THE tragedy of the stricken Russian submarine will cause lots of older Worcester people to remember William Brown.

The man who taught hundreds of local youngsters to swim and saved numerous lives from drowning in the Severn was the selfsame William Brown who had been the first, and at that time, only man ever to escape from a sunken submarine.

It was in 1919 that Britain's experimental steam-powered submarine sank in the Solent and stoker Chief Petty Officer W Brown found himself alone and trapped in a watertight compartment. There was no hope of rescue but as he sat quietly to conserve air, an idea came to him.

If only he could flood the compartment he might be able to equalise pressure, open the hatch and escape. First, he unlatched the clips of the outer casing hatch, then opened the sea cocks.

As the water rose he clung to a ladder to keep his nose and mouth in the uppermost corner of the hatch. At last he was completely submerged and with a mighty heave flung open the hatch.

But as he struggled out and shot to the surface he could hold his breath no longer and involuntarily inhaled. Miraculously, he found he could breathe normally. He was encapsulated in a bubble of air.

As a result of his escape a programme of research began which continues to the present day.

JOHN HINTON,

Worcester.