Medal presented to lifeboat station 99 years after rescue

A medal has been presented to a Borders lifeboat station to honour a rescue carried out by its crew 99 years ago.

In March 1917 a Norwegian schooner bound for the east coast of England got into difficulty in a gale off St Abbs Head and began taking on water.

The Eyemouth lifeboat Anne Francis was dispatched under the command of coxswain William Miller. Battling high winds and rolling waves the crew fought for over an hour to reach the stricken vessel that had seven men clinging to its rigging.

One of the men had been washed overboard and drowned but the other seven were successfully rescued.

For his 'truly outstanding seamanship and leadership' the RNLI awarded Miller a bronze medal.

Now, 99 years after the rescue the medal has been passed to the care of Eyemouth RNLI station by his great great grandson John Miller.