My dad drove lorries across the area. My mother Betty and her mother too were both Net braiders. Men would come round with more twine and collect finished work too. They had these little sample meshes to check the work against. Lots of women did these job alongside other jobs and family work. That’s why twilight shift was at Smith and Nephew 6 while 10pm so women could work after everything else.
After leaving school I started work in the fishing industry, firstly at Hudson Brothers Trawlers as an office boy. Hudson’s were the company that owned the Ross Cleveland, sadly one of the vessels lost early 1968 in what would become known as the “Hull’s Triple Trawler tragedy”. Hudsons were taken over by Hellyers who in turn were bought out by British United Trawlers (BUT) the largest trawling concern in the UK. The trawling offices were situated on what was known as “The Dry Side” over the swing bridge near the Hull Ice Company. As an office boy a task I enjoyed was delivering the “Russell’s lists” around the company’s workshops. The Russel’s list detailed vessels due to land with a breakdown of kits of fish and species which would aid the buyers. During the delivery of the lists I would spend time listening to the tales told by the old skippers who worked for BUT.
Another responsibilities I had was to send out the weekly registered mail that contained the wives wages. These were collected on a Thursday from the ships offices to be received on a Friday by the fishermen’s families. Some families preferred to travel down to the fish dock to collect the wages. This led to what some called the fish dock pram races but in my experience this never happened. I eventually became the head cashier of BUT, a position I was so proud to hold. With the many ports the ships visited I sometimes joked that I held more currencies than Thomas Cook.
I mentioned earlier the joy I got from listening to stories of the sea, I suppose it prepared me for the time I would become a priest, as an important part of supporting people is listening to their stories and then being able to relay those stories, especially in taking funerals. I have found that many people’s stories overlap – especially in the tight knit fishing community of the Hessle Road. My chaplaincies of supporting the fishing community, Hull Trinity House and Hull FC the city’s professional rugby team has certainly broadened the resource base of my work.
As a local lad who has grown up in the community I often discover a connection with my experiences and the story of those I minister to. It might seem strange to an outsider but rugby was so important to many fishermen. There was even a section in the famous threepenny stand (at the old Boulevard Stadium) that the fishermen watched their heroes from. After the demolition of the Hessle Road houses which dispersed the families across the city, having the opportunity to return to the “road” to watch their heroes play rugby whilst meeting up with shipmates over a shared pint was so important for the men.
I left BUT in March 1984, one of only six employees left in what was once a great industry. The closure of the companies workshops would have a knock on effect as the various staff also supported and occasionally serviced the vessels of other companies. I had witnessed the slow decline of the industry from the early seventies as fishing quotas were reduced and ships laid up. It was so sad to see hard working men leave the industry, many of whom would struggle to find alternative employment. I once remember a fisherman describe his new work in a factory as being like a “caged bird” unable to work on deck in the fresh air and witnessing some of the amazing sights that folk nowadays pay thousands of pounds to see, like the fiords of Norway or the Aurora Borealis.
I feel much the same when I started work in Sainsbury’s Homebase, it took me a few years to settle in an environment that was so different, so dull to that of the fishing industry with its many characters. I was forever grateful for the 15 years experience I had among some of the bravest men and colourful characters you could meet.
Of course it was not all fun, there were times of great sadness when men were lost to the sea, or even whole crew’s lost when a ship went down. The community was so tightly knit that it seemed everyone knew someone who had suffered the pain of loss. Sometimes those working in the offices would be the first to fear there might be concerns when vessels failed to report in. This failure to report was especially concerning when “on call” when responsible individuals were required to be a first point of contact out of office hours. In the days before instant communication this took the form of the vessels transmitting details to the nearest radio station and then the message would be passed on from station to station before eventually being received on a home telephone. It became a responsibility I shared in a team of four (working one week in four) when I was “on call” The messages would include catch details and permission for certain requirements. When we had direct communication with the ships there would always be a request for the latest gossip from the Boulevard before the end of a call.
One memory that will always remain was the days surrounding the loss of the Gaul, I was not on call that weekend she failed to report but I remember returning to work on the Monday morning, just walking up the stone entrance steps and along the office corridors one sensed something amiss. How the years have passed, next year will be the 50th anniversary of that event, the years may have passed but for many the pain still remains. Each year we acknowledge that pain and loss as we hold the various memorial services, we also give thanks for the work of many brave men who made up the crews of our once great fishing community.
St John the Baptist (the Fishermen’s Church) proudly displays items recovered from the Gaul including the ships bell. We hope to ring the bell once more next year at the Hull Minster anniversary service as we acknowledge her crew with a minutes silence. The Fishermen’s Corner also displays a copy of the memorial book containing names and details of our cities losses, the pages are faithfully turned to display the current date.
I have been asked many times how a Hessle Road lad became a vicar in the Church of England … it was coming across a message displayed on a church notice board whilst on holiday in St Ives. It challenged me enough to share it with my girlfriend when I returned home, this started us attending a local church and the rest as they say is history. By the way, that young lady became my wife, we have been married 47 years now. I never consider I have worked for the church, “we” have. That “conversion” led to many years of voluntary work in the church as a youth worker, a worship leader (I play a guitar) as well as study group leader … after many years I tested a possible calling by attending a Bishop’s selection conference where to my surprise I was accepted for training. It may surprise many that the training process in the Church of England lasts seven years. It seemed right to us both that our final place of service should be at the church I was baptised, a church that was due for closure in 2006.
My time at St Johns would not only see a reversal of that proposed closure but in many ways the rebirth of Hull’s last Victorian church that sits in the centre of Hull’s once great fishing industry. With over half a million pounds grant money spent on refurbishing the building it is now a beautiful building that welcomes many different community groups. Known for its warm Hessle Road welcome the church has grown in numbers and continues to be an important part in the Hessle Road fishing story where visitors can discover links to their own family stories.
Of course the established church was only a part of the support available to our fishing community. The Fishermen’s Bethel located next to St Barnabas Church and the Fishermen’s Mission played an important role in our fishermen’s welfare. Many will know the comfort and support the Mission man gave in times of grief. It has been a privilege for me to have worked with representatives from the mission during my ministry.
Over the years I have been asked to bless many items like crosses and St Christopher’s worn by individuals. Of course superstitions are common to all seafaring communities but I can only guess what thoughts and fears our fishermen must have had when faced with mighty winter storms in the middle of the ocean, faced as they were with the prospect of ships icing up from the stormy seas. Faced with such conditions it would be foolish to think that our men did not consider their mortality and seek the comfort of God the creator of sea and sky.
