used.

GARHEUGH, WIGTOWNSHIRE. About four in the afternoon of the 17th of March, 1944, two fishermen were mending lobster pots.

They saw two aeroplanes pass overhead, flying towards West Freugh aerodrome.

Shortly afterwards they heard an explosion and then saw a burning aeroplane in the water half a mile off Sinniness Point, Luce Bay. The sea was moderate with a moderate westerly wind. The two fishermen put out at once. They had at least four miles to row and they found only wreckage. - Rewards, £2, which the fishermen returned as a donation to the Institution.

MARYPORT, CUMBERLAND. At 10.55 in the morning of the 6th of April, 1944, the Maryport life-boat was launched to the help of a vessel which had been reported in distress about ten miles west-north-west of Workington. The weather was fine, with a smooth sea and a light westerly wind. After the life-boat had gone information was received from the Silloth air control officer that an aeroplane was down three miles northwest of Maryport. As it was not possible to get in touch with the life-boat the honorary secretary of the station obtained the services of the boat which attends the Silloth pilots.

Manned by three men, she put out at 11.30, but she found nothing and returned at one.

Later it was learned that the aeroplane had come down off Workington and not Maryport.

Two bodies were picked up by an R.A.F. boat, and three more men were not found.- Rewards, £1 17s. 6d. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used. (See Maryport, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 21.).