There is a very very good series of programmes running on Chanel Five, one of which was shown last night at 8pm. Really is worth watching out for again..it seems last nights programme was no 2 of 6, and the programme is called Sea Patrol UK. It shows the work of all the rescue services in operation in the English Channel and last nights programme partly featured the work of the Dover Lifeboat and crew and very interesting it was too. I myself missed programme 1 but caught up last night and the rest should be well worth seeing.
It is amazing what these rescue services get up too, quite unbelievable when you note that these guys are volunteers. last night it showed the Dover RNLI led by full time Coxswain Stuart Richardson. They were despatched in one instant to fetch a body from beneath the cliffs at Langdon. Not pleasant and not easy to do. The police were on hand beneath the cliffs when the lifeboat crew got there but there was no way the police could get the body up the cliffs. The lifeboat crew had to get the heavy body onto one of those rather small orange inflatable boats...and get it back to the Lifeboat itself. Very tough going and not pleasant. The body had been in the water for three days.
It showed the whole thing in detail, body and all, although close up of the body was fuzzed out.
This picture shows Dover crewmembers Steve Ladner and John Miell returning with the body to the main vessel.
This is a close up of John Miell as featured in the programme.
The operation was directed from the main vessel by Coxswain Stuart Richardson.
Its a tough job and yes indeed someone has to do it. When the crew members got back to Dover the body was taken away by the coroners office and the crew members in the operation were hosed down. Im not sure why the hosing down but maybe someone will let us know.
Would have put this story on the frontpage but pushed for space, as it shows Dover and the RNLI crew in a very good light. They do marvellous but often unpalatable work.
