Teenage lifeguard who saved the lives of two children in Whitby shows the best of youth - Yorkshire Post Letters

As an 88 year old I was heartened to read about the teenage lifeguard, Riley Billany, saving the lives of two children in Whitby (The Yorkshire Post August 16).

Too often I hear my generation and younger ones, ready to smear all our teenagers because of those whose behaviour is antisocial and unacceptable

This young hero is probably working for the RNLI during his school holidays or further education so he has had to undertake training and pass the course to be able to take on such a position.

The parents of the rescued children will be full of praise and thankfulness for Riley and, as an ex-serviceman, I salute him for his gallant action and I hope a higher authority also seeks to recognise it.

In a letter in the same issue a retired Royal Navy officer comments on accommodation for Naval ratings serving in the post-war Royal Navy.

I was one who served from 1957 to 1964 during which I joined a brand new ship from the builder's yard and in the following two years had time in Icelandic waters on fishery protection patrols, circumnavigated Australia, also working in a squadron around Singapore and Hong Kong.

Through the many changes in climate we experienced, I along with most of the crew, had a hammock for sleeping in which had to be slung each night in the living space where we had meals and any relaxation then lashed together again to be stowed in the same living space each morning. There were just a few bunks in Senior rates messes.

That frigate had a heating system in the ventilation (good for Iceland) but no air conditioning in the tropics where we spent most of our two years plus. So Lt Commander May is relating my experiences of Royal Navy mess deck living accurately.