The Rustler could not be refloated. Many attempts were made over a number of years, then as she started to become more derilict a decision was made to burn her. The Rustler was set alight and crowds came to scavenge the copper and bronze fittings. I was 13 years of age and got a massive piece of bronze off the foremast, which I took to Barnes Scrap Merchants (after putting it in the water to cool) and did very well out of it.

My late husband was on board the Rustler, he would have been about 18 and would have stayed on the beach had his sisters not gone down there and yanked him home. We went to see skipper Maitland and his wife Goose after we were married in 1957 they had a caravan in Hoo Kent. Last time we saw them was about 1960.

My brother Brian Hyde was friends with Jimmy Murrell. The Murrells lived at the Buxton Rd end of Stafford Rd, the children were a bit older than me. I remember Donald and knew they had sisters. My brother and Jimmy took me to see the Rustler and we climbed on board, I was eight years old. My brother is 79 now and lives in Swindon.