New BRIGHTON, CHESHIRE. About eleven in the morning of the 2nd of August, 1944, two men in the motor fishing boat Maud, of New Brighton, were fishing six miles eastsouth- east of the Bar Lightship. A light south-west wind was blowing, with a short and choppy sea. They saw an Anson aeroplane fly low and then crash in the sea some sixty yards away. They went at once to the rescue and picked up the five men of the aeroplane, four of whom were in theirdinghy, which they also brought ashore.- Rewards, 10s. for fuel used, 10s. for repairs to a net and £9 for loss of fishing.

GIRVAN, AYRSHIRE. At 5.30 in the afternoon of the 22nd of August, 1944, two men in the motor fishing boat Margaret were making for Girvan on their way home from fishing. A moderate north-east wind was blowing. The sea was smooth. They saw an object in the sea and an aeroplane signalling to them. Altering course they made for the object and found five airmen in a dinghy eight miles west of Turnberry. The aeroplane, an R.A.F. Hudson, had crashed in the sea. One man had head injuries. All were suffering from immersion. The fishermen made with them for Girvan, but just before they reached the harbour an R.A.F.

boat came up and took over the rescued men.

Rewards, letters of appreciation to Mr. Peter Stephen and Mr. Hugh Chrichton.

ABERDESACH, CAERNARVONSHIRE. About 10.45 on the night of the 29th of August, 1944, a resident of Aberdesach told the police, who reported to the coastguard, that the motor fishing boat Crest appeared to be in distress 600 yards from the shore at Aberdesach. The weather was fine, with no wind and a calm sea. To launch the Porthdinllaen motor life-boat was not considered necessary, and the coastguard sent out, from Porth-y-Nant, three men in a motor boat. Before reaching the position the boat turned back and put into Trevor for fuel. This was about 3.30 next morning. The boat searched, but could not find the Crest and returned to Porth-y- Nant at seven o’clock. It was learnt later that the Crest had beached safely at Bodfan at 10.30. - Rewards, £3 and 10s. for stores used.

LLANBEDROG, CAERNARVONSHIRE. At three in the afternoon of the 7th of September, 1944, the motor trawler Shuna was returning to Pwllheli from fishing. Two fishermen were on board her, aged 18 and 19. A fresh north-west wind was blowing, with a slight sea. The Shuna was hailed by the small sailing boat Liner when about three and a half miles south of Llanbedrog. As she closed her the Liner capsized. There were four boys on board, aged about 16 to 18. They were thrown into the water. The Shuna picked up two of them, but a rope which had been thrown to her had fouled her propeller and she was unable to rescue the other two. They were drowned. - Rewards, £12 9s. for repairs, and £10 for loss of fishing.

CRAIL, FIFESHIRE. At 7.15 in the morning of the 18th of September, 1944, the fishing boat Comely, with two on board, stranded on the rocks at Balcomie Briggs. The sea was calm, with a light west-south-west wind. At 7.33 two men in the rowing fishing boat Lily went alongside, took off the two men and landed them. Then the Lily, manned by one of her own crew and one of the Comely’s men, put out again. The men lifted her lobster creels, keeping an eye on the Comely, which, as the tide fell, became high and dry.

The Lily then put out with all four men on board, and when the Comely refloated they all went on board and returned to Crail towing the Lily. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to the owner of the Lily, Mr. John Meldrum.

AMBLE, NORTHUMBERLAND. About 11.50 in the morning of the 30th of September, 1944, an R.A.F. aeroplane came down in the sea half a mile off the Bondicar Rocks. A moderate west wind was blowing. The sea was smooth. Two Hauxley fishermen in a motor boat were fishing nearby. They went at once to the aeroplane and rescued the airman. - Rewards, letters of appreciation to the two fishermen, Mr. Frank Oliver and Mr.

Richard Oliver. (See Amble, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 33.) PADSTOW, CORNWALL. At two in the afternoon of the 11th of October, 1944, Second-coxswain W. Orchard and the motormechanics C. G. Odell and S. W. Brett were on duty at the life-boat station at the Cove, when the dinghy of an air-sea rescue launch, with seven men on board, was seen being swept down the river towards the Doom Bar.

A south-south-west gale was blowing, with heavy seas, and the R.A.F. men were powerless either to reach their launch or to return to the shore. The three life-boatmen put off in Orchard’s open motor boat with a 6 h.p.

engine, and reached the dinghy when she was off Long Rock on the edge of the Doom Bar.

