That Reminds Me: Remembering the Milford Knight crew

She said: "Jeff, I would like to say how much we have enjoyed your last two TRMs. We enjoy them all, but this week's was great about the building of the Docks and last week about the bands."

Thanks, Kathleen, that's so satisfying to know, and, as I've often said, over the many years I've been writing TRM, I have learnt so much about the town I didn't know, particularly the trawling industry, with its highs and lows and its uniqueness.

Milford Knight. Picture: Jeff Dunn

But when it comes to being able to capture the very souls of trawlernen and their ships, one reporter was undoubtedly the undisputed "Trawler Queen," and that was the legendary Ethel Clark, who's coverage of the industry remains legendary.

This week in TRM "Old Trawler Corner" is the Milford Knight M127 (see photo) built in Selby in 1950, a steel-sided, diesel, crabber class trawler, that sailed out of Milford from 1950 to 1955, when it moved to Lowestoft and became the Trinidad.

We've also got a snap of one of her crews (see photo) which Ethel Clark described as follows: "Genial Skipper Thompson was affectionately known as "Womps" in the Milford industry. A member of a well-known Lowestoft born fishing family, with five brothers, all Skippers.

"Harry was at sea as a lad of 14 in the old sailing smacks, and at 15 was a prisoner of war, taken on board a First War German submarine after the U-boat sank his smack before casting the crew adrift in the small boat.

"It was in the Second World War that Skipper Thompson won the MBE, after his trawler the Slebech saved Skipper Billy Burgoyne and his crew when his ship, the Fort Rona, was bombed and sunk in the Irish Sea. In two other wartime sinkings the Skipper saved the crew of the trawler St Vincent and the survivors from the RN destroyer Warwick off Trevose Head.

"Mate Bernard Davies, known for his tuneful crooning on the trawler wavebands, had sailed with Skipper Thompson since his demob from the RN eight years earlier, after war -time service which

included the Allied Landings in 1944, and a second sailing out of the US from New York to New Orleans.

"The "family spirit" on the Milford Knight was total, with Third Hand ex Merchant Navy officer Vincent Davies being the Skipper's son-in-law, and father of his first grandson. In 1943 he was 3rd Mate on the cargo ship Birchbank which blew up in the Mediterranean.

Crew of the Milford Knight. Picture: Jeff Dunn

"The proud father of a two day old daughter was Deckhand Victor Welham, who joined the Milford Knight after completing National Service in the Army.

"Chief Engineer Billy Chick had been with the trawler since her commissioning, and the pride he took in her was reflected in the engine room gleaming like an operating theatre, as were the

famous Ruston Hornsby engines.

"Equally proud was 2nd Engineer Stanley Lloyd, another ex-Navy man.

"3rd Engineer war-time ex Petty Officer RN Eric Beckett, had two brothers, Skippers at the port. Not one of those engineers had a smut on his overalls!

"Delightfully rejoining his shipmates was diminutive Deckhand Jimmy Jenkins, a trawlerman for 30 years, who had gone on working after a fall. When finally put ashore in the Isle of Man he was found to have broken ribs.

"A jaunty forage cap was worn by Bosun Billy Lawrence, Lowestoft born and a veteran of the Galipoli landings, he later served on a cruiser in East Africa and in the Second World War crewed on the RN duty boats in Milford Harbour.

"A dab hand at cooking a roast dinner was Ramsgate born Cook Bert Stratton, who had sailed out of Milford throughout the last war and survived bombings and machine gun attacks in the fishing grounds.

"One of his loyal crew said that "Womps" Thompson was a Skipper in a thousand, and ran a homely ship, so homely that the brocade curtains around each bunk had been especially made by his wife Doris Emma.

"Skipper Thompson said: "I'm lucky. I'm in a ship. and have a better living than the people in the old shops. More trawlers like this would be a wonderful thing for Milford."

Milford fishmarket in the 1950s. Picture: Jeff Dunn

See what I mean? That's the way to do it!

And here are the crew's names as in the photo: BACK L-R: Vincent Davies, Billy Lawrence, Victor Welham, Bert Stratton. MIDDLE: Jimmy Jenkins, Eric Beckett. FRONT: Bernard Davies, Harry Thompson, Billy Chick and Stanley Lloyd.

This week's third and final photo is a reminder of the 1950's Fishmarket, and on Good Friday, as you enjoy your fish, maybe you'll spare a thought to those olden, golden days, when Milford was "a plaice and a half!"

That's it for another week, just time to leave you with another of those sayings. This is from Oscar Wilde: "I beg your pardon. I didn't recognise you... I've changed a lot!"

Take care and please stay safe.