Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador (12 page)

First there was dead silence and this was followed by shock and laughter. It appears Shelly once I had gone pulled the teacloth opening the oven door flap at the same time.  This was too good an opportunity to miss she must have managed to get the baking tray out of the oven onto the floor.  Having been set on a timer the oven was not on when this was done.  It came on as normal later, which resulted in a very warm flat with the kitchen and lounge windows steamed up.  All was gone including 12 roast potatoes.  The string that surrounded the expensive joint of beef was all that remained of our planned lunch.

Just in time I managed to get to the local Co Op and purchased some Chicken legs.  Needless to say with another hour or so to wait we indulged in several bottles of wine and it was another story to dine out on.  One could not scold Shelly and she knew she had done wrong spending most of her time in the bedroom hiding behind the bed appearing every now and then putting her head around the lounge door. That’s dogs for you!                 

We were excited at the Lifeboat station as a new boat had been given to us and it was due to be named by HRH Princess Alexandra. This was due to her Lady in Waiting Lady Mary Mumford who was The Duke of Norfolk’s daughter.

Lady Mary supported the Shoreham Lifeboat in many ways which all helped towards its funding.  She even came down on flag days spending time collecting money around the town for us.  On one occasion she brought Princess Alexandra down to the station with her children and they were all taken out on the lifeboat down to Brighton Marina and back. It was a very private visit and no one knew about it media wise.  The Princess had tea with the crew afterwards and she knitted a small lucky mascot for the boat which still takes pride of place in the wheelhouse to this day.

The day for the naming arrived and we were all down at the station early cleaning the boat and putting the flags up and setting out the many chairs for the invited guests whilst Shelley made friends with the local police sniffer dog who was doing a security check as a Royal visit was involved.  The weather was fine which helped and I was delegated as the official photographer.  The Princess arrived and met the officials from RNLI HQ and the new lifeboat crew. It was then named and she was taken out to the harbour entrance and back on it. 

Following this all went to the Yacht club where there was a reception for invited guests and the crews and helpers at Shoreham. I was just getting out of my car and giving Shelley a little walk when she stopped and asked the dog’s name giving her a little pat and saying what a nice looking Labrador she was.  Later during the reception once the formal speeches were over she mingled with the many guests and once again we met and she referred to Shelly.                                                                                                       

In life one meets many people that one becomes attached to and such a person was a Harry Richardson.  Harry had spent most of his life working for The Forestry Commission and had now retired.  Sadly he was involved in a car accident in which he lost his wife Anne.  Harry always appeared in the Sovereign pub at the same time each day having done his daily food shop on the way down to it.                                     

We became good friends spending a lot of time together.  One could say he was my mentor having lost both my parents.  Harry was a person I could turn to with my problems and his advice was always well thought out and constructive.  The friendship became very strong indeed and whenever we met in the pub the first one in always had a drink ready for the other.  Harry only drank halves of bitter against my pint and this was to be a bone of contention for many years – he eventually found a way around it and came up with the expression ‘Are you ready for a top up John.’

Initially he was not that fond of Shelley – I think he could take or leave dogs.  After a while he did start showing a lot of kindness towards Shelley bringing her bones and buying her the odd treat.  Sometime he would invite several of us back to his house for a few Pink Gins and Shelley was always on the list.

He loved his cricket and rugby and read the Telegraph avidly every day doing very well at the crossword.  His routine was such that he would move on from one pub to another at a set time finishing up at the Yacht club for two final half’s before he walked home.  He was not an evening man and liked to stay at home listening to one of the many Roberts radios that he had around the house.  There was no television and he lived in a time warp that seemed to go back to the day he lost his wife.  He never forgave himself for the accident.  He had two daughters and used to visit them from time to time and sometimes they would come down to Shoreham with their children.

I recall one day that I got a phone call from him asking if I would like to join him and his family for lunch on the steam train at Sheffield Park called the ‘Bluebell Line’. This was typical Harry – organised to the last fine detail.  It was a wonderful day and we all had a beautiful lunch on the steam train going up and down the track. We even met Dame Vera Lynn who was on the train with her daughter Virginia and husband Tom.  That was a bonus as I had known both Tom and Virginia for a while through one of my old RAF friends Group Captain Barry Titchen.  Harry always remembered that day and spoke about it often.  I was later to see a lot more of Virginia and Tom as well as Dame Vera with my Hickstead connections and Shoreham Airshow involvement.

Virginia and Tom were also great dog lovers and they had a retriever – they both met Shelley several times and always gave her a lot of affection.  One can always tell a true dog lover as the bond between both man and dog is shown on the initial few seconds of the first meeting.                             

End of Chapter Sixteen

THE FALKLANDS TRIP MINUS SHELLEY – CHAPTER 17

My stepmother Marjorie whom my father married following my mothers death had Alzheimer’s and was in a nursing home at Hythe in Kent.  As mentioned earlier I was not left anything by my father when he passed away as it went to Marjorie.  We were not that close and I only visited her from time to time and made the odd phone call.  I was sadly informed that she had passed away one evening.  Her sister’s son contacted me about the funeral and I went to Hythe taking Shelley and using the visit as an excuse to visit old friends.

I was surprised to be told following the funeral that I had been left some money from Marjorie that my late father had asked her to look after for me. It was not a vast amount but gave me the opportunity to purchase some new furniture (which was badly needed). One day I found myself in a hi-fi shop in Brighton and included a rather nice Technics hi fi system under the furniture banner or should I say ‘self indulgence’ banner!

