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Memorable
Rescues carried out by Bill Doherty - in Bill's own words
I have carried out hundreds of rescues at Southport either by bodily going
into the sea or with the aid of the DUKW which was manned by an excellent
crew. The following are just two which come to mind.
In the late 1960's I alighted from the DUKW together with Lifeguard Mike
Claxton to patrol the sandbanks. I sent the DUKW to shore to change
drivers for the late shift, as in those days the beach was patrolled from
7.30 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. I spotted a young girl running from the sea who was
pointing back to the water. Mike quickly ran to the girl and I promptly
waded into the water. I could not believe my eyes when I spotted a 6 year
old boy lying on his back with the tide quickly flowing over him. I picked
him up but desperately needed the DUKW to take us all back to shore. The
children were in a state of collapse, exhausted and dehydrated, as it was
a very hot day. It took 15 minutes for the DUKW to return and we raced
three miles back to shore so the children could receive urgent First Aid.
I found out later that the children had been missing for a total of 3
hours.
I don't know to this day what made me leave the DUKW and decide to patrol
the sandbanks with the incoming tide but I do know those children were
very lucky not to have been drowned.
That same day after making sure the children were safe and had medical
treatment I carried on patrolling in the DUKW. By this time the tide was
by the Pier, when I spotted a man in great distress and in a state of
shock. He was the father of the rescued children, you can imagine how
grateful he was to know they were safe and well but he was so upset he
hardly had the strength to shake my hand! He was very shocked when he was
told his children were 3 miles out from the beach.
Another rescue which quickly comes to mind happened one hot July afternoon
in 1976, the tide had covered the sandbanks and we were stationed with the
DUKW on a sandbank near the pier. Looking through my binoculars I spotted
what I thought were sailing dinghies. There was a heat haze on the sea
that made visibility a little difficult. I gave the binoculars to the DUKW
driver and the lifeguards in turn but no one could see anything. They all
said there was nothing there but every now and then I could see "colours".
I instructed the driver to move the vehicle but by some miracle through
the haze one of the lifeguards spotted some children. After dropping off
two of the Lifeguards to patrol the area near the pier, the DUKW driver
and myself went to the assistance of the children. It took 20 long minutes
to reach them.
To our amazement there were 12 children and one teacher who had been cut
off by the tide. The remaining 2 teachers who had stayed on the beach had
apparently telephoned the coastguard. We put the children and the teacher
on board the DUKW and sailed back across the sea, past the pier were
dozens of holidaymakers cheered as we passed. All the children and the
teacher were treated at the First Aid Post for shock.
The teacher and the children did not realise they could be cut off by the
tide when they walked out to sea and they are all very lucky to be alive
today.
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Sometimes when I reflect
on these events I am haunted by the fact that the people I have rescued
over the years have come so near to being drowned. I am very proud of the
fact that in my long career of 32 years patrolling the beaches of
Southport I have an unblemished record.
Unfortunately my career came to an abrupt end on unlucky Friday, 13th
October 1995. Whilst rescuing a lady, an official from the Green Party in
Birmingham, I suffered a back injury which saw me admitted to Hospital for
treatment. The road to recovery was long and hard, as the injury affected
my legs. I spent many months in my garden regaining the ability to walk
until eventually I was able to throw away the walking sticks I was forced
to use, but I was left with the knowledge that I could no longer continue
with my job. Through all this I was thankful that I still managed to save
the lady's life.
Now I am working on a voluntary basis at the hospital doing a little light
work by opening up the swimming pool for the doctors and nurses who enjoy
an early morning swim before going on duty. It is my way of saying thank
you for all the help I received when I was injured. |
