SEPTEMBER MEETING EGLINTON, Co. LONDONDERRY. About 12.15 in the afternoon of the 16th of December, 1944, the Eglinton coastguard received an SOS from the R.N.A.S. Eglinton, that a Corsair aeroplane had crashed into the sea 200 yards off Lough Foyle foreshore at Eglinton. A moderate north-west wind was blowing, with a choppy sea. Two auxiliary coastguardmen at once put out in their rowing boat and reached the spot, three miles away, in an hour and a quarter. They found that another man, who lived only a quarter of a mile from the scene of the crash, had launched a flat-bottomed boat, pulled 200 yards and rescued the pilot unhurt, but shaken. An air-sea rescue-boat arrived at the same time. The water was too shallow for it to get close to the aeroplane, so the coastguardmen took its captain to the aeroplane, and then put him on board his own boat again. - Rewards, £2 5s.

BOWNESS, CUMBERLAND. On the evening of the 8th of June, 1945, two fishermen got into difficulties while stake net fishing opposite Bowness, about three-quarters of a mile from the Scottish coast. A westerly wind, was blowing. They had got into deep water, but managed to cling to their nets and keep afloat although drifting and unable to make the shore. Their danger was seen by two men at Bowness, who had also been fishing.

They dragged a small motor boat threequarters of a mile to the water’s edge and, already almost exhausted by their efforts, they put out with a third man. Their boat was small, they were encumbered with big waders, and the rescue was not easy in a tidal river, but they acted promptly and skilfully. They got one fisherman into their boat and, with the other clinging to it, brought them both ashore, but one died shortly afterwards.- Rewards, letters of appreciation to the three men, Mr. E. O. Percival, Mr. J. Borrodale and Mr. J. H. Jefferson ; and £2 10s.

TORBAY, DEVON. At 6.30 in the evening of the 11th of June, 1945, the assistant motor-mechanic of the life-boat and another man were trawling in the motor boat Tudor II, when they saw a rowing boat some six miles off shore between Hope’s Nose and Teignmouth. On board were an old man and a boy. A squally north-west wind was blowing, the sea was too rough for this small open boat, and she was drifting helplessly seawards. The motor boat towed her into Oddicombe. - Rewards, £1, and 1s. 6d. for fuel used.

TORBAY, DEVON. At 2.45 in the afternoon of the 29th of June, 3945, while working single-handed in the motor trawler Owen, a fisherman saw six women in a rowing boat about two and a half miles south-east from Oddicombe, drifting helplessly. A westerly off-shore breeze was blowing, with a moderate swell. The fisherman got his gear aboard and towed the boat to Oddicombe beach.- Rewards, 10s., and 1s. for fuel used.

WHITLEY BAY, NORTHUMBERLAND. At nine in the morning of the 30th of June, 1945, a boatman on shore saw a small canvas canoe about a mile and a quarter off shore. A few minutes later he noticed that the canoe had disappeared. The weather was fine, but a fairly strong north-west wind was blowing and the sea was choppy. The boatman called on two beach patrol men to go with him and they put off in a rowing boat.

They found a man in the water, much distressed, and rescued him. Another young man who was with him was drowned when the canoe sank. - Rewards, £1 10s.

PENZANCE, CORNWALL. On the 1st of July, 1945, three sea scouts went out fishing in a small rowing boat a mile east of Gear Rock. A moderate westerly wind was blowing, with a slight sea, and the tide was ebbing. A coastguardman kept the boat under observation, and, when he saw that she would not get in without help, asked for a boat to go out. A one-legged fisherman and another coastguard put out in a motor boat about noon and brought the boys and their boat into Penzance harbour. Each man received 7s. 6d. from the parents of the rescued boys. - Rewards, letters of appreciation to the fisherman, Mr. F. Williams, and to coastguardman L. Tripp.

SCARBOROUGH, YORKSHIRE. At 4.35 in the afternoon of the 19th of July, 1945, the coastguard telephoned the honorary secretary of the life-boat station that two visitors had got into difficulties while bathing in Cayton Bay. A light south-to-south-west wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. The life-boat coxswain and two other lifeboatmen put out in a motor coble, but found that the bathers had already been rescued from the shore.- Rewards, £1 10s. and 2s. 6d. for fuel used.

