Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador Read online

  Several crew members had dogs including Peter Huxtable who was a fisherman in his other role. He had a small fishing boat and most days could be seen going to sea out of Shoreham Harbour with his Labrador on board. This often attracted holidaymakers as Peter had an open fishing boat and his dog Gilbert could often be seen sitting at the bow as they went out of the harbour entrance.

  Bill Owen the head launcher had a West Highland Terrier called Toby. The role of head launcher involved Bill in making sure the boat was launched properly and retrieved. Not an easy task when the tides were wrong or it was in the middle of the night. Once again the boat was always washed down after it was re-housed and this was followed the next night by the crew going back to polish the brass. The boat and the boathouse were always spick and span. This was very important, as a lot of visitors came to have a look which of course resulted in more funds for the RNLI. There was a small souvenir shop there also.

  Jack the mechanic was in charge of this and sometimes you could hear him yell. “Get that bloody dog out of the boathouse” which resulted in Shelley retreating to the rear wheel of my car where she hid in fear. There was nothing like a bit of discipline from time to time. Jacks word was his command as we were to find out many times.

  They were days that I respected – enjoyed – would not miss – could sometimes be inconvenient. Resulting in some of the most memorable times of my life and I know some of the best times Shelley had.

  End Chapter Ten

  LIFE ON THE ROAD AND A RETURN TO SOUTHWOLD – CHAPTER 11

  The new work with ‘Kendall Company’ was going very well indeed and Keith and I had become very good friends. He at the time had an Alsatian so like me was very keen on dogs. This was a real bonus as he was very happy for me to take Shelley around with me in the company car. Not only that because of my knowledge of the way the M.O.D worked he gave me responsibility of looking after all the Military Hospitals in the UK. I loved the challenge and it also gave me an excuse to visit my old haunts along the East Coast.

  My Auntie Grace once lived in Potterhanworth which was in Lincolnshire and was close to RAF Nocton Hall hospital. Nocton was a complete mixture of the old and new. When one drove into the grounds there was a large French Chateau type building which was the Officer Mess and contained some admin offices. It was surrounded by single storey prefabricated buildings linked by long covered corridors outside where the patients were wheeled from one block to the other.

  I became well known and used to call about once a month to see the many consultants and purchasing staff. Shelley loved it and was spoilt so much. She found her own way to the back of the kitchens where she was given many treats. Although it was an RAF hospital it did take in civilian patients so there was always a mixture. This was done to keep the medical staff in touch with current trends and was a bonus for the people that lived in the area.

  RAF Ely was in Cambridgeshire and had a similar rule of taking military and civilian patients. Ely was also know as an excellent Orthopaedic hospital and had some top class staff based there. It also had a nursing school attached to it. Over the years I was given the opportunity to talk to those attending the courses about the products that we sold. I became a good friend with Group Captain Tony Merryfield who helped me no end in making sure I met many of the top brass in the services. He was later in life to become the head of the School of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough.

  Tony and I often met at conferences and often when in Ely I had dinner with him and his family. One has the privilege to meet some exceptional people and Tony was one of those! Tony was also a dog lover and when in his company he always gave full attention to Shelley when the opportunity arose.

  The school of nursing had some nice team members and it became Shelley’s base whenever I visited Ely. It gave me time to call on the many departments knowing she was going to be well looked after.

  The area always brought back memories of my childhood when I used to visit my Aunt Grace at The Manor House in Potterhanworth where I often had a nostalgic drive past. As I mentioned earlier she moved to Woodall Spa after Derek passed away. On her death Grace was buried alongside husband Derek in Nocton Church which I visited from time to time.

  Not forgetting Southwold I also popped back given any excuse. On reflection one of the biggest mistakes I made was to move out from the area. I had been very crafty when I moved in that I had decided to keep my dentist at Halesworth (I dreaded having toothache as it would have meant a 300 mile round trip). Sadly the time did come when the decision had to be made to move to a local one in Shoreham.

  Prior to this a return to the Suffolk Coast was always fun for Shelley. For some reason when she got within 4 miles of the turn off to Southwold she knew where she was and began her wake up call in the back of the car getting more excited as we neared the town centre and the beach.

  My first stop was the beach by the pier and I would open the back car door and off she went to the same places she had always gone to whilst stopping to meet the passers by wagging her tail all the time. On one visit I thought I had lost her only to find her sitting outside The Fisherman’s Reading Room about half a mile away .It was always a welcome stop for her knowing she would get a lot of attention from the retired folk of Southwold who stopped by to read and play cards.

