In the olden days....
Quick thinking on Mr Clarehugh's part.
And, yes, in the olden days when I was a kid in the early sixties living in Iquitos and the phones were crank jobs, the Panair PBY from Manaus was frequently delayed past sundown. No big hassle, the tower had a list of phone numbers and lots of normal citizens, not having heard the aircraft drone overhead, would be ready anyway to drive their jeeps down to the runway to provide temporary lighting and cheer when the old bird settled down. I doubt whether anyone gave a thought to the potential for, should there be a braking problem or a miscalculation, the aircraft taking out seven or eight jeeps.
Edited to take in the post above. "A stretch of sand near Lindisfarne". Hope they managed to tow the aircraft up to the "always dry" part of the causeway before the next tide! Either way, good excuse for an few tots of mead.