Wow, just wow , what a documentary . My husband went out in trawlers at age 15 , he was at sea during the triple trawler tragedy and everything you talked about after that. He swore that the Icelandic patrols once actually shot at them! After the fishing industry collapsed, he went into the army as did many of his friends and family , it was the only work available that wasn’t demeaning and tame for tough men used to danger .
Brilliant and moving account of Hull’s fishing heritage, told with the passion that could only come from a local person. Top notch stuff as always. Thank you 👍🏼😊
Very interesting, especially the section on the Cod Wars about which I knew very little; shades of Suez with the USA bending our arm in their own interests.
Wonderful work. I worked for Smith & Nephew and visited our Factory site in Hessle Road many times over the years. Obviously, I knew about Albert Dock (because our factory was flooded by its waters), but am grateful to learn more about the wider Hull dock history.
Can you please do a program on Baynard Castle in Cottingham and if you can one about the fishing smacks of Hull Thank you Look forward to your next episode
Hi, no plans at the moment to do Baynard Castle as the place is in private hands and I haven't been able to get in touch with the owners. I did do an episode about Hull's fishing industry already, the episode on St Andrew's Dock covers the time of the fishing smacks!
I am a TV producer, journalist, documentary maker in New Zealand. I have watched this brilliant piece today. Wonderful quality documentary, superb on camera pieces, evocative pictures, and lovely music. Magnificent work. Thank you. Simon
I said the same to my sister just yesterday. A very talented presenter who brings the history to life. In fact, he’s better than most on tv. I am from Hull and love these videos of the city that I love. ❤❤
My first job was as a porter in a fish factory on Hessle road. 15 years old and £7.50 a week. Always got a seat to myself on the bus home! Great video, thanks.
Mr. Nerd, thank you and greetings from Leipzig. 28th April 1943 I was born in 26 East Grove, Gipsyville. All the family worked on the fish dock. My grandfather, father and his uncles were engineers maintaining the trawlers. My young uncle started as a bobber and became a filliter. Trawlers (built in Beverley) were the normal ships. If you worked on KGV Dock, you worked on 'big boats'. My great-grandfather, at the turn of the century, before the trawlers were refrigerated, was chief engineer on a 'box-man'. These ships loaded up with ice and sailed to the Dogger Bank to take the fish from the trawlers and then sail directly to Billingsgate Market in London. Thank you once again.
During the War my Dad spent two years off the coast off North Africa on the Hull trawler Kingston Cyanite. They shadowed the Desert Rats from El Alamein to Benghazi trying to make sure Monty got his supplies and Rommel didn't. Many British trawlers were requisitioned by the Navy for minesweeping, anti-submarine and convoy escort duties and the fishermen were conscripted to effectively crew their own boats. Trawling gear was swapped for the tools of war and off went the fishermen went to the bitter waters of the Northern Patrol, The Channel and the Hell of E-Boat Alley, to the Atlantic and Artic Convoys, to the U-Boat infested East Coast of America, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, Africa, The Indian Ocean and the Far East. Coal burning fishing boats, many older than their outdated guns, made astonishing voyages of thousands of miles to fight in strange waters with the odds heavily stacked against them. Beverley built Kingston Cyanite came home and fished out of St Andrews Dock until being broken up in 1957
Thank you for a moving and insightful overview of the Hull fishing industry. I live in Birkenhead, a town totally dependent on one industry [shipbuilding] that has almost vanished in a generation. There isn't any real solution to these long-term issues, but it does rather make one wonder what we pay our taxes, and central government for if they cannot do something to ameliorate the economic impact on coastal communities, or am i being naive?
Really enjoyed this video, but most of all! I learnt a lot too! I never knew nor understood the loss of Hulls fishing fleet was actually down to the cold war and USA's involvement in doing so. And the poignant message towards the end 'Hull had a lot to lose' ! Thank you for sharing. Brilliant piece of work and research! And as always,! I look forward to the next video . Thank you!👌👍👍👍.
Fantastic journey through several chapters, well presented and all of it fascinating! It was absolutely worth waiting for but I now need another ‘weekend away’ in Hull to explore this area properly. Who knew that Hull would become my favourite place outside of West Yorks because of the hidden history it holds?
I remember walking along those docks as a kid in the mid-1970s, enthralled by ships moored to rusted bollards, lines of railway vans, derelict red-brick buildings, the tops of tall cranes lost in the morning mist. An outstanding presentation, hats off to you, good sir.
I served my apprenticeship at Humber St. Andrews Engineering, 68-73, yes it was a bit rough at times and smelly to say the least, but it set me up for 10 years as an Engineer Officer with Blue Star Line. In the early days cycled 7 miles across Hull, did a days work then cycled the return journey in all weathers and thought nothing of it. Some of those days you spent 8 hours in Wm Wright Dry Dock in winter with a freezing Easterly wind coming off the Steppes ( the Russian Steppes that is, not the drydock steppes), snow showers, but our life was far better than a trawlermans. We often saw damage to trawlers with the bow stove in, guardrails missing. A large wave of water is not compressable, so the steel goes first. Living conditions on the old steam sidewinders was horrible to say the least, long hours, cold and wet living on fried fish three times a day, hardly healthy. I spent a few weeks working on the slip at the Easter end of the dock, heard lurid tales about factory at Cod Farm with young lads and the 'ladies' that worked there. I also spent some time in the HSA Commercial garage behind slip that serviced a lot of the fish merchants new fish trucks which took the fish to the rest of England with the demise of the railways. When I returned from a couple of voyages with Blue Star Line about 1974 and visited HSA, they had moved the diesel fitters into part of the Lord Line Building as the Diesel shop must have been going to be demolished as that was next to the Ice factory. When I joined HSA in 1968 they had just opened the Diesel Shop, so it was short lived. I saw the decline in Hull with the loss of the Fish Dock and then the other docks, large employers closing down. CD. Holmes, Sizers, Rosedowns, Fenners, Priestmans, Hull Typewriters, Hull Rad, Brigham & Cowan, Dunstans, Drypool Engineering, Humbrol, Seven Seas, to name but a few, then you have all of Bankside. These are companies that employed a lot of skilled men and women so there was money in the town, it was an attractive town with tree and flower lined roads. Now it is a dump I am sorry to say. All part of the Thatcher scorched earth policy. I have still got a blanket I bought for the car from the fishermans stores next to William & Glyns bank near the Load Line building.
