Free Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador by John Periam Page A

who helped me no end in making sure I met many of the top brass in the services.  He was later in life to become the head of the School of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough. 
     
    Tony and I often met at conferences and often when in Ely I had dinner with him and his family. One has the privilege to meet some exceptional people and Tony was one of those! Tony was also a dog lover and when in his company he always gave full attention to Shelley when the opportunity arose.
     
    The school of nursing had some nice team members and it became Shelley’s base whenever I visited Ely. It gave me time to call on the many departments knowing she was going to be well looked after.
     
    The area always brought back memories of my childhood when I used to visit my Aunt Grace at The Manor House in Potterhanworth where I often had a nostalgic drive past.  As I mentioned earlier she moved to Woodall Spa after Derek passed away. On her death Grace was buried alongside husband Derek in Nocton Church which I visited from time to time.
     
    Not forgetting Southwold I also popped back given any excuse. On reflection one of the biggest mistakes I made was to move out from the area.  I had been very crafty when I moved in that I had decided to keep my dentist at Halesworth (I dreaded having toothache as it would have meant a 300 mile round trip). Sadly the time did come when the decision had to be made to move to a local one in Shoreham. 
     
    Prior to this a return to the Suffolk Coast was always fun for Shelley.  For some reason when she got within 4 miles of the turn off to Southwold she knew where she was and began her wake up call in the back of the car getting more excited as we neared the town centre and the beach.
     
    My first stop was the beach by the pier and I would open the back car door and off she went to the same places she had always gone to whilst stopping to meet the passers by wagging her tail all the time.  On one visit I thought I had lost her only to find her sitting outside The Fisherman’s Reading Room about half a mile away .It was always a welcome stop for her knowing she would get a lot of attention from the retired folk of Southwold who stopped by to read and play cards.                                                                                                   
     
    The sea was a must and it was a case of a long swim and a wet return to me with yet another large plank or piece of wood. Of course I would pop in to the Harbour Inn and The Swan.  Sadly over the years some of my friends had passed away.  Rick Bath Jones and Biddy Denny were no longer around.  Roger Trigg had moved to Lowestoft and his father Cecil had passed away.  I was always greeted by Martin the fisherman who insisted on buying me a pint and wanted to up-date me on what was going on and who was running what pub now.  Martin was always very kind to me and we remained friends for many years. I believe he is now living in Spain with his family due to the lack of fishing along the East Coast.  Shelley was spoilt beyond her wildest dreams as she knew so many people. To her everyone that had a fishing boat or a yard along the estuary was her pal for life.  Of course it worked and she was always given tit bits loving the raw fish. 
     
    Sometimes I stayed in Southwold for the night with friends. It was more a case of having to due to an excess of Suffolk Ale.  Shelley also had her favourite stop off places.  On the lead if we ever went past The Kings Head she would stop and take me into the Saloon Bar for a drink!  It seemed as though she knew where she wanted to go and what and who she liked best.
     
    Even after a gap of several months she remembered where she was.  I was also a great believer in keeping her on the lead. Although she was very well trained there was always the risk that something or somebody would startle her and cause