Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador (9 page)

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.

We then met up with some very old friends of mine Paul and Trish McKeown. I had worked with Paul in my early veterinary selling days and both Christine and I had remained good friends. They were great company and full of fun and although Christine and I had parted company they had kept in touch with us both.  Whenever I went to Thanet I always met up with them and we walked Shelley remembering the good times. Paul after a few pints was always good at doing impressions and was a keen wine collector.  Later in life they both ended up working at the Fayrness Hotel so it was useful in the days of hand written hotel bills when it came to checking out after a business trip!  I have lots of fond memories in their company and they were very good the Shelley. Paul sadly passed away later due to a brain tumour. 

Back at The Faryness we had an excellent dinner and stayed up for a while but the antics of the night before soon caught up with us and an early night beckoned. It was a pity as I knew many at this establishment and with its wonderful outlook over the English Channel it was always a nice place to have a late nightcap. The rooms made up for everything and Jack and Peggy loved their one night there.  Shelley had her normal place beside my bed in the room I always had which was situated at the top of a round tower on the corner of the hotel at the front.  As I went to sleep I remembered that I had also locked myself out of my room at this hotel and spent a night sleeping in the linen basket with Shelley. However I decided not to remind her.

Next day it was a slow drive back to Shoreham giving Jack and Peggy the chance to see some of the beautiful Kent countryside. We stopped off to give Shelley a run unaware that there was a pond nearby – yes you have guessed it - poor Peggy had a rather muddy dog next to her for the remainder of the journey. “Let’s put it down to experience’” she said with a smile to which Jack replied, “Nice to meet so many people and John has got some first class friends out there.”

On this occasion I must say I had to agree with them both. Thinking to myself at the same time how important in life it is that one can share ones pleasures and friends with others.                                                                               

End Chapter Twelve

MAD
DOGS AT BODIAM – CHAPTER 13

When I lived at Boxley near Maidstone as a child I attended Vinters Boys Secondary School. I did not enjoy my school years and given the opportunity to get into work at the first opportunity I did just that working at ‘The Kent Messenger Newspaper’ as a trainee reporter.  During those years I made friends with a Graham Beames who lived nearby.  I also spent a lot of time at Boxley House with my other good friend Willie Marr-Johnson (who I mentioned earlier).

I won’t go into detail about my trainee report days other than to say it was an experience and a learning curve. My only claim to fame was that I worked in the same office as David Wigg who was to become a highly respected celebrity writer later in life.  Bert Charlton was the editor and a taskmaster and my pay was £3 a week. At times my frustrations turned to tears but it stood me in good stead later in life!

Graham was a character and used to do things that many of us would never dream of doing such as climbing the tallest tree he could find right to the top or driving at speed on his homemade soap box.  They were the days of no computers and one had to make their own entertainment out of the most mundane things. It was a wonderful feeling as well as one of life’s experiences.  I remember doing a paper round at 6am in the pitch dark walking down long country lanes whilst still feeling safe.  We used to visit Willie at Boxley and take out their Labrador walking for miles along the North Downs in all types of weather.  Nothing was a problem and each day was a fresh adventure and challenge (watch out Huck Finn) I used to say to myself.

I was in the local church choir and when I was confirmed by the then Archbishop of Canterbury we had a parish breakfast. My only sausage when prodded by my fork jumped onto his plate. He ate it saying “Bless you my dear boy and thank you for small mercies.”

Here I am now some 30 years later driving in my car to Bodiam with Shelley to visit Graham whom I had not seen for well over 15 years.  I had a call from him out of the blue asking me if I would like to visit him and stay over for the weekend.  Graham and his wife Sally had two daughters and a nice dog - hence there was no problem in taking Shelley along with me (so I thought).

Their house had a swimming pool in the back garden surrounded by lawns and woodland.  Graham had not changed at all, still full of fun with one of the most outrageous laughs I had ever heard.  It was infectious and resulted in all and sundry laughing at him when he laughed.  Try and have a pint with him in the pub and disaster took over – it was non stop – if he was not trying to climb up the chimney he was walking on the bar with a soda siphon.

One Saturday afternoon featured the highlight of the year ‘The Mad Dogs Bodiam Seven Side Rugby Match’ held near the grounds of the Castle that had been used in the TV series of Robin Hood with Richard Green (for those that are old enough to remember). Graham had been one of the key founders of this event so it was a reunion linked to an event that sounded fun giving Shelley and me the opportunity to meet his friends and family.

We turned up at the field and made our way over to the spectator’s enclosure where Graham and Sally met us. The first game had already got off to a fine start and Shelley was well behaved sitting beside me as we met many of Graham’s friends.  Not being a great rugby fan I could take or leave the game – but the characters involved were very different.  There was Robert McGowan a well know journalist who wrote for the Daily Express (who had recently returned from the Falklands conflict) and his wife Pauline. Then there was Piers Mott who made Cricket Bats and was also involved in running one of the local pubs.  The beer tent was already very active with the non playing supporters where we joined Graham’s family who had made themselves up a nice picnic area with a table full of an ample supply of liquid refreshment from the bar! I left Shelley tied to my chair whilst I went to get a drink for myself and some water for her.

Suddenly I heard all this yelling ‘Get this dog of the field’ and I realised she had taken my chair in tow right into the game trying to chase the rugby ball at the same time.  It did cause a lot of fun more so for the non players than the players.  She was bought back to me with strict instructions from Graham who managed to retrieve her to keep her under control!  As a result we were now both well known to most of the other guests there. The afternoon went on well and as the teams got eliminated the muddy bloodstained players made their way towards the beer tent. It got so packed that it was a real effort to move and Shelley I could see was not enjoying herself. I took her outside and tied her to one of the Tent pegs knowing that she would be fine.

Oh dear! Was that a big mistake! About forty or so minutes later more yells from the Rugby Field.  I took one leap outside the tent to find Shelley covered in mud from top to toe carrying the remnants of a 5 foot long plank with her head down. It was too heavy to carry with no centre of gravity which resulted in her running between the players hitting all and sundry on their chins with the ends of the plank. 

Trying to catch her was out of the question. It was more fun for her making a charge towards the surrounding spectators who had to do an emergency evacuation to avoid being hit by both dog and plank.  After a while all calmed down and yes! I got another abrupt lecture on dog control from Graham and Gezz Higgins (who really took the game to heart).  Gezz was one of those that played Rugby and every year went to the ‘Hong Kong Sevens’. He was the founder of ‘The Mad Dogs’ team playing to the rule book up until he had reached his 7
th
Pint of bitter when modified the rules a little.  Lecture over, we decided to find a chair nearer to the bar area where I remained sitting watching from there giving Shelley time to dry off in the hot sun whilst making sure she could not get away.