This made me cry. So much history and pride, so many lives lost, so many brave families. My father's family were Hessle Roaders and they carried that strength and determination through poverty and hard times. What a shame Hull doesn't appreciate the history within those buildings more. Thankyou
I just want to echo many of the earlier comments, this is outstanding! You must have spent many hours researching and producing this video. I have no connection to the fishing industry but living on the coast near Hull I well remember the cod wars being reported on radio Humberside and your video vividly takes me back to those times. Congratulations, and I hope after reading all the positive feedback here you can take pride in what you have done. Thank you.
Thank you, it means a lot that so many people have enjoyed this, it was a super important video for me and for Hull, and I really didn't want to mess it up, so I'm very glad that I haven't!
Thankyou Hull History Nerd...Again, a Welshman having served in the Royal Navy i ultimately ended up in Hull (long story)Hull has been my adopted home for 25 years and extremely proud of the fact and the likes of yourself have endorsed that due to your Channel to which i enjoy very much, my brother comes up from Wales annually and i bombard him with lots of facts as we bimble around in & around Hull, this episode i very much enjoyed due to its Association to its proud fishing industry and found Mr Bill Alexanders recount of life on the Sea particularly interesting, Having been in the Submarine service 12 years do not ever asked me to be a Fisherman!!. Thankyou Hull History Nerd👍
Another great video displaying the history of our City and a new Shanty for me to learn and sing. Thanks and I look forward to the next one and beyond.
I'm not from Hull but I do love learning the history of anywhere I end up. This was a brilliant look into the history and makes me proud that I live here now.
Fantastic Jim, what a lovely tribute to all the men and families of Hull . You do a marvellous job in all of your presentations , credit to you and your helpers !
Me grandad used to say he used to sail 100 mile north of rock all. I used to ask what was there. He used to say f*ck all… them men who owned them trawlers got away with murder the way they treat those lads. RIP to all the lads who sailed out then lock gates never to return. The state of the area now is a disgrace and the council shouldn’t allow it out of respect to those that was lost. Fantastic video once again👍🏼
outstanding documentary.. i was very moved by the sea shanty music, which if i'm honest, i never expected to be. I'd have loved you to have done one extra chapter, just dealing with the st andrews quay development heyday of the late 80's/90's and then it's change from entertainment to retail in the 2000's
Absolutely wonderful poignant video. You're a very talented men. Sadly, as is so often, the EU were made out to be the bogeymen yet we were shafted and rediculed by our own government.
I take my 4 year old son on bike rides, often around Hull and he asked me how I know so much about Hull. I told him about these videos and he's watched the whole thing! a proper little history nerd!
Simply amazing and emotional. Broadcast quality right there. Very well done in producing such an excellent documentary. The music was wonderful also 👏👏
Thank you for this video, my stepdad came from Hessle road and his Dad was on the boats. He never talked about it and I would have been too young to appreciate it, but I do appreciate your channel and films. It means a lot to hear someone talking about this area with pride and warmth.
Excellent work, well done. Really enjoyed watching, it's not just history, it's the story of Hull's life and soul. I reckon there must be a BBC4 series there with all your video's. Look forward to your next project, Phil H
Just want to say, for people curious about the Russian Outrage, there's an absolutely incredible two-part series from Drachinifel (a naval history themed youtuber) where he talks about their voyage. Theres all sorts of bizarre incidents that get covered there, for example the zoo they ended up creating during their time in Madagascar, or the commander effectively going rogue and attempting to evade his reinforcements due to said ships being largely useless. A fun additional note on the Royal Navy's involvement: the British admiral tasked with fighting them (should they have actually gone to blows at that time) drafted a battle plan he described as "chivalrous", because he intended to keep most of his ships back and only engage with a few of his battleships. He thought it was only fair to do this given the poor standard of gunnery.
Superb once again Jamie, well done 👍🏻 Fascinating from start to finish. Love walking along there now and also be on how derelict and underused that area is when it could be a massive positive for Hull. Would love you to do a piece on where the trawler men lived, from the owners who I gather lived in Swanland (where I do now) to the terraces of Hessle Road.
What a stunning video. So much sadness and abandonedment. How can this happen. It makes me feel sick. Thanks Jamie. Just wow............ Glen... 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Wow, another great slice of visualised history. This meant a lot to me as my father was connected to the Hull Fishing industry & I recall those days as a child visiting St Andrews Dock with him. More of the same please! Should you want any help with any future projects I may be able to contribute. Hessle born & bred with 60 odd years of Hull & its surrounding districts memories. Thanks for your work & I'll keep a look out for more.
Loved this. I agree your best yet and very moving at the end. How much you love Hull shines through in your work, fantastic, Hull needs people like you, thankyou.