  The sea was a must and it was a case of a long swim and a wet return to me with yet another large plank or piece of wood. Of course I would pop in to the Harbour Inn and The Swan. Sadly over the years some of my friends had passed away. Rick Bath Jones and Biddy Denny were no longer around. Roger Trigg had moved to Lowestoft and his father Cecil had passed away. I was always greeted by Martin the fisherman who insisted on buying me a pint and wanted to up-date me on what was going on and who was running what pub now. Martin was always very kind to me and we remained friends for many years. I believe he is now living in Spain with his family due to the lack of fishing along the East Coast. Shelley was spoilt beyond her wildest dreams as she knew so many people. To her everyone that had a fishing boat or a yard along the estuary was her pal for life. Of course it worked and she was always given tit bits loving the raw fish.

  Sometimes I stayed in Southwold for the night with friends. It was more a case of having to due to an excess of Suffolk Ale. Shelley also had her favourite stop off places. On the lead if we ever went past The Kings Head she would stop and take me into the Saloon Bar for a drink! It seemed as though she knew where she wanted to go and what and who she liked best.

  Even after a gap of several months she remembered where she was. I was also a great believer in keeping her on the lead. Although she was very well trained there was always the risk that something or somebody would startle her and cause her to run off into the road.

  Being also part of a lifeboat crew it was often the case that one called into other stations when travelling – it was like one happy family. If in Wells Next to the Sea or Cromer and if the station was open it was always time for a chat and a welcome cup of tea. Shelley knew her way around boathouses and to her they all seemed the same. If it was possible she would make her way to the end of the slipway and have a swim. Of course at stations like Cromer this was not always possible as the slipway was situated at the end of a small pier and there was no access via the beach at low tide hence she had to be content sitting in the crew room.

  I did have other friends on the East Coast. A couple I had worked with many years ago when I was at Portex had moved to a place called Tivitshall St Margaret which was near Diss. Situated nearby was disused airfield that was a bomber base in the Second World War used by the United States Airforce. The Hollywood actor James Stewart was based there for a while returning several times to visit it in his later life.

  John and Maggie did what one would call ‘The Good life’ and like the television series ran a small poultry business from there with a small holding. I stayed several times. They were real fun and we had many happy times together (apart from a visit to a local cider farm which I still remember to th
is day – or rather don’t). Shelley was often out all hours chasing rabbits around the garden. It was a very large period farm house with big open fireplaces and a large kitchen. The up-stairs had creaky floorboards and if one wanted to spend a penny at night it was a tip toe job. As a couple they made many friends and there was always an open house. The local pub ‘The Railway Inn’ was down the road and frankly was not what I would call an appealing place with a bit of a dower land lady. I still keep in touch with John and Maggie and they now live in Norwich with a small apartment in Italy so seem to commute between both.

  Their claim to fame was a Victorian toilet pan made by the Crapper Company with ornate floral decorations inside. They had a visitor’s book by it and you had to sign if you used it in the sitting position. I must ask them if they still have this book.

  The car became Shelley’s second home and the back seat her empire with a nice rug to keep her warm and ample views out of all windows. She loved resting her chin on the back seat looking out the rear window and sometimes her little head would pop over my shoulder giving my ear a re-assuring lick of comfort. I did from time to time give her the rare opportunity to move from the back to the front sea. She got used to the seat belt around her listening to Radio Four most of the time – always my favourite station.

  There was the odd accident from time to time as like all humans dogs can over eat or pick up something in their travels. I recall the time I put a bottle of milk in my holdall on the floor at the back. A big mistake as the top was removed and her ladyship tipped it onto its side and licked up the full contents from the car’s carpet. I was totally unaware of this until an hour or so later when she was sick all over the back seat. I had to contend with the car reeked of stale milk for many months and this did not please any passengers I took with me. Passenger wise Shelley was very good indeed and apart from the initial hello lick she left them alone sleeping most of the time.

  I carried on working the East Coast for many more years and we returned many times (more about this again later and Shelley’s Pheasant adventures at Orford). It was a great time of my life and each day was a new adventure for us both – she was my right arm and best pal and we had become a well respected team with my friends and the many clients I saw each day.

  End Chapter Eleven

  KENT – HYTHE AND ROMNEY MARSH – CHAPTER 12

  Life was going well for us both and my job was very enjoyable – although I did a lot of driving it did not deter Shelley in any way. My work with the RNLI was very exciting and I had made many new friends spending a lot of time at the Boathouse.

  When there was ever a ‘shout’ one went to the station and had set jobs to do and these were given to us by the Head Launcher who was Bill Owen whilst the Coxswain Kenny Voice decided which crew he wanted to take. The regular crew took priority but as was often the case others were sometimes asked. Our jobs as ‘Helpers’ involved the opening of the boat house doors and greasing the slipway (not much fun in bad weather) and preparing the boat for launch and retrieval. It was the same when the boat returned we all had specific jobs to do. Once back in the boathouse it was refuelled and all the checks made making it ready for another launch. The boat was also washed down to remove any salt water. As was the case the following evening we used to turn up to polish the brass and make the boat look spick and span.

  Our mechanic was Jack Silverston was a paid full time crew member spending several hours a day at the station making sure all was running well. Jack was a jovial person and when not at the boathouse he was often selling souvenirs at many local functions or giving talks to schools. His wife Peggy supported him at many of these events.