I had always liked jazz from a very young age and throughout my life had collected many records.  In the sixties I spent a lot of time at ‘Ronnie Scott’s’ club in London where I managed to see just about every well established jazz icon that was around.  I worked for Kodak many years ago in their film unit and met a couple of people in the same department called Warren and Veryan and they started taking me to many concerts at The Festival Hall where I saw people such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald.  It was a wonderful time and I had the chance to meet them back stage collecting their autographs and their records.  I even went to New York twice on business and visited all the major jazz clubs.  It was a very special time in my life and one that to this day I cherish with great pride (more later).

I had no intentions of making Shelley a jazz dog, it just happened!  One evening I was listening to John Coltrane’s ‘Chasing the Trane’ and noticed Shelley was sitting on the floor close to one of the speakers moving her head from left to right and cocking her ears up at the same time. This was to become a standard routine every time I put John Coltrane on.  She became very selective and loved the Modern Jazz Quartet but did not like Dave Brubeck and walked out of the lounge onto her bed in the kitchen.

Duke Ellington made her rush round in circles trying to chase her tail and Pharaoh Saunders made her yell from time to time.  It became a party trick every time I had someone around that liked jazz.  Perhaps I was right in calling her Shelley after Shelley Manne the jazz drummer.

I had some funds left over after my initial spend and decided to go on a holiday that would be a lot different.  Never one for crowded resorts I had a look through some brochures and opted for The Falkland Islands.  Not many people knew where they were and several to look at a map to find them.  I even recall one friend thinking they were in Scotland.  What was I going to do with Shelley as four weeks was a little too long to ask Molly and she was getting a little frail now, hence I opted for a kennel.  I frankly was not keen but found one out in the country at the back of Shoreham.  On inspection it seemed fine was small with some good staff.  Molly had promised to get her best pal to take her out for a drive to see her from time to time giving her an excuse for a drink in the country also.

It was not long before I was on my way and I dropped Shelley off which was rather emotional.  Once at RAF Brize Norton I phoned the kennel to see if she was fine and was told not to worry anymore.  Just after the conflict travel to the Falklands was only by RAF and they took several civilian paying passengers on each trip.

The flight was 21 hours stopping at Ascension Island and it was great flying with the RAF. As we approached the Falklands we were escorted in by two RAF Phantoms. I won’t go into too much detail except to say the Islands were stunning and memories linger to this day.  The islanders were characters in their own right and I was obliged to stay with them as there were no hotels apart from the one in Port Stanley and small lodge on Sea Lion Island.                                                                                                     

It was a photographers dream and I had purchased a couple of new Nikon cameras and ended up taking well over 50 rolls of slide film.  The wild life was certainly better than expected and a day never passed without meeting penguins.  I recall one day sitting down on a desolate beach waiting for them to return around 4pm to feed their young.  The sea became alive and they came in by the thousands through the killer whales and sea lions that were waiting for them jumping out of the surf onto the long beaches all around me.  Most rushed past me to their colony to feed their young whilst others were interested in what I was doing stopping and had a glance into my camera bag before moving on. 

I met a man Bob Gilby on this holiday and we were to become good friends and have kept in touch since.  Bob was an ex police officer who worked for the special branch looking after senior government members.  What a character, so full of enthusiasm and knowledge having done his homework on the islands before he left home.  We shared rooms from time to time as some of the places we stayed at were just ordinary island properties.

During the Falklands conflict a local teacher was sadly killed by a stray shell.  Stories abounded about her and the fact that she could be seen to this day around the island.  I had to get up one night to spend a penny and as I was walking up the stairs of the Upland Goose Hotel I saw this lady at the top in a ball gown.  I went past her and I suddenly became icy cold and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.  I turned and got a nice smile and then she was gone.  I mentioned this to the owner of the hotel and he said, “Don’t worry you have seen our beloved teacher.  She is so happy and likes to see what is going on.” I checked this out several times over the following years and it does appear that I had seen a kindred spirit!

I did miss Shelley and sent her post cards addressed to the kennels.  Little did I realise that there were only two posts a week from the islands to the UK and when I got home I was told that she got batches of cards together. I made a couple of phone calls also and was told all was fine and that the cards were placed on her kennel wall.  It appears also that she got on well with the owner and after a few days had managed to get herself a place in the lounge by the open fire. If that was not kennel love what was!

The four weeks went past very quickly and it was soon time to fly back to the UK.  I was tanned which was caused by the wind that is forever blowing and the warmth of the salt air.  When home I did for a while look into going back there to live as I fell in love with the place and also for the first time made some money from the sale of my Penguin pictures.  It was not a lot but covered the cost of my film and processing. I was also short listed for a couple of National photographic competitions. 

Shelley was delighted to see me on my return but I could see that she had been spoilt and there was a little bit of apprehension when she got into my car.   I am glad to say that was the only time I put her into kennels.

Back at the flat it was not long before it was a return to normal. I had missed the lifeboat and my friends and I expect I bored them rigid with my holiday stories and pictures. I ended up making a nice slide presentation out of the trip and gave some lectures to local societies and residential homes.  When I went to the Falklands it was a new tourist spot. Sadly now it has become a lot busier with cruise ships stopping off.  A great pity but I hope it will not be spoilt and the wonderful wild life will not be affected.