I'm no hero, says lifeboat man who plunged into storm-lashed sea cave

A COURAGEOUS RNLI crewman, awarded one of the charity's top bravery awards for his daring rescue of a terrified angler from a storm-lashed sea cave, has insisted: "I'm no hero."

Darren Crowe, 39, a volunteer helmsman with the St Abbs lifeboat crew in the Borders, risked his life last month to save a fisherman who had been swept into a cave after falling into the sea from St Abbs head.

Simon Haston, 44, the fireman whose life he saved, visited the lifeboat station yesterday to thank his RNLI rescuers as the charity announced that Mr Crowe is to be awarded the charity's Bronze Medal for Gallantry.

Mr Haston said: "I just cannot thank the crew enough. I'm well aware it was a hardcore rescue - a big job. This guy saved my life and he deserves all the recognition he can get and definitely deserves the medal.

"If the RNLI had not been there I would have died that day. I would not have lasted much longer, I was almost gone."

Two other members of the Crowe family who took part in the dramatic rescue - his uncle Alistair, 63, the lifeboat operations manager, and brother James, 37, a former crew member whose help was enlisted on the day of the rescue, are to be awarded a Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the RNLI chairman.

The fourth member of the lifeboat rescue crew, David Wilson, who initiated the rescue after spotting Mr Haston plunging into the sea, is to receive a Letter of Appreciation signed by the RNLI chief executive.

Mr Crowe said: "I was just doing my job. It was a team effort and I certainly don't regard myself as a hero. I don't like all this publicity to tell you the truth, but there's nothing I can do about it."

Mr Crowe, a creel fisherman who has served with the RNLI for 28 years, and the three other members of the lifeboat crew raced to the rescue on 6 June after Mr Wilson had spotted the angler being washed into a sea cave, known as Ty's Tunnel.

"When we got the scene we could see the angler inside the mouth of the cave, clinging to rock with the waves rolling in," Mr Crowe said.

His uncle volunteered to swim to the stranded angler but Mr Crowe insisted that, as he was wearing the only survival suit, he should carry out the rescue.

He continued: "I had a rope tied round me and I swam into the cave but I had just got on to the rock when a wave washed me off and back to the mouth of the cave.

"I had to swim back in again and by the time I reached him my hands were cut to bits by the rocks.

"Simon didn't want to come back out because he was terrified, but I eventually got him talked round. I had to inflate my life jacket to keep us afloat.

"He was terrified and he was clinging on to me for dear life.

"I reckon he would have pulled me under if I hadn't inflated the life jacket."