Wonderful look back into the history of this industry and its people. Both my grandfathers worked on trawlers, I was born down Rugby street, Hessle Road. Now living in South of france, my husband works on superyachts, who's from boothferry, and both my sons are following him into the industry. So my family are still seafarers albeit much better conditions. One of my earliest memories is visiting on St Andrews Dock and seeing my nanna mending the nets. My grandad doffing his cap to what seemed to a small child, the entire world, he knew everyone! Traditions such as Friday fish (off dock) to painting the back yard in the infamous deep red paint (off dock), I cant remember the name but can distinctly remember the smell! Hessle Road in those days was a thriving wonderful place and ironically when we come home to visit family n friends, its our first port of call for fish n chips, I kid you not. More often before we've even unpacked or checked in. You can't keep a hully from their fish n chips. It was however an incredibly hard life, my grandfather would have never wanted us to follow him in his footsteps. Really loving your documentaries, brings back lots of memories and nostalgia for me. ...and of course great to hear the Hull accent!! Great work n look forward to watching more.
What a fantastic piece of documentary work. Thoroughly enjoyed this an can empathise with the loss of the fishing industry that rocked Hull with similar impacts on Teesside with the loss of ship building and steel making. It tears the heart out of a community, proud of what they do.
Absolutely, and it annoys me when people say that Hull is a bad place; it's really no better or worse than any other northern community that lost its key industries. There are parts of other cities that are far worse in terms of poverty and violent crime than Hull, yet we're still the butt of media derision.
Thank you, for such a wonderful insight as to where my family roots are. Many of them were shipwrights, riveters, boiler makers etc. I see the russians haven't changed ! I never heard about this, and that the Hull Docks were badly bombed in WW2, I can remember watching the cod wars on black and white tv news, and seeing the trawlermen's wives as well. I have to come up to Hull for myself and explore more history. I will watch some more of your Hull vids, thank you.
What an absolutely wonderful video, I don't live in hull but I remember most of it as just like you I have lived through it, the early history was new to me and fascinating. A guy I used to work with told me that he used to be on the trawlers and he told me that St Andrews dock was so busy that trawlers would be queued up in the humber waiting to get in. I also remember the women's campaign for safer working conditions and I have always believed that they should be properly and rightly honoured. As a boy in the 50s travelling on the ferry to the south bank with my parents I remember seeing the dock.
You've outdone yourself this time Jamie, this is a fantasic, well produced story & tribute to the Fishing industry. I am old enough to remember the cod wars, and my older sisters remember Big Lil. My grandfathers' brother was killed on a Trawler in 1917 that was performing mine sweeping near the Isle of Lewis. Hull like so many other towns and cities in the Midlands & the North was left to it's own devices when major industry closed (think of the mines or manufacturing) and we live with the consequences of this divide today.
Found your channel through my interest in BR Diesel's and having watched your videos on the class 37 and class 20 I was impressed with the quality of content and presentation which lead me to watching more of your videos and after watching this very emotive one I felt I had to say that the quality and presentation of this is absolutely fantastic and as a born and bred Scarborian I can appreciate the devastation caused by the loss of our fishing industry and the poverty and social issues left in its wake. Subscribed. Now, to trawl through more of your channel.
I don't know when and don't know how but I'm sure I've met you, it's been niggling at me, Enjoying your documentaries all the same, very informative, well done and thanks
Very interesting video. Over the last few years I have been asked to provide guidance on transforming the Lord building into apartments among other things.
My dad was a bobber on St Andrews dock, (RIP dad) I worked on fish dock in my 20s. Iam 66 now. I played music with all the musicians in that band shown -Les Ward, Mick MgGarry (RIP Mick). 3 day million air, says it all really.....fantastic days ile never forget. God Bless to all. Fantastic people. Great documentary, Thanks.
Kicked out of school age 15 no exams behind me so off I went to the docks in Hull to find work I went straight at it❤ working on a cement ships unloading cements then onto coca and fish infact there isn't much I haven't unloaded on the docks I loved the banter ,the constant pisstaking by mates it was hard graft but you just got stuck in you'd soon get pulled up on it if you ever started flagging hey and the money was great for a kid like myself
Absolutely the best video so far. You can't be from a fishing center and not know the tales that are in this video. The wife's campaign should be celebrated for what it is.... A campaign to save lives, that actually did what it went out to do
Cheers for that-your videos keep getting better and better! Unfortunate piece of graffiti behind you when you paused at the end of the video though...💩
Spot on, its clear you've put some work into that one! very interesting. I had family (Uncles) that worked the fishing fleet from Hull and this brought home just how hard it was. I remember the icelandic wars and the end of the industry well myself. Before spending some time with the last of the local fleet via a job in electronics, at which time I visited the Marr offices within the Lord line building and putting kit aboard the Kirkella... great doc 👌
When you see how St Andrews dock used to look when it was thriving, it's a great shame to see it dilapidated now. Just left to return to nature. The graffiti doesn't help either. There's no "progress" here, as in reinventing the space to be put to good use, just a painful joyless reminder of Hull's wonderful past. It would be easy to blame Iceland for enforcing their 12 mile limit. They have every right to thrive, but the cost to the UK fishing industry was almost terminal. What was once a cheap nutritious meal is now more of an occasional luxury food. We don't get cod or haddock in Australia, and fish and chips is high on our list when we return to Hull occasionally. This must be a new one HN, and I'm pleased to see it's a nice long episode...
@@hullhistorynerd I appreciate the work you must put into these HN, delivered in your inimitable style. As always a welcome respite from the police state coming to a town near me. Fantastic work....!!
Yet another enthralling story of Hull's past. Thank you for all the time and effort you have put into researching and producing this and all your other videos.
hi i keep watching this over an dover again. we did the Russo Japanese war in A level history but not the Dogger Bank outrage, well i dont remember if we did. i remember the russian fleet sailing round the world for almost a year to get to the japanese and were totally destroyed in the first naval encounter. it seemed so ironic. well, we are heading to Hull in may for a UFO AND PARANORMAL CONFERENCE. my first time in hull.
