NO RESCUE WANTED

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 14184, 8 October 1946, Page 5

NO RESCUE WANTED

BOYS IN LIFEBOAT ANCHOR FAILED IN BAD WEATHER Brian Pitt-Pitts, IS-ycar-old skipper of a little sailing dinghy aground in the Solent, was surprised to see a lifeboat plunging towards him. "What's the panic about?" he asked. "We can manage ourselves." "Is there anything you want?" called Coxswain Stanley Smith, of Yarmouth lifeboat. Three voices in unison—from Skipper Brian, John Webb, 18, and John Roberts, 12 —replied, "Yes, bring us some food: we're starving." And, although it was G a.m. and they had fought a day-and-night battle with high' seas, the three politelj' but firmly declined any o.ther aid. So Coxswain Smith put back tc Yarmouth and returned with hot soup and food. When the tide rose Brian and bin crew hauled their 16ft dinghy off the mudbank, set the sails, and glided into Keyhavcn, their home, just before noon. The crowd waiting on the quayside cheered (hem as they tied up. This was the story Brian told to Coxswain Smith: "All that happened was that wo ran into bad weather. "The anchor failed to bold, sr at about " a.m. on Sunday we managed to beach the boat near Hurst Point. "We were very hungry and' cold, but there no panic." Smith put out in response to a telephone call from Mrs Roberts.