LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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June (1)

CAMPBELTOWN, ARGYLLSHIRE. While returning to Carradale at 10.30 in the morning of the 1st of May, 1943, after discharging herrings at Campbeltown, the crew of the fishing boat Amy Harris were passed in Campbeltown Loch by a flying boat travelling very fast on the water taking off for flight. The sea was calm, with a light north-east wind blowing. When near Millmore Beacon the flying boat, before she took off, got out of control and turned a somersault.

The Amy Harris went to her, threw her ropes and hauled off three airmen, one by one. A few minutes later the aeroplane sank, taking down with it the fourth member of her crew, who was strapped into his seat.

The rescued men were transferred to a naval boat. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to Skipper Alexander Galbraith.

STONEHAVEN, KINCARDINESHIRE. At 2.42 in the afternoon of the 28th of March, 1944, the Coastguard saw a British Martinet aeroplane crash in the sea and burst into flames about a mile east of Garron Point. The sea was calm. There was no wind, but some fog.

Two motor fishing boats, each carrying a crew of two, were near. One boat, A.386, Skipper E. Davidson, picked up a body.

The other boat, A.201, Skipper D. Forsyth, picked up some wreckage. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to Mr. E. Davidson and to Mr. D. Forsyth.

CARRADALE, ARGYLLSHIRE. About 4.45 in the afternoon of the 11th of April, 1944, an aeroplane crashed in the sea. The accidentwas seen from the Carradale observer post.

At 6.25 the information, which came through the Royal Naval Air Station, Machrihanish, the police and the piermaster, reached Mr. A.

Galbraith, a fisherman at Carradale. He at once enlisted the services of two other men, and they put out in his motor fishing boat and went to the scene of the crash one and a half miles east of Carradale Point. A moderate southerly wind was blowing, with a moderate swell. The rescuers found and picked up two bodies. Meanwhile the police constable who had received the news of the accident, had secured the services of another fishing boat and had gone out in her. He met the boat which had the bodies on board, was put aboard her and made every effort to revive one of the men, but without success.

Some wreckage was also picked up and handed over to an air-sea rescue boat, which had also gone out. The bodies were sent to Campbeltown.

- Rewards, £3 10s., and £2 for a hold cover destroyed. Both sums were returned as a donation to the Institution.

HYTHE, KENT. At 1.50 in the afternoon of the 15th of April, 1944, an American Thunderbolt aeroplane, which had been damaged by enemy action, crashed in the sea three miles south of Hythe. The weather was fine and the sea calm. The pilot had baled out before the crash and he was picked up by four men in the fishing boat Golden Sunset, F.E.79, who were fishing near.

They handed him over to an air-sea rescue boat from Dover. Another boat, F.E.116, went out at the request of the coastguard, but returned on learning that the airman had been saved. One of the crew of the Golden Sunset lost his teeth, but the American authorities undertook to replace them.- Rewards, a letter of appreciation to Mr.

W. Hall and Mr. H. Griggs, the skippers of the two boats.

ROSSLARE HARBOUR, Co. WEXFORD. The motor fishing boat Lake of Shadows was fishing near the Tuskar Rock on the afternoon of the 25th of April, 1944, when at 2.35 her crew saw a British aeroplane crash in the sea about one mile north of the Tuskar Rock.

The weather was calm. The fishing boat was about three-quarters of a mile away. She went at once to the aeroplane and found a body, which she took on board. She made for Rosslare Harbour, but at four o’clock met the Rosslare Harbour life-boat, and transferred the body to her. - Rewards, £1 17s. 6d., with £4 for loss of fishing and 4s. 6d. for fuel used. (See Rosslare Harbour, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 20.)

WHITSTABLE, KENT. About 12.50 in the afternoon of the 26th of April, 1944, two aeroplanes collided and fell in the sea. Their two American pilots had baled out and came down in the sea about five miles off Whitstable.