  Both Jack and Peggy knew I travelled around a lot and one week they came with me for a couple of days to visit Kent and see some of the other stations. It was a bit of a busman’s holiday for us all - but off we set. Jack in the front and Peggy in the back with Shelley to our first port of call Rye where we met their Hon Secretary Humphrey Lestocq who had made his name in film and television as an actor. His best role was that of playing Flight Lieutenant ‘Batch Salter’ in the classic war film ‘Angels One Five’.

  What a character full of enthusiasm for the RNLI and he lived in a beautiful house overlooking the harbour entrance situated right next to a local pub. “Come on chaps” he said with a broad smile adding “Bring your pooch with you the landlord loves dogs.” What was going to be a short visit ended up about four hours long with more food and refreshments back at his house? Shelley loved the attention and her crisp packet trick had all and sundry laughing with Humphrey wishing she had been around when they had made ‘Angels One Five’ “What a super dog to have on set,” he added as in most films from that era that were based around squadron life the Labrador played an important role. “Do you remember Guy Gibson’s black Labrador ‘Nigger’ – now there was a story in itself,” he said with a great deal of enthusiasm.

  We drove off all excited about our visit and the meeting with a well known actor who had now retired and given his free time up to the RNLI.

  Dungeness was next and we had a look around their new boathouse which in those days was state of the art. Their lifeboat was launched over a pebble beach and old railway sleepers were used to guide it down into the sea when the tide was out – it was also retrieved by a tractor. In the early days the crew’s wives used to haul the sleepers down the beach and cover them in grease. Needless to say Shelley found the railway sleepers a bit of a handful when she tried to pick them up. I had also forgotten that we had Peggy in the back of the car and she was not too pleased having to sit next to a wet Shelley.

  What a day we had all had as we drove into Hythe where I used to live. We had booked two rooms at the Stade Court Hotel on the seafront. When I lived in Hythe I used to use it a lot as there was a nice hotel bar and my late parents liked to pop along for a drink from time to time and I was known well by most of the loyal staff. After a change the three of us plus Shelley walked to the ‘Kings Head’ in Hythe for dinner where I had also arranged to meet some of my old pals.

  The Kings Head was my local when I lived there and the then landlord John Hobbs had the walls covered in hundreds of ties. This idea started when the army had the Small Arms School and any officers that came in were only too pleased to have the bottom of their regimental tie cut off for history. This developed over the years and there was hardly any space left on the walls for any more. It was also the pub where I first met Chris and Celia now living in Cumberland.

  As the evening went on more of my old friends came in including Chris O’Connor, Tony Catt, Nigel Wimble, Geoff Walker, Tony Hobbs and Roy and Tina Dunlop. It ended up as one would expect a bit of a reunion with stories abounding from one to the other about my past and my life with the lifeboat. I was new to the Shoreham Station so Jack who was a good story teller added a little bit more bravado to his stories than normal putting me on a slightly higher pedestal than I should have been. One could call it ‘Poetic Licence’.

  It was a nice evening and an opportunity for me to catch up on what had been happening over the last few years. Time did over run at the ‘Kings Head’ as it often used to so we left later than we had intended. It was a nice evening so the walk back to the hotel was pleasant. What however did surprise us was that when we got in there was no one around and the reception was closed as was the bar. I tried going through to the kitchen area and that was locked. There was just no activity at all – I had taken my room key with me (a trick of the trade having stayed at so many hotels), but Jack and Peggy had handed theirs into reception. Shelley meanwhile had fallen asleep on the carpet exhausted by all the attention she had been given all evening plus a few extra portions of crisps.

  There was no option but for all of us to stay in my single room. Peggy had the bed – Jack the one armchair and I the floor with Shelly. What with Jacks snoring – Shelley’s dreams – my cramp caused by a hard floor it appeared Peggy had the best nights sleep out of all of us! At about 6-30 I heard some movement
downstairs and we were given the key to the locked room. Needless to say it was yet another story we dined out on for many years to come. The hotel thought we had all taken our keys with us but accepted full responsibility and we all had the evenings stay free of charge.

  Feeling more tired than normal we made our way along the coast. I managed to do some calls which gave both Jack and Peggy the chance to have a look around Canterbury and Whitstable. We then popped in to see the Ramsgate Lifeboat crew and their Coxswain Ron Cannon (who I knew well) showed us around. There was an exercise that evening and Jack and myself were given the option of a trip but turned it down as it would have not be fair on Peggy to leave her.

  We all stayed at ‘The Faryness Hotel’ at Kingsgate. We took Shelley for a long walk along the cliff top past the North Foreland lighthouse stopping off at the ‘Captain Digby Pub’ for an intended dinner only to find they did not allow dogs in. This did happen from time to time and I had come to terms with it as had Shelley. She just growled removing the pubs name off her Christmas card list.