The whole journey of the 2nd Pacific Fleet is a complete farce, it really is! The Dogger Bank incident is only one of many, many incidents they were involved in/caused on that fateful journey.
absolute fuckin legend, this is proper important work, thank you this is the type of resource I dreamed of, especially the industrial areas, I used to hang out in Lordline as a kid. Would be amazing if you did some one on Anlaby road. Much love for this pal ❤️
Nice one, I love riding my bike around the old Lord line building. To bad they covered up the old dock, would have been a nice marina now. The one in the city center is clearly not enough for the demand in the area
What a remarkable, chance find this channel has been. So much so I’ve spent the last week or so binge watching the rest of your fantastically informative vids. Having lived in Hull and a family from the city it has been great finding out a little more about the areas interesting history. Like the background music by Higgins Brown but cannot find this intro on his Soundcloud page so if you could let me know the title please. Keep up the great vids. Many thanks.
Thanks for the kind words, and glad you're enjoying the videos! I don't think it's uploaded on Soundcloud, but it is an abridged version of the track "Endeavour" which I think is on there. I know it's definitely on the Higgins Brown TH-cam channel as, I think, Endeavour Lite!
I used to go onto the fish Dock and watch the fish filleted on the spot and take it to Leeds neville hill when I worked there those filleters worked so hard and quick.
Thankyou, welcome to the channel! I hope you enjoy the other videos, Hull has a fascinating and surprisingly rich industrial history as a portrait that many people would never suspect!
I always thought it would be amazing as a national maritime and fishing museum, like the railway museum in York, where they turned old engine sheds into a museum. Imagine this end of the dock dredged and filled with water and floating museums like the Arctic Corsair. Perfect for access from the road, and from the railway too... Cost a few bob though, I reckon.
@@hullhistorynerd that would be a great idea as well. Never thought about that. Like a national maritime museum. Yes, old warehouses, trains, boats, etc. Like a mini-port set up and a living museum.
Fantastic video as always,as a son in law of a trawler man and son of a docker , both sadly no longer with us ,me and my wife have made sure that our 3 kid's have grown up knowing the history of this city's maritime past. That's why channels like yours are so important, because with each generation those ties to the past are stretched and we need to make sure they never break .
Absolutely, it's such a vital part of Hull's massive history. How quickly society forgets after just a couple of generations! That's one of the reasons I wanted to start this channel, to collect as much as I could and put it out there for people to remember, or to learn anew stuff that they never knew about their own past.
@@hullhistorynerd Absolutely, way back in my school day's trips to the whaling museum where a regular thing and unfortunately schools just won't have the resources today for things like that. A few years ago I went on a work thing to Barnsley to a see a community project on the site of a former pit, and there seemed to be a real pride and commitment to keep the past alive. I really enjoyed the Cottingham videos about the Snicket's, brought back memories of being a teenager trekking from North Hull to meet a girlfriend and following those paths. 👍👍👍
Thank you so much. Wonderful interesting local history. It’s a pity those who present a negative impression of this area refuse to appreciate the strength and quality of local communities
Love all your videos but I think this is my favourite. I’ve always been fascinated by the place on the end of Spurn Point, ‘Ravenser Odd’ I think it was called. Have you ever thought of doing a film about that?
I already have one planned, but I've been waiting for the detailed results of an underwater scan that the university have been doing that might shed some light on the possible location of Ravenser Odd!
Wow, just wow , what a documentary . My husband went out in trawlers at age 15 , he was at sea during the triple trawler tragedy and everything you talked about after that. He swore that the Icelandic patrols once actually shot at them! After the fishing industry collapsed, he went into the army as did many of his friends and family , it was the only work available that wasn’t demeaning and tame for tough men used to danger .
Brilliant and moving account of Hull’s fishing heritage, told with the passion that could only come from a local person. Top notch stuff as always. Thank you 👍🏼😊
Very interesting, especially the section on the Cod Wars about which I knew very little; shades of Suez with the USA bending our arm in their own interests.
Wonderful work. I worked for Smith & Nephew and visited our Factory site in Hessle Road many times over the years. Obviously, I knew about Albert Dock (because our factory was flooded by its waters), but am grateful to learn more about the wider Hull dock history.
Absolutely brilliant HHN . Worked on dry side until St Andrew’s closed as a young kid . Saw history unfold without really knowing it at the time
Superbly crafted and presented documentary. Congratulations on an important and passionate testament. 👍❤️
Excellent film. Thank you so much.
Can you please do a program on Baynard Castle in Cottingham and if you can one about the fishing smacks of Hull Thank you Look forward to your next episode
Hi, no plans at the moment to do Baynard Castle as the place is in private hands and I haven't been able to get in touch with the owners. I did do an episode about Hull's fishing industry already, the episode on St Andrew's Dock covers the time of the fishing smacks!
Great video, I have only been to Hull twice so far
Would be great to put the lyrics of the spare hands song on screen (or closed captions)
I am a TV producer, journalist, documentary maker in New Zealand. I have watched this brilliant piece today. Wonderful quality documentary, superb on camera pieces, evocative pictures, and lovely music. Magnificent work. Thank you. Simon
Thankyou! That is praise indeed from a pro!
I joined BUT in 1974
PICT
OTHELLO
NORSE
DANE
ARAB
KURD
SIR FRED PARKES
All as an Engineer Officer.
I was decimated when the owners sold us out
I said the same to my sister just yesterday. A very talented presenter who brings the history to life. In fact, he’s better than most on tv. I am from Hull and love these videos of the city that I love. ❤❤
My first job was as a porter in a fish factory on Hessle road. 15 years old and £7.50 a week. Always got a seat to myself on the bus home! Great video, thanks.