NEWPORT, PEMBROKESHIRE. At 3.30 in the afternoon of the 22nd of July, 1945, three young men were out in a small sailing boat in Newport Bay. The sea was choppy, with a south-west wind blowing. The boat capsized 300 yards from the shore, and the three men were thrown into the sea. A member of the life-saving corps saw the accident and at once put off in a rowing boat, accompanied by another, unknown, man.

Their boat was leaking, but they succeeded in towing the capsized boat, with the three men clinging to it, to the shore. - Rewards, £1.

BRIDLINGTON, YORKSHIRE. About 12.40 in the afternoon of the 22nd of July, 1945, the Bridlington coastguard informed the lifeboat coxswain and the R.A.F. rescue section that the small sailing yacht Scamp had capsized half a mile south-east of the coastguard station. A moderate but squally westerly wind was blowing, with a moderate sea. The R.A.F. launch, with her crew of two, the life-boat coxswain, the harbour master and a ferryman went out to the rescue, and found a man and his two sons clinging to their submerged yacht. They were very exhausted. The launch rescued them and brought in their yacht. - Rewards, 10s. each to the coxswain, harbour master and ferryman.

BEER, DEVON. On the 26th of July, 1945, the owner of the motor boat Victory, of Beer, had business in Exmouth and made up a party for the trip by sea. On the return journey the engine broke down about two miles south-west of Beer Head, and at 10.40 that night the coastguard saw a signal made by electric torch, and four men put out from Beer at 11.15 in the motor boat Ena II. A moderate north-north-east wind was blowing, and there was a slight swell. Both wind and sea were increasing. The four men brought the disabled boat into Beer at two o’clock next morning. - Rewards, £4, and 10s. for fuel used.

BARMOUTH, MERIONETHSHIRE. At 1.40 in the afternoon of the 27th of July, 1945, the coastguard telephoned to the life-boat coxswain that he was leaving the station to go to the help of a bather in difficulties at the mouth of Bar Bach channel, and asked the coxswain to put out in a boat. A strong northerly wind was blowing, with a choppy sea. The coxswain, with his brother, put out in a motor boat, but their services were not needed, as the coastguard had already rescued the bather. - Rewards, £1, and 3s. for fuel used.

WHITBY, YORKSHIRE. At 10.30 in the afternoon of the 1st of August, 1945, the Whitby coastguard telephoned to the lifeboat coxswain that a motor fishing boat was flashing SOS two miles north-north-east of Whitby. A strong north-west wind was blowing, with a very heavy ground swell.

Visibility was bad. The coxswain, and four other men, put out in the motor fishing boat Venus. They found the motor fishing vessel Courage, of Scarborough, four miles east of Whitby. She had a crew of seven. Her engine had become overheated and failed and she had been drifting. When the rescuers arrived the engine had been re-started and was working slowly. Accompanied by Venus the Courage reached Whitby harbour at one o’clock next morning. - Rewards, £5 and 10s.

for fuel used.

WALTON - ON - THE - NAZE, ESSEX. At three in the afternoon of the 2nd of August, 1945, two men and two girls who were wading and bathing suddenly found themselves in deep water under the pier. There was a slight swell and a flowing tide. They were in danger of losing their lives. One girl reached the shore and called for help. Her cries were heard by the life-boat’s second-coxswain, who was out with passengers in his boat. He called to life-boat motor-mechanic Barrs, who swam out, reached the other girl, swam with her to a pile, and hung on. The second-coxswain came through the pier with his boat and rescued one man just as he was disappearing. The second man had then reached a pile. The second-coxswain first picked up the girl from the motor-mechanic and then the second man, and brought them to the beach. Artificial respiration was given to one of the men by the rescuers.- Rewards, £1 10s.

FRASERBURGH, ABERDEENSHIRE. At 7.30 in the evening of the 4th of August, 1945, the Kinnaird Head coastguard reported to the life-boat motor-mechanic that the motor fishing boat Silver Tweed was in need of help.

The sea was calm, with a moderate northerly breeze. Watch was kept on the Silver Tweed.

It was seen that she could not get her engine started, so Captain Andrew Stephen, joint honorary secretary of the life-boat station and harbour master, put out in the pilot boat with two other men. At the same time the life-boat coxswain, with the motor-mechanic and another man, went out in the motor boat Stephen. The pilot boat took the disabled boat in tow and, with the help of the Stephen, towed her into harbour. - Rewards, £4 10s., and 6s. 3d. for fuel used.

MINEHEAD, SOMERSET. During the afternoon of the 10th of August, 1945, a man and a woman, visitors to the district, were cut off by the tide three miles west of Minehead.

An attempt to reach them by land failed, and they were in danger of being washed off a ledge on which they had taken refuge.

About seven o’clock the coastguard informed the honorary secretary of the life-boat station, and he decided to send a shore boat rather than the life-boat. The weather was fine and the sea smooth, with a light, westnorth- west wind blowing. The life-boat head launcher, who was taking out visitors in his motor boat, stopped doing it, and with another man went to the rescue. He took the man and woman off the ledge, but in doing so his boat hit a submerged rock and cracked a plank. - Rewards, £1, 6s. for fuel used, £2 10s. for repairs to boat and £1 for loss of business.

TEIGNMOUTH, DEVON. At three o’clock in the afternoon of the 13th of August, l945, two men in a small rowing boat got into difficulties on Teignmouth Bar. A fresh easterly wind was causing the sea to break on the bar. In answer to the men’s shouts for help three men put out in a motor launch, rescued the two men, and towed their almost waterlogged boat into harbour. - Rewards, £1 10s., 5s. for fuel used, and £1 for loss of business.

REDCAR, YORKSHIRE. At eight in the evening of the 14th of August, 1945, it was reported that a bather was in danger of drowning between Marske and Redcar. A moderate easterly wind was blowing, with a rough sea. Two men put out in a motor boat, but their help was not needed as the bather had been rescued from the shore.- Rewards, £1, and 3s. for fuel used and £1 for loss of business.

NEW QUAY, CARDIGANSHIRE. About 4.40 in the afternoon of the 15th of August, 1945, two boys were in the sailing boat Corinna, off Llanina Point, about a mile from New Quay Pier. A squally westerly wind was blowing,with a moderate sea. The boat was swamped and the two boys hung on inside. They were seen by the coastguard and Mr. Graham put out in his motor boat Osprey, with another man. They towed the Corinna to Cei Bach beach and landed the two boys, unhurt, at six o’clock. - Rewards, a letter of appreciation to Mr. Graham, 10s. to the other man and 5s. for fuel used.

COVERACK, CORNWALL. At 3.30 in the afternoon of the 21st of August, 1945, the sailing boat Endeavour, of Falmouth, was seen to capsize a mile and a half north-east of Coverack. She had on board three visitors who, ignoring the advice of an experienced boatman, had gone out in a strong, squally, south-west wind and a rough sea. The life-boat was under overhaul and five men put out in the motor boat Bessey and rescued the three visitors. - Rewards, £2 10s. and 5s. for fuel used.

BARMOUTH, MERIONETHSHIRE. At one in the afternoon of the 25th of August, 1945, the coastguard reported three bathers in difficulties at the mouth of the Bar Bach Channel. A strong north-west wind was blowing, with a rough sea. The life-boat motor-mechanic and two other men put out in a motor boat, followed by a second motor boat manned by the coxswain and another man. The first boat rescued the three bathers, but her seams were opened going through the heavy surf. - Rewards : £2 5s. to the crew of the first boat, 2s. for fuel used, and £2 for loss of business while they were repairing their boat ; £1 to the crew of the second boat and 2s. for fuel used.

REDCAR, YORKSHIRE. At 6.49 in the evening of the 27th of August, 1945, the Saltburn coastguard reported to the honorary secretary of the life-boat station that the small boat Andy had capsized off Marske. A slight sea was running, with a light south-east wind. The life-boat coxswain was asked to send a shore-boat, and he had a signal made to a motor boat, the Lily, which was already at sea. She had a crew of three. Their services were not needed as the three men in the capsized boat had got ashore. - Rewards, £1 10s., 4s. for fuel used, and £1 for loss of business.

NEWQUAY, CORNWALL. At 1.50 in the afternoon of the 31st of August, 1945, the R.A.F. reported that an aeroplane had come down in the sea in Perran Bay. Mr. E.

Giles, the honorary secretary of the life-boat station recently closed, went by car to the harbour, and put out, with ex-second coxswain Hoare, in a motor boat. A fresh south-west wind was blowing, with a moderate to fairly heavy sea running. The two men searched for a long time, but found nothing, and returned at five o’clock that afternoon. - Rewards, £4 to the ex-secondcoxswain, including cost of fuel used and loss of business.