Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador (25 page)

For us it was a case of a quick wander around whilst looking for the Guinness stand where we would place ourselves for most of the day.  Sometimes we would book a trip out on a new demonstration boat whilst pretending to show possible interest in purchasing one. On our money you must be joking!

For Shelley the Guinness bar was an ideal venue as she could sit there knowing that she would be made a fuss off situating herself under one of the metal ornate tables knowing full well that she would get the odd tipple and a packet of crisps now and then from one of us or one of the nautical types that was stopping for a pint or two. 

We met up with the then RNLI staff coxswain Billy Dent or as he was known ‘Force Ten Billy’. He acquired this name as every time he went to sea it seemed to be blowing a force ten gale – which he loved.  What a character and he had us in stitches relating his many stories whilst consuming more than the average amount of Guinness.                                                                                                                 

The RNLI has Regional Inspectors called DI’s and to our surprise Commander Alan Tate appeared on the stand joining us for a drink.  He knew Chris, Mike and Peter well having the utmost respect for their late father Johnny Fox who was a past coxswain of Shoreham.                      

Their father and Peter’s uncle Johnny had been an inspiration to the Shoreham crew.  I recall also meeting Commander Tate (or Alan Tate as he preferred to be called) at Southwold when he came up to see Roger Trigg one day. E Royal Navy he was a character that mixed so easily with all the crews he came into contact with. His manner was such that one did not mind following his advice and instruction. Another was a Mike Pennell.

Our current Inspector at Shoreham was a Commander Mike Woodroffe, who had a nickname Jey Cloth (so I was advised by Chris and Mike Fox).  It took me a while to find out why, but it appears his use of the named product was higher than anyone else in the RNLI.  The DI’s were an integral part of the RNLI and the crews could not work without them. Most being ex Royal Navy! 

The Guinness stand was turning into a session with a couple of other people we knew from Shoreham finding their way along. Tony Boysons and Nicky Brock who were from the yacht club but great supporters of the Shoreham lifeboat as well as being very sociable members.  Shelley knew both of them so it was not long before our table of four had extended to a table of about ten with Shelley under it making sure she nestled her wet nose into the generous hands of all involved.

We departed the show that evening about 8pm in a very happy and melancholy frame of mind – I wonder why?

A few weeks later there was an airshow being held at Shoreham Airport and we were invited over to do another one of those RNLI demonstrations with the Royal Navy Helicopter. On arrival we were directed to them only to find it    was the same crew we had met when we went to the Getty House near Guilford.  Also, they were staying the night in Shoreham.                             

The party trick for them was one we had not seen before.  During the afternoon Tannoy announcements were being sent out about a car that was blocking a road on the perimeter of the airfield.                                                                                

A final warning was issued and then to everyone surprise the helicopter appeared with a car hooked under it with a commentary that it was being removed to another area.  All seemed fine until the support cable snapped and the car dropped several hundred feet onto the ground in front of the spectators.  It never ceased to amaze me what the navy came up with.

Another year the same thing happened but this time there was a piano attached with a person sitting on a chair playing it when all of a sudden the cable snapped and the piano fell to the ground leaving the player sitting on his chair.  The navy loved pianos and I gather on one occasion one was catapulted from the carrier deck of ‘HMS Ark Royal’.

I recall also visiting an RAF base with Shelley when a piano was removed from the officer’s mess to the front of the building where it was ceremoniously set on fire. Why pianos I asked myself? 

Diverting slightly I did hear of a story about a new young RAF officer who had joined his squadron and was rather full of himself.  He also drove an MG sports car.  One weekend when he was away his car was dismantled and the window to his billet removed and the car lifted by crane and re-built in his room. He was in for a wonderful surprise when he returned to see his MG taking up all the space in his room.  Rumour has it he became a changed man after that!

Shelley was allowed onto the corner of the airfield where the helicopter was based for the two days so it became our home for the duration of the airshow.

On the Saturday evening there was a jazz band playing in the airport bar called ‘The Strutters’ they were based along the lines of the popular group ‘The Temperance Seven’ dressing the part also.  The evening turned out to be one of the best I have experienced at the airport in many years.                           

To see the Parachute Regiment team dancing a conga out of the bar and around the front of the terminal removing some of their attire was a real bonus. Shelley decided this was for her and she followed the last one barking in time to their steps.  By the time they got back into the bar they were just down to their underpants.  It was a good event for the RNLI as we were given permission to collect funds for the Shoreham boat. Shelley once again had her collecting box firmly placed around her neck.

For the public the opportunity to meet service personnel has always attracted a great deal of interest.  For some it is the charisma of uniforms whilst for others it is the frustrations of seeing others do things that deep down in side they would have liked to have done themselves.                                                                                         

I have always admired the mountain and cave rescue teams. There is no way I could do what any of these brave people do.  Those involved are bought up in the region where rescues do happen so know what they are letting themselves in for every time they go out on a call.  They may think the same about us.  Perhaps that is why the RNLI does get a great deal of funding from people that do not live by the coast. They read about what happens and then put donations into the many collecting boxes. The charity is very popular and most pubs have their familiar collecting boxes situated in a prominent place and they are regularly emptied by the many helpers that give their time up to do just that.  It is one big happy family.

