Eyemouth Incident

[aleddy]

Eyemouth in Scotland is about 10 miles North of Berwick on Tweed, there is a very informitive Internet site relating to Eyemouth.
However I am unable to find any information in relation to the following incident.

In 1919 a German cargo ship nearly too large to enter Eyemouths little harbour did so with the help of the local Pilot.
The ships mission was to collect the Herring catch and other much needed food products and take it all back to a hungry Germany.
The operation had been arranged by the appropriate authorities but without informing the locals and were to be carried out ASAP and with much haste.
The locals became very uneasy about the presence of the German ship and her crew.
She was loaded as quickly as possible and was made ready to leave but the local Pilot had gotten quite drunk during the wait and was unable to perform his duty and as she was realy to large to be in the harbour no one else was able to move her out.
She had to remain overnight much to the ire of the residents who were also very much upset about the conduct of the Pilot for prolonging the uncomfortable situation.

The name and information on the ship is of courious interest should anyone know it or have the means of finding out, and the name of the Pilot is of great interest in a Family Tree connection

Some discretion in naming him might be advisable ere there still be some grevances or annimosity of a feudal nature still festering over the incident.

The story has been passed through generations of the family with the belief that the Pilot is a relative as was another local who was lost in the towns "Black Friday" in 1881 when 129 fishermen from the town were lost in a sudden violent storm

[R651400]

If you say the Pilot was a descendent of one of the 129 lost Eyemouth fishermen 1881 disaster? Try researching the book "Children of the Sea" by Peter Aitchison which covers the disaster and contains names such as Cribbes, Fairbairn, Windrum etc. Regards

[aleddy]

Thank you R651400, I shall pass that information on to one of the family members who at present is trying to organize an itinery for a fact finding trip to England and Scotland
Cheers
Ted

[gdynia]

Ted

Tragedy struck Eyemouth on ‘Black Friday’, 14 th October 1881, when 189 fishermen, 129 of them from the town, were lost. The fleet had sailed in brilliant sunshine, but suddenly a violent storm broke and only a few made it back to safety. Many men perished within sight of their families waiting anxiously on the shore. There were fishermen from alot more of the Northumbrian harbours lost in this storm.

[aleddy]

Thank you gdynia for that info, I don't wish to appear as though I am nit picking but geographicaly and with due respect to Northhmberland would north of the border be refered to as being Northumbria as on the map the county name seems to be Lammermuir.
I do recall recently getting a gentle scolding for getting the Geordie area geographicaly incorrect.
Cheers
Ted

[gdynia]

Ted

The fishermen used to follow the herring down the coast and used many of the harbours along the way.

[BlythSpirit]

Northumbria used to stretch from the Humber to the Forth at one time(Jester)

[aleddy]

Thats interesting, always assumed they always worked in and out of their own home port no matter where the catch was made, would they off load away from home and continue the chase when the fish were on ?
Those ancient boundarys probably created by the Romans live on forever
Cheers Ted

[R651400]

Scottish fisher lassies like my Grandmother, followed the herring fleet from the start of the season when the herring migration arrived at Stornoway all the way round and down the east coast of Scotland and England ending in Penzance. Biggest port being Yarmouth.

[aleddy]

Think I'll go back to school, I thought they were constantly all around the British Isles all year round.
Like animals, birds and whales all chasing a food source and better weather conditions summer and winter and in between.
Thanks for the prompts guys