b. ? d. 30/09/1914 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.
DATE OF AM ACTION: 03/08/1876 Buchanness, Scotland.
Little is known about John Skelton Summers AM, other than that he married Christian Bruce on 13th July 1861 in Peterhead, and died there on 30th September 1914. Sadly, nothing else is known about his life.
AM CITATION:
On the 3d of August 1876, SUMMERS was riding by his nets, 35 miles east-south-east from Buchanness, and broke adrift about noon in the height of a violent gale, with a dangerous cross sea running, accompanied with heavy rain. About 15 minutes after getting his close-reefed foresail set, to make for the land, he observed a boat on his weather bow, about a quarter of a mile off, with sail down, and making signals of distress. He hauled up for her at once, and, on nearing, observed she was swamped, and her mast lying over to leeward at an angle of about 45°, rendering great caution necessary in approaching her, for fear of carrying away his own mast, as she rolled so heavily in the trough of the sea. At the first sweep, close on her port quarter, SUMMERS picked off two men with lines; but he had to wear round and come up to her again five times before he succeeded in getting off the third man; but, nothing daunted, he repeated his manoeuvre nearly twenty times before he got off the last man, who was the master, and who was much exhausted. SUMMERS first observed the distressed vessel at about 12.30, and it was 4 P.M. before the last man was dragged on board. In consequence of the violence of the gale, he did not reach Peterhead until four o’clock next morning. The total number of men rescued was six; and there is little doubt that this could not have been effected if SUMMERS had not displayed great coolness and intrepidity, combined with very skilful handling of his boat.
BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
