St Abbs lifeboat helm Darren Crowe honoured over rescue

A lifeboat crewman is to be given a Gallantry medal for saving a man from drowning

A lifeboat crewman is to be awarded the RNLI's Bronze Medal for Gallantry for saving a man from drowning off the coast of Berwickshire.

St Abbs lifeboat helm Darren Crowe, 39, rescued Simon Haston, 44, after he became trapped in a cave at low tide.

Mr Crowe swam through a narrow fissure in a rock to reach Mr Haston, who had fallen from St Abbs Head while fishing.

Also honoured are Mr Crowe's uncle, Alistair Crowe, 63, his brother James Crowe, 37, and David Wilson, 36.

The RNLI volunteer crewmen will be given a framed Letter of Thanks from the RNLI chairman.

On 6 June, Mr Haston, a firefighter from Edinburgh, was swept into a gully where he was described by those involved in the rescue as being "completely at the mercy of the powerful swell, cold, battered and clinging to a half submerged rock".

'Hardcore rescue'

The lifeboat crew rowed to the edge of the cave, and Mr Crowe entered the water to rescue Mr Haston.

Mr Haston said: "I just cannot thank them 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."

But Mr Crowe was modest about his heroism.

He said: "We are all volunteers - we're not in it for medals.

"What we did that day was just part of our job with the RNLI."

RNLI Operations Director Michael Vlasto praised Mr Crowe's "courage, level-headedness, physical strength and resourcefulness".