For some reason Shelley seemed to have a renewed sparkle to her life when the two events mentioned happened. I was a lot of fun for her and something that she really enjoyed.  When people were around her she was at her peak trying to show one and all that she appreciated their company.  They say ‘a dog is like its owner’ so perhaps she was doing what I did best - enjoy life to the full - and why not after all she was a ‘Lifeboat Dog!’       

End Chapter Thirty Three

PORLOCK WEIR AND DEVON – Chapter 34

My work still involved me in a fair amount of travel and I always took Shelley along with me even although she was now getting a lot slower on her feet.  Having her along as company was great for me.  Many of my friends used to say how lucky I was doing all this travelling. As I said earlier in this book it at times could be very lonely making Shelley a great companion.

I was asked to go to the Royal Navy Hospital in Plymouth to give a talk on our range of healthcare products.  It was quite an honour as many of their top medical staff would be attending. I had arranged to meet Keith my sales manager there.  Shelley and Keith were great palls so we had a chat walking along the front looking down onto the sea below and agreed a plan of strategy for the afternoon.

At 2pm we were all set up in the main lecture theatre which was full of staff along with some other consultants from the National Health hospital.  I was going to talk on’ Deep Vein Thrombosis’ relating to a specific product we then sold which helped prevent it occurring.  Shelley was back in my car fast asleep on the back seat and I could see her out of the window.  I walked up to the rostrum and introduced myself to the packed auditorium preparing to introduce Keith when I had a total blank.  To be in this situation with over 100 staff in front of me was a total embarrassment.  I had forgotten Keith’s name and the more I tried to recover from the problem the more confused I got.  All of a sudden Keith came out from the side of the room and introduced himself whilst adding a lot of humour regarding my age and my related memory problems. It could not have been a better role play scenario and it was as though we had set it up and rehearsed it time and time again.  There was a roar of laughter from all including the senior navy surgeons situated in the front row.

The meeting went very well considering how technical the subject matter was. There were many questions that were asked one after the other.  To try and convert top medical staff to a new regime is not an easy task but it worked and the product was eventually approved by the ‘Tri Service Committee’ for use in all the military hospitals in the UK. I also remember seeing Surgeon Commander Rick Jolly in the audience who made his name in the Falklands conflict. He is great man with a distinguished service career.

Following the two lecture sessions we were invited to join the consultants for dinner in their mess.  It was what I would call top silver service with some excellent wine followed by Port and further discussion regarding the development of the product.  That evening we both stayed over in a nice hotel on the front and went for a walk with Shelley popping into the Yacht Club for a drink.  One thing about being a member of the RNLI is that one is always welcome to visit any yacht club in the country as a guest.  I did not abuse this facility but at times it was a nice way to meet people when in an area you did not know too well.

The next morning Keith went back to London and I carried on towards North Devon where I had some appointments.  I had taken pot luck and booked into a nice hotel at Porlock Weir called the ‘Anchor Hotel’. I had checked if they took dogs which they did.  On arrival it turned out to be a splendid establishment situated at the end of a road by a small harbour run by a wonderful person who loved dog’s and supported the local Exmoor Staghounds.  It was a well established local with regular customers.  For some reason he loved a glass of Champagne making sure I had one also.  One morning he even came up with a glass when I was having my scrambled egg – what a nice man! 

His interest in the RNLI was evident with the pictures around the bar area. It was in 1899 that the 18 man crew of a 3 masted ship called ‘The Forrest Hall’ were foundering in stormy seas off Porlock.  The Lynmouth lifeboat ‘Louisa’ was due to be launched but due to the bad conditions could not.  The coxswain Jack Crocombe proposed another plan and that was to take the lifeboat weighing 10 tons on its carriage by road the 14 miles to Porlock where it could be launched. 

It went down in history and the crew then rowed in the terrible seas to rescue all from the stricken ship.  In those days it was a case of using horses and manpower at times reaching a height of 1423 feet above sea level with some terrible descents.  One hundred years later the RNLI was to re-enact the event but in daytime with 60 men and four horses.

For me it was so nice to see the images on the wall and hear about it from a couple of the crews ancestors who were in the bar.  Shelley loved the hotel and we were to stay there for three days using it as our base for the duration of my work.

The landlord did twist my arm and suggested we both went to see the staghounds out hunting.  I took his offer and followed him in my car with Shelley to see the start of the event.  On arrival in a small Exmoor village I parked my car up and Shelley and I walked down to the village pub where the hunt was setting off from.  For Shelley this was a first time opportunity to see so many hounds.  I did not know what to expect therefore keeping her well attached to her lead.  No problems! She took it all in her stride sitting beside me watching the world pass by. It was a first for me also giving me a chance to chat to those on and off their horses.  The hunt supporters also followed by Landrover and they would position themselves at vantage points sometimes blowing whistles to let the hunt know where the Stag was.

I stayed until the hunt set off and watched from one of the hills before going off to make some calls at Minehead.  I always tried to find time to visit some of the local lifeboat stations and went to Clovelley.  You could either walk down the steep hill through the village to the harbour or take the opportunity for a hairy ride in a vehicle through some woods and tracks.  I opted for this taking Shelley and deciding to walk back up.  She loved the ride barking most of the time. I was not sure in fear or in enjoyment.