Today marks the 50th anniversary of when a 13-year-old boy jumped into a rough Porthleven sea in a bid to rescue a drowning man, almost costing him his own life in the process - but to him, it feels like only yesterday.

Derek Pascoe, whose parents formed and ran the village scout and cub pack, received countless awards and national press coverage for his efforts, and he said this week: "I can't believe 50 years has just disappeared."

It was a "nice summer's day", albeit with a strong wind, on August 14, 1968 when Derek had been playing with two friends, Bobby Richards and Peter Faulkner, just underneath the steps of Porthleven beach.

"The sea was too rough for us to go in. Being locals we knew the situation and we would never have dreamed of going in to that sea; it was very choppy, very high winds," recalled Derek, now 63.

All of a sudden a few men came running up, carrying the life ring box and clearly out of breath from their dash across the pebbled beach.

Derek ended up taking the lifesaving equipment the rest of the way, to a point on the beach between Carn Del and Ty Rock Hotel.

Remembering, Derek said: "I'm 13 years of age, but I'm a big boy. I was forever taken for 18 or 19 at 13. We arrived at a group of about eight to ten people stood on the beach looking out to sea. We dropped the box on the sand, wondering what it was all about, and somebody said, 'Aren't you going in to get him?'

"I saw the gentleman, about 30 or 40 yards out. The sea was so high you could only pick the gentleman up as he rose with the waves, face down."

With none of the adults apparently going in, Derek reached for the equipment. He had already read the instructions a few times in the past, just in case a situation ever arose.

He put on the harness and jumped in the water, reaching the man easily, being a strong swimmer.

Unfortunately, while Derek had read the instructions, the group on the beach appeared not to have. Rather than pull him in at a steady pace as they should, they pulled him "at 100 miles per hour" - meaning Derek was underwater for the entire length of water, nearly passing out back on the beach.

With CPR being given to the man and nothing more they could do, Derek and his friends left and thought nothing more of it - until the village policeman Mr Pawley knocked on his parents' door in Tor Close.

When he admitted it had been him in the water for the attempted rescue "all hell broke loose", with Derek having to give statements to the coroner - it sadly having been too late for the man in the sea, a jeweller from Slough.

He received the highest scout award, the Silver Cross for Gallantry, and another from Helston's mayor at the time. Derek was also sent letter from the man's family, the RAF Association for which the jeweller had been a cadet officer and invitations to join local lifesaving groups.

Derek went on to join the Merchant Navy, married a Swansea girl and joined the South Wales Police Force in 1974, becoming a national undercover detective before he was forced to retire from traumatic stress.

And while he now struggles to recall many memories from his past, this day is one that he remembers in perfect clarity.