Fantastic stuff, one of your best. Your passion is clear, respect. Top man.
Mr. Nerd, thank you and greetings from Leipzig. 28th April 1943 I was born in 26 East Grove, Gipsyville. All the family worked on the fish dock. My grandfather, father and his uncles were engineers maintaining the trawlers. My young uncle started as a bobber and became a filliter. Trawlers (built in Beverley) were the normal ships. If you worked on KGV Dock, you worked on 'big boats'. My great-grandfather, at the turn of the century, before the trawlers were refrigerated, was chief engineer on a 'box-man'. These ships loaded up with ice and sailed to the Dogger Bank to take the fish from the trawlers and then sail directly to Billingsgate Market in London. Thank you once again.
During the War my Dad spent two years off the coast off North Africa on the Hull trawler Kingston Cyanite. They shadowed the Desert Rats from El Alamein to Benghazi trying to make sure Monty got his supplies and Rommel didn't.
Many British trawlers were requisitioned by the Navy for minesweeping, anti-submarine and convoy escort duties and the fishermen were conscripted to effectively crew their own boats. Trawling gear was swapped for the tools of war and off went the fishermen went to the bitter waters of the Northern Patrol, The Channel and the Hell of E-Boat Alley, to the Atlantic and Artic Convoys, to the U-Boat infested East Coast of America, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, Africa, The Indian Ocean and the Far East. Coal burning fishing boats, many older than their outdated guns, made astonishing voyages of thousands of miles to fight in strange waters with the odds heavily stacked against them.
Beverley built Kingston Cyanite came home and fished out of St Andrews Dock until being broken up in 1957
This is better than what they put on TV now. Zero political agenda or box tickers. Thanks for making such a good program that is honest and truthful 😀
Thank you for a moving and insightful overview of the Hull fishing industry. I live in Birkenhead, a town totally dependent on one industry [shipbuilding] that has almost vanished in a generation. There isn't any real solution to these long-term issues, but it does rather make one wonder what we pay our taxes, and central government for if they cannot do something to ameliorate the economic impact on coastal communities, or am i being naive?
Really enjoyed this video, but most of all! I learnt a lot too!
I never knew nor understood the loss of Hulls fishing fleet was actually down to the cold war and USA's involvement in doing so. And the poignant message towards the end 'Hull had a lot to lose' ! Thank you for sharing. Brilliant piece of work and research! And as always,! I look forward to the next video . Thank you!👌👍👍👍.
Fantastic journey through several chapters, well presented and all of it fascinating! It was absolutely worth waiting for but I now need another ‘weekend away’ in Hull to explore this area properly. Who knew that Hull would become my favourite place outside of West Yorks because of the hidden history it holds?
Hopefully it won't be as long till the next video, this one was a huge thing to film and edit!
I remember walking along those docks as a kid in the mid-1970s, enthralled by ships moored to rusted bollards, lines of railway vans, derelict red-brick buildings, the tops of tall cranes lost in the morning mist. An outstanding presentation, hats off to you, good sir.
I served my apprenticeship at Humber St. Andrews Engineering, 68-73, yes it was a bit rough at times and smelly to say the least, but it set me up for 10 years as an Engineer Officer with Blue Star Line. In the early days cycled 7 miles across Hull, did a days work then cycled the return journey in all weathers and thought nothing of it. Some of those days you spent 8 hours in Wm Wright Dry Dock in winter with a freezing Easterly wind coming off the Steppes ( the Russian Steppes that is, not the drydock steppes), snow showers, but our life was far better than a trawlermans. We often saw damage to trawlers with the bow stove in, guardrails missing. A large wave of water is not compressable, so the steel goes first. Living conditions on the old steam sidewinders was horrible to say the least, long hours, cold and wet living on fried fish three times a day, hardly healthy.
I spent a few weeks working on the slip at the Easter end of the dock, heard lurid tales about factory at Cod Farm with young lads and the 'ladies' that worked there. I also spent some time in the HSA Commercial garage behind slip that serviced a lot of the fish merchants new fish trucks which took the fish to the rest of England with the demise of the railways.
When I returned from a couple of voyages with Blue Star Line about 1974 and visited HSA, they had moved the diesel fitters into part of the Lord Line Building as the Diesel shop must have been going to be demolished as that was next to the Ice factory. When I joined HSA in 1968 they had just opened the Diesel Shop, so it was short lived.
I saw the decline in Hull with the loss of the Fish Dock and then the other docks, large employers closing down. CD. Holmes, Sizers, Rosedowns, Fenners, Priestmans, Hull Typewriters, Hull Rad, Brigham & Cowan, Dunstans, Drypool Engineering, Humbrol, Seven Seas, to name but a few, then you have all of Bankside. These are companies that employed a lot of skilled men and women so there was money in the town, it was an attractive town with tree and flower lined roads. Now it is a dump I am sorry to say. All part of the Thatcher scorched earth policy.
I have still got a blanket I bought for the car from the fishermans stores next to William & Glyns bank near the Load Line building.
This made me cry. So much history and pride, so many lives lost, so many brave families. My father's family were Hessle Roaders and they carried that strength and determination through poverty and hard times. What a shame Hull doesn't appreciate the history within those buildings more. Thankyou
I just want to echo many of the earlier comments, this is outstanding! You must have spent many hours researching and producing this video. I have no connection to the fishing industry but living on the coast near Hull I well remember the cod wars being reported on radio Humberside and your video vividly takes me back to those times. Congratulations, and I hope after reading all the positive feedback here you can take pride in what you have done. Thank you.
Thank you, it means a lot that so many people have enjoyed this, it was a super important video for me and for Hull, and I really didn't want to mess it up, so I'm very glad that I haven't!