At considerable risk they took on board the seven men and took the dinghy in tow.- Rewards, £7, a letter of appreciation to Second-coxswain W. Orchard and 5s. for fuel used.

ANSTRUTHER, FIFESHIRE. At 2.10 in the afternoon of the 13th of October, 1944, the Anstruther coastguard saw a Barracuda aeroplane flying low on a westerly course. Without warning it nose-dived into the sea. Then a rubber dinghy was seen with a man on board. Four men in the fishing boat Shepherd Lad were nearby. They rescued the man and his dinghy and took them to St. Monans. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to Mr. John Dunn, skipper of the Shepherd Lad.

WHITBY, YORKSHIRE. At 4.30 in the afternoon of the 23rd of October, 1944, the coastguard told the harbourmaster that a report had been received of an aeroplane down in the sea about a mile and a half north of the Whitby coastguard station. A light north-west wind was blowing and the sea was choppy. The harbourmaster asked the skipper of the fishing boat Easter Morn to go out. He had only one of his crew, besides himself, available, but the harbourmaster and a harbour attendant joined the crew. The Whitby life-boat also went out.

and an aeroplane was up. They all made a thorough search, but found no trace of the aeroplane. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to the harbourmaster, Mr. Wink, £1 10s. to the other three men and 10s. for fuel used.

(See also “Accounts of Services by lifeboats,” Whitby, page 40.)

ABERYSTWYTH, CARDIGANSHIRE. On the evening of the 29th of October, 1944, a report was received that four children had been cut off by the tide beneath Constitution Hill, about a mile north of Aberystwyth. The weather was fine and the sea smooth. At the request of the police a fisherman put out in his rowing boat with a police constable.

They made a thorough search but found no children. - Rewards, 15s.

NEW BRIGHTON, CHESHIRE. About 5.10 in the afternoon of the 6th of November, 1944, information was received that the fishing boat Seafoss was in difficulties among other boats off New Brighton stage. A moderate south-south-west gale was blowing, with a moderate sea. The Seafoss had one man aboard. Her engine had broken down.

She drifted helplessly down channel, fouled another boat and broke her adrift. Coxswain Nicholson, with Motor-mechanic Bray, ran to the stage and met Second-coxswain Jones. The weather was too bad for the lifeboat’s boarding boat to be used, and to save time they did not man the life-boat but put off in the second-coxswain’s motor fishing boat Alice. They picked up both boats off the Brazil Buoy and towed them to New Brighton.

- Rewards, £3 and 6s. 6d. for fuel used.

NEWQUAY, CORNWALL. At 10.20 on the night of the 19th of November, 1944, the honorary secretary of the life-boat station received a telephone message that cries for help had been heard from outside the harbour.

The weather was bad, with an offshore wind and a strong ebbing tide. The honorary secretary immediately went to the harbour with the coxswain and there learned that an American soldier and a woman had walked over the pier head. The woman had been able to catch hold of a ring bolt and was saved. The soldier had drifted away. The coxswain and two other men put off in a rowing boat, but owing to the strength of the tide and wind they had to return for more help. The second-coxswain and another man joined them and they searched until 11.45, but could not find the man.

- Rewards, £5 15s.

LYTHAM-ST. ANNES, LANCASHIRE. A t 12.20 in the afternoon of the 29th of November, 1944, two American aeroplanes were seen to collide a mile east of Lytham pier and crash in the  sea on fire. The police told the honorary secretary of the life-boat station at 12.22. A moderate north-west breeze was blowing and the sea was moderate. The motor-mechanic was on board the life-boat.

He went out in his dinghy with two other men and found one of the two aeroplanes burning fiercely. The fire had died down on the second aeroplane. She was in only three feet of water. The dinghy’s crew broke off the cowling of her cockpit and cleared away wreckage. In the meantime the life-boat’s boarding boat had been manned by a crew of seven, and when she arrived two bodies were taken from the second aeroplane. From the burning aeroplane one body was recovered, the crews of both boats helping in the work. Some of the ground staff of the American Air Force waded out, and the boats brought them back. The coxswain and second-coxswain of the life-boat came by motor from St. Annes but were too late to help. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation and £1 to the motor-mechanic, G. Harrison, £1 to each of the other nine men engaged, £10 in all, and £2 12s. 6d. to helpers on shore.