A moderate easterly wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. Two men were out fishing in the motor boat Emma and saw the airmen falling about a mile away.

They hauled in their gear and went to their help. They found each in his own dinghy about half a mile apart. They picked them up and landed them at Whitstable. Here they were taken by ambulance to hospital, one suffering from head injuries and one from shock. - Rewards, £1 5s., with £4 for loss of fishing and 4s. for fuel used.

MABLETHORPE, LINCOLNSHIRE. At 11.15 in the morning of the 2nd of May, 1944, two R.A.F. aeroplanes collided over the sea some two miles east of Saltfleet. A strong westerly wind was blowing and the sea was rough.

Mr. C. Mountain, fisheries officer at Mablethorpe, was at the railway station when he saw an aeroplane coming down. He ran to the fishery motor boat and found its engineer, H. West, preparing it for launching. Three other men helped them to launch the boat, which was not at all easy from the beach.

The two men searched, but only found two rubber dinghies and some wreckage. - Rewards, letters, of appreciation to Mr. C.

Mountain and Mr. H. West, with 15s. to the men who helped to launch their boat.

DUNBAR, EAST LOTHIAN. At 10.20 in the morning of the 13th of May, 1944, the lifeboat coxswain and two other life-boatmen, who were about to return from the fishing ground, saw a British aeroplane crash in the sea about three miles east of Dunbar Pier.

The weather was calm and clear. Two airmen, the crew of the aeroplane, scrambled out before it sank, but only one of their dinghies could be inflated, so one man had to support the other. The three fishermen rescued them both and took them to Dunbar.

The Dunbar life-boat was launched. - Rewards, £1 17s. 6d. (See Dunbar, “Accounts of Services by Life-boats,” page 24.)

NEW BRIGHTON, CHESHIRE. At five in the afternoon of the 15th of May, 1944, the police reported that an American ambulance had stuck in the sand off Harrison Drive, and that two other vehicles which had been sent to release it had also become stuck and were surrounded by the incoming tide. The tide was four hours’ flood, with a nasty swell and a fresh northerly breeze blowing. As the matter was urgent the motor boarding boat was sent off, manned by two life-boatmen.

There had been five men aboard the vehicles, all negroes. Two had got ashore. The other three were still on the vehicles. One man had only his head out of the water. The other two were submerged to their armpits.

All three would have been drowned in another five minutes by the rising tide.

They were rescued and landed at New Brighton stage, where the American Red Cross took charge of them. - Rewards, £1.

SWANAGE, DORSET. On the afternoon of the 18th of May, 1944, a soldier of the 2nd American Rangers was injured by a falling boulder while engaged in cliff scaling exercises, 400 yards west of Anvil Point Lighthouse.

The weather was fair, with a slight sea, and it was decided that a small boat was more suitable than the life-boat for working at the base of the cliff. The life-boat coxswain went out in his motor fishing boat withtwo other fishermen. They rescued the man, and brought him to the life-boat slipway, where he was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

- Rewards, £1 10s.

SCARBOROUGH, YORKSHIRE. At 4.13 in the afternoon of the 20th of May, 1944, the coastguard telephoned that a coble was in need of help about three-quarters of a mile east of the Toll House, Marine Drive. A light north-east wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. When the honorary secretary of the life-boat station received the news he sent out the motor coble Rainbow, manned by three men. They found the fishing coble H. B. Collings. with her engine broken down, stood by until her crew had repaired it, and escorted her into harbour. - Rewards, £1 10s., and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

NEW QUAY, CARDIGANSHIRE. At 10.35 at night on the 23rd of May, 1944, the coastguard telephoned the life-boat station that an American Liberator aeroplane had been seen to crash in the sea about twenty miles north of New Quay Head. The weather was fine and the sea calm. The honorary secretary went to the coastguard station and found that the coastguard had sent out three men in the fishery protection motor vessel, Alpha.

The Alpha returned to harbour at 4.45 next morning. She had found nothing. - Rewards £3.