Thankyou Hull History Nerd...Again, a Welshman having served in the Royal Navy i ultimately ended up in Hull (long story)Hull has been my adopted home for 25 years and extremely proud of the fact and the likes of yourself have endorsed that due to your Channel to which i enjoy very much, my brother comes up from Wales annually and i bombard him with lots of facts as we bimble around in & around Hull, this episode i very much enjoyed due to its Association to its proud fishing industry and found Mr Bill Alexanders recount of life on the Sea particularly interesting, Having been in the Submarine service 12 years do not ever asked me to be a Fisherman!!. Thankyou Hull History Nerd👍
Another great video displaying the history of our City and a new Shanty for me to learn and sing. Thanks and I look forward to the next one and beyond.
I'm not from Hull but I do love learning the history of anywhere I end up. This was a brilliant look into the history and makes me proud that I live here now.
Fantastic Jim, what a lovely tribute to all the men and families of Hull . You do a marvellous job in all of your presentations , credit to you and your helpers !
great documentary. unfortunetaly some thick heads of Hull are still stuck in those times , still blame the E|U and refuse to move on
A brilliant series thank you for your work ❤
Wonderful video sir,so many docks i visited half a centuary ago are now filled in like graves.
Me grandad used to say he used to sail 100 mile north of rock all. I used to ask what was there. He used to say f*ck all… them men who owned them trawlers got away with murder the way they treat those lads. RIP to all the lads who sailed out then lock gates never to return. The state of the area now is a disgrace and the council shouldn’t allow it out of respect to those that was lost. Fantastic video once again👍🏼
Hear hear.
outstanding documentary.. i was very moved by the sea shanty music, which if i'm honest, i never expected to be. I'd have loved you to have done one extra chapter, just dealing with the st andrews quay development heyday of the late 80's/90's and then it's change from entertainment to retail in the 2000's
Absolutely wonderful poignant video. You're a very talented men. Sadly, as is so often, the EU were made out to be the bogeymen yet we were shafted and rediculed by our own government.
I take my 4 year old son on bike rides, often around Hull and he asked me how I know so much about Hull. I told him about these videos and he's watched the whole thing! a proper little history nerd!
Fantastic, always great to hear about a new generation learning about the history of our city!
Excellent as always. And nice to see you back with a real long one…..
Brilliant, my grandfather was a cook on the Kingston line. Many memories resurfaced with this video. From Hessle Rd to Pretoria South Africa
Simply amazing and emotional. Broadcast quality right there. Very well done in producing such an excellent documentary. The music was wonderful also 👏👏
Thankyou, the songs were great, weren't they? That closing song by my old friend Tim couldn't have been more perfect for this video!
Thank you for this video, my stepdad came from Hessle road and his Dad was on the boats. He never talked about it and I would have been too young to appreciate it, but I do appreciate your channel and films. It means a lot to hear someone talking about this area with pride and warmth.
Excellent work, well done. Really enjoyed watching, it's not just history, it's the story of Hull's life and soul. I reckon there must be a BBC4 series there with all your video's.
Look forward to your next project, Phil H
Just want to say, for people curious about the Russian Outrage, there's an absolutely incredible two-part series from Drachinifel (a naval history themed youtuber) where he talks about their voyage. Theres all sorts of bizarre incidents that get covered there, for example the zoo they ended up creating during their time in Madagascar, or the commander effectively going rogue and attempting to evade his reinforcements due to said ships being largely useless.
A fun additional note on the Royal Navy's involvement: the British admiral tasked with fighting them (should they have actually gone to blows at that time) drafted a battle plan he described as "chivalrous", because he intended to keep most of his ships back and only engage with a few of his battleships. He thought it was only fair to do this given the poor standard of gunnery.
That sounds brilliant, I'll have to give that a watch!
Drachninifel! I listen to voyage of the damned quite regularly it’s hilarious 😂 kamchatka! All be it tragic for the men.
My granddad worked on them.
Excellent video. Always informative and entertaining!
Superb once again Jamie, well done 👍🏻 Fascinating from start to finish. Love walking along there now and also be on how derelict and underused that area is when it could be a massive positive for Hull. Would love you to do a piece on where the trawler men lived, from the owners who I gather lived in Swanland (where I do now) to the terraces of Hessle Road.
What a stunning video. So much sadness and abandonedment. How can this happen. It makes me feel sick. Thanks Jamie. Just wow............ Glen... 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Wow, another great slice of visualised history. This meant a lot to me as my father was connected to the Hull Fishing industry & I recall those days as a child visiting St Andrews Dock with him. More of the same please! Should you want any help with any future projects I may be able to contribute. Hessle born & bred with 60 odd years of Hull & its surrounding districts memories. Thanks for your work & I'll keep a look out for more.
Loved this. I agree your best yet and very moving at the end. How much you love Hull shines through in your work, fantastic, Hull needs people like you, thankyou.
Wonderful look back into the history of this industry and its people. Both my grandfathers worked on trawlers, I was born down Rugby street, Hessle Road. Now living in South of france, my husband works on superyachts, who's from boothferry, and both my sons are following him into the industry. So my family are still seafarers albeit much better conditions.
One of my earliest memories is visiting on St Andrews Dock and seeing my nanna mending the nets. My grandad doffing his cap to what seemed to a small child, the entire world, he knew everyone!
Traditions such as Friday fish (off dock) to painting the back yard in the infamous deep red paint (off dock), I cant remember the name but can distinctly remember the smell!
Hessle Road in those days was a thriving wonderful place and ironically when we come home to visit family n friends, its our first port of call for fish n chips, I kid you not. More often before we've even unpacked or checked in. You can't keep a hully from their fish n chips.
It was however an incredibly hard life, my grandfather would have never wanted us to follow him in his footsteps.
Really loving your documentaries, brings back lots of memories and nostalgia for me.
...and of course great to hear the Hull accent!!
Great work n look forward to watching more.
What a fantastic piece of documentary work. Thoroughly enjoyed this an can empathise with the loss of the fishing industry that rocked Hull with similar impacts on Teesside with the loss of ship building and steel making. It tears the heart out of a community, proud of what they do.
Absolutely, and it annoys me when people say that Hull is a bad place; it's really no better or worse than any other northern community that lost its key industries. There are parts of other cities that are far worse in terms of poverty and violent crime than Hull, yet we're still the butt of media derision.
Thank you, for such a wonderful insight as to where my family roots are. Many of them were shipwrights, riveters, boiler makers etc. I see the russians haven't changed ! I never heard about this, and that the Hull Docks were badly bombed in WW2, I can remember watching the cod wars on black and white tv news, and seeing the trawlermen's wives as well. I have to come up to Hull for myself and explore more history. I will watch some more of your Hull vids, thank you.
What an absolutely wonderful video, I don't live in hull but I remember most of it as just like you I have lived through it, the early history was new to me and fascinating. A guy I used to work with told me that he used to be on the trawlers and he told me that St Andrews dock was so busy that trawlers would be queued up in the humber waiting to get in. I also remember the women's campaign for safer working conditions and I have always believed that they should be properly and rightly honoured. As a boy in the 50s travelling on the ferry to the south bank with my parents I remember seeing the dock.
You've outdone yourself this time Jamie, this is a fantasic, well produced story & tribute to the Fishing industry.
I am old enough to remember the cod wars, and my older sisters remember Big Lil. My grandfathers' brother was killed on a Trawler in 1917 that was performing mine sweeping near the Isle of Lewis.
Hull like so many other towns and cities in the Midlands & the North was left to it's own devices when major industry closed (think of the mines or manufacturing) and we live with the consequences of this divide today.
I used to work on Hull fish docks and this was a brilliant way of showing the plight of the area.
The fishing industry has always been forgotten.
Found your channel through my interest in BR Diesel's and having watched your videos on the class 37 and class 20 I was impressed with the quality of content and presentation which lead me to watching more of your videos and after watching this very emotive one I felt I had to say that the quality and presentation of this is absolutely fantastic and as a born and bred Scarborian I can appreciate the devastation caused by the loss of our fishing industry and the poverty and social issues left in its wake. Subscribed. Now, to trawl through more of your channel.
Glad you're enjoying the videos, and hope you find more that keep your interest!
I don't know when and don't know how but I'm sure I've met you, it's been niggling at me, Enjoying your documentaries all the same, very informative, well done and thanks
Amazing job making this. I'll definitely be watching again. Thank You.
Wherever you look I love the old abandoned buildings which still show company names engraved into brick works and maybe a telephone number !!!!
thank you very interesting recomended by MARTIN ZERO
Very interesting video. Over the last few years I have been asked to provide guidance on transforming the Lord building into apartments among other things.
My dad was a bobber on St Andrews dock, (RIP dad) I worked on fish dock in my 20s. Iam 66 now. I played music with all the musicians in that band shown -Les Ward, Mick MgGarry (RIP Mick). 3 day million air, says it all really.....fantastic days ile never forget. God Bless to all. Fantastic people. Great documentary, Thanks.
It's a time and place that defined so many lives forever.
Kicked out of school age 15 no exams behind me so off I went to the docks in Hull to find work I went straight at it❤ working on a cement ships unloading cements then onto coca and fish infact there isn't much I haven't unloaded on the docks I loved the banter ,the constant pisstaking by mates it was hard graft but you just got stuck in you'd soon get pulled up on it if you ever started flagging hey and the money was great for a kid like myself
Absolutely the best video so far. You can't be from a fishing center and not know the tales that are in this video. The wife's campaign should be celebrated for what it is.... A campaign to save lives, that actually did what it went out to do
Absolutely amazing, what a fantastic well presented video.
Cheers for that-your videos keep getting better and better! Unfortunate piece of graffiti behind you when you paused at the end of the video though...💩
Mum used to work for stevedores and dockers . Quite often bringing a 3 bob fry off the docks.
In my hometown of Grimsby, their equivalent of Hull’s “Bobbers” were known as “lumpers”.
Never forget the smell of the fishmeal walking along there as a kid!, needs something doing with it now
Another well researched and interesting documentary that will be on utubes servers for future generations to watch and learn when we have gone.
Sad to see derelict infrastructure and loss of jobs and futures eroded,,,
Another fantastic video, a great insight into our fishing industry history, I never sat and thought about what caused it's demise but now I know.
Very interesting to watch that we'll made documentary 👍
Spot on, its clear you've put some work into that one! very interesting. I had family (Uncles) that worked the fishing fleet from Hull and this brought home just how hard it was. I remember the icelandic wars and the end of the industry well myself. Before spending some time with the last of the local fleet via a job in electronics, at which time I visited the Marr offices within the Lord line building and putting kit aboard the Kirkella... great doc 👌
Thank you For This Brilliant post, Keep safe . 👍
You've done some great videos but this is the best one yet.
I enjoy all of your videos, but this has to be one of your best.
When you see how St Andrews dock used to look when it was thriving, it's a great shame to see it dilapidated now. Just left to return to nature. The graffiti doesn't help either. There's no "progress" here, as in reinventing the space to be put to good use, just a painful joyless reminder of Hull's wonderful past.
It would be easy to blame Iceland for enforcing their 12 mile limit. They have every right to thrive, but the cost to the UK fishing industry was almost terminal. What was once a cheap nutritious meal is now more of an occasional luxury food. We don't get cod or haddock in Australia, and fish and chips is high on our list when we return to Hull occasionally.
This must be a new one HN, and I'm pleased to see it's a nice long episode...
It was certainly a while in the making, so much to talk about, not all of it made it into the final cut!
@@hullhistorynerd I appreciate the work you must put into these HN, delivered in your inimitable style. As always a welcome respite from the police state coming to a town near me. Fantastic work....!!
Yet another enthralling story of Hull's past. Thank you for all the time and effort you have put into researching and producing this and all your other videos.
I popped over to this channel after watching Hull History Nerd on Martin Zero's expidition of Hull.
Welcome to the channel! Hope you enjoy it!
hi i keep watching this over an dover again. we did the Russo Japanese war in A level history but not the Dogger Bank outrage, well i dont remember if we did. i remember the russian fleet sailing round the world for almost a year to get to the japanese and were totally destroyed in the first naval encounter. it seemed so ironic. well, we are heading to Hull in may for a UFO AND PARANORMAL CONFERENCE. my first time in hull.
The whole journey of the 2nd Pacific Fleet is a complete farce, it really is! The Dogger Bank incident is only one of many, many incidents they were involved in/caused on that fateful journey.
absolute fuckin legend, this is proper important work, thank you this is the type of resource I dreamed of, especially the industrial areas, I used to hang out in Lordline as a kid. Would be amazing if you did some one on Anlaby road. Much love for this pal ❤️
I will be covering Anlaby Road in an episode of my Lost Villages of Hull next year on the village of Newington!
Nice one, I love riding my bike around the old Lord line building. To bad they covered up the old dock, would have been a nice marina now. The one in the city center is clearly not enough for the demand in the area
What a remarkable, chance find this channel has been. So much so I’ve spent the last week or so binge watching the rest of your fantastically informative vids. Having lived in Hull and a family from the city it has been great finding out a little more about the areas interesting history. Like the background music by Higgins Brown but cannot find this intro on his Soundcloud page so if you could let me know the title please. Keep up the great vids. Many thanks.
Thanks for the kind words, and glad you're enjoying the videos! I don't think it's uploaded on Soundcloud, but it is an abridged version of the track "Endeavour" which I think is on there. I know it's definitely on the Higgins Brown TH-cam channel as, I think, Endeavour Lite!
awesome footage loved watching it
Superb but dock is now full of reeds !!
thankyou loved this one so so much thank you
Beverley road please I live there currently
good to see you again hull history nerd . yeah
My dad was from Hull so this has been very interesting. He went to sea sailing from Hull to Oslo.
Needless to say my mother was Norwegian. They married in Hull in 1950.
Really great video. Very informative. Love the passion you put into this documentary. :D
Great work as usual from Canada
i might try sleeping one day
I used to go onto the fish Dock and watch the fish filleted on the spot and take it to Leeds neville hill when I worked there those filleters worked so hard and quick.
Aye, you couldn't be slow on those jobs!
I went to lord line to take a look around and its so crazy to think this was where all the fish came from and where people actually worked
It really is, it's such a quiet wasteland today. It's hard to imagine just how amazingly busy the whole site would have been just 60 years ago.
Excellent Documentary
i can only like it once 😂😂
Love some 'ull 'istry
getting lots of adds
Very well done videos! Martin was right, you are the man!
Thankyou, welcome to the channel! I hope you enjoy the other videos, Hull has a fascinating and surprisingly rich industrial history as a portrait that many people would never suspect!
That site looks great as a sunken gardens - hope it’s not ‘built on’.
I always thought it would be amazing as a national maritime and fishing museum, like the railway museum in York, where they turned old engine sheds into a museum. Imagine this end of the dock dredged and filled with water and floating museums like the Arctic Corsair. Perfect for access from the road, and from the railway too... Cost a few bob though, I reckon.
@@hullhistorynerd that would be a great idea as well. Never thought about that. Like a national maritime museum. Yes, old warehouses, trains, boats, etc. Like a mini-port set up and a living museum.
Fantastic video as always,as a son in law of a trawler man and son of a docker , both sadly no longer with us ,me and my wife have made sure that our 3 kid's have grown up knowing the history of this city's maritime past.
That's why channels like yours are so important, because with each generation those ties to the past are stretched and we need to make sure they never break .
Absolutely, it's such a vital part of Hull's massive history. How quickly society forgets after just a couple of generations! That's one of the reasons I wanted to start this channel, to collect as much as I could and put it out there for people to remember, or to learn anew stuff that they never knew about their own past.
@@hullhistorynerd Absolutely, way back in my school day's trips to the whaling museum where a regular thing and unfortunately schools just won't have the resources today for things like that.
A few years ago I went on a work thing to Barnsley to a see a community project on the site of a former pit, and there seemed to be a real pride and commitment to keep the past alive.
I really enjoyed the Cottingham videos about the Snicket's, brought back memories of being a teenager trekking from North Hull to meet a girlfriend and following those paths. 👍👍👍
Thank you so much. Wonderful interesting local history. It’s a pity those who present a negative impression of this area refuse to appreciate the strength and quality of local communities
Love all your videos but I think this is my favourite. I’ve always been fascinated by the place on the end of Spurn Point, ‘Ravenser Odd’ I think it was called. Have you ever thought of doing a film about that?
I already have one planned, but I've been waiting for the detailed results of an underwater scan that the university have been doing that might shed some light on the possible location of Ravenser Odd!
Wow! That sounds amazing. Thanks for the swift reply. Really appreciate and enjoy all your videos.
Excellent- I have lived in the West Riding all my life and remember the local fish & chip shop having fish boxes with “Hull” branded on the side.