Text 1: Rescue at Ashcombe Head, by Nia Harcourt

An original contemporary online feature.

At 8.17 on Friday evening, the Ashcombe coast rescue team was called to a headland where an angler had fallen onto a ledge thirty metres below the cliff path. The tide was rising, daylight was fading and rain had made the ground near the edge soft and slippery.

The first problem was finding somewhere secure for the ropes. There were no strong trees or fences nearby, so team members drove metal stakes deep into firm ground farther back from the cliff. They then carried more than sixty metres of rope and a rescue basket across the muddy field.

Wind repeatedly pushed the ropes against the rock as volunteer medic Iwan Price was lowered. The cliff also blocked radio signals, so another volunteer stood halfway along the path and relayed messages between Iwan and the team controlling the ropes.

On the ledge, Iwan found that the angler had injured his ankle and could not climb. He fitted him with a helmet and harness before securing him inside the basket. The team hauled both men to the top fifty-four minutes before the ledge disappeared beneath the tide.

Team leader Sara Coles said their monthly training had been essential: ‘Nobody can see everyone else, so each person has to trust that the rest of the team will do exactly what they practised.’

Text 2: The lifeboat in the storm, by Edward Marlowe

An original letter written in a nineteenth-century voice; a period simulation, not an archival document.

In this letter, written in 1884, a visitor to a coastal village describes the rescue of sailors from a stranded ship.

My dear Henry,

Last night, during the fiercest gale of my stay, a trading ship struck the rocks beyond the harbour. Six sailors could be seen clinging to the deck whenever the clouds uncovered the moon.

The village lifeboat had no engine and ten men had to row it against the wind. Twice the waves drove them back upon the beach. On the third attempt, the villagers waded into the surf and pushed until the boat was clear. Those on the seawall held lanterns in a line, giving the crew something to steer towards when the harbour lights vanished behind the rain.

The lifeboat could not draw alongside the stranded ship because both vessels were being thrown about. The coxswain therefore took his boat to the more sheltered side and ordered a rope to be cast across. The sailors came down it in pairs while two of the lifeboat crew constantly emptied water from their own boat with buckets.

Near midnight the lifeboat returned, carrying all six men. The rowers could scarcely stand when they reached the sand, but they refused to leave until the rescued sailors had been taken into warm houses. I have never witnessed such courage joined with such careful cooperation.

Your affectionate brother,

Edward

Using information from both texts, explain briefly the difficulties involved in the rescues and how the rescuers responded to them.

You should make it clear which text you are referring to.