Lucy Wood - The Grimsby Book of Days

LUCY WOOD qualified as a journalist in 1999 and is now working in public relations following a long career in regional newspapers. She is a contributor to the British Comedy Guide (www.comedy.co.uk) and attends the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year. She lives in Lincolnshire and has a keen interest in local history.

1945: On this day, the Mayor of Grimsby, C.W. Hewson, issued his New Year message. It read:

We hope that the coming year may be a year of success and safe landings to our fishermen in their dangerous occupation; and may the time quickly come when we shall hear the crashing peal of the church bells telling us not of peace on earth and goodwill to men at Christmastime only, but peace on earth for all time and to all men.

(Grimsby Evening Telegraph, 1945)

2006: On this day, the man behind one of Grimsbys most prominent pieces of public art passed away peacefully, aged 84. Peter Todd created the five bronze figures, known as the Guardians of Knowledge, attached to the south elevation of Grimsby Central Library.

The artwork, measuring 11ft high, is among the last examples of its kind in public library buildings in the UK. Todd designed and built the figures in 1968 at his studio in Walesby. Generations of artists were taught by Todd, who was the head of Grimsby School of Art for thirