Lieutenant the Hon. H.F. Boyle, RN, chief officer of the Coast Guard
at Tenby, distinguished himself in the same humane manner.
At daybreak on the 2nd of November, the smack _Bruce_, of Milford,
anchored, being totally dismasted, about three miles east of Tenby. It
was blowing a furious gale from the west-south-west, and the sea,
running very high, threatened every instant to overwhelm the smack, or
to drive her on the rocks. Lieutenant Boyle, immediately on seeing her
condition, embarked in the Tenby lifeboat, and pulled off towards the
unfortunate vessel. Her crew, three in number, were found in an almost
exhausted state, and taken into the lifeboat, which then made for the
small harbour of Saundershott, four miles distant.
On the 9th of November, at nine p.m., the commencement of a dark cold
night of that inclement season, a large brig was observed to go on shore
in Tenby Bay. The lifeboat, manned by her usual varied crew of
coastguardsmen and fishermen, under the charge of Robert Parrott, chief
boatman of the Coast Guard, who acted as coxswain of the lifeboat, at
once proceeded through a tremendous sea towards her, the wind blowing a
gale from the south-west. The vessel was discovered to be on shore, in
a peculiar position, on a rocky reef, so that she could only be
approached from windward. The lifeboat's anchor was accordingly let go,
with the intention of being veered down to the wreck, but a heavy roller
striking the boat, carried away the cable and broke three of her oars.
Finding it then impossible to close with the vessel, in consequence of
her peculiar position and the heavy sea breaking over her, the lifeboat
returned to Tenby, and Lieutenant Boyle and his crew proceeded to the
spot with all haste by land with the rocket apparatus. Several efforts
were made before the party succeeded in sending a line over the wreck.
At length perseverance crowned their efforts, a line was thrown, and
caught by the crew on the wreck; a stouter rope was next hauled on
board, and by its means, in the course of three hours, the whole of the
crew, who would otherwise have met with a watery grave, were safely
landed. The silver medal of the Lifeboat Institution was awarded to
Lieutenant Boyle, and the second-service clasp was added to the medal
received on a former occasion by Robert Parrott.