大象传媒

During 1943 a Crown Film Unit came to Newlyn to make a film about the Air Sea Rescue, and High Speed Launch 2554 and crew were put at the disposal of the director.
The Film Unit chartered a fishing trawler for their purpose, and having set up their cameras and equipment on the vessel, turned their attention to the HSL and crew - all looking forward to becoming film stars of the future.
The director asked the coxswain to approach the trawler at some speed, turning off at the last possible moment, providing the cameras with an exciting shot of the HSL in action.
So off we went, some three or four hundred yards from the trawler before turning to do the directors bidding. Bill Dyce, the coxswain, opened up the throttles and our launch tore up to the trawler before peeling off in a giant wave that sent a huge bow wave into the air before turning away. Quite effective, we all thought - but not the director. He asked if Bill would come much closer to the trawler before turning - and I swear I saw Bill grin as we prepared for another attempt.
This time we almost touched the trawlers side before Bill spun the wheel to swing the powerful launch round. The subsequent bow wave went high into the air before crashing down on the director, his camera crew, and all their equipment, and even sent the heavy trawler rocking. Despite their soaking, the director announced he was satisfied before rushing off to get dry and changed...
Undaunted the now-dry director wanted four men put into an inflatable dinghy (as carried in the aircraft) all dressed in yellow oilskins - which I thought was over-the-top, but on the other hand, this clothing would not only protect them from a possible second soaking, but show up well on film. Once they were safely afloat, we were to approach them to pick them up, and for this purpose, we lowered the crash net over the port side for the crew to clamber aboard.
At first, all went well. The coxswain made an excellent job of getting alongside the dinghy, and the 'survivors' began climbing up the crash net, helped on board by the willing hands of two crewmembers. So willing, in fact that one unfortunate survivor was pulled on board so energetically that he banged his head on the port davit and was dragged on board semi-conscious! Thankfully, for everyone's sake, he made a quick recovery and I believe the film was eventually to the directors satisfaction - but I still think that the original film would have done better at the box office as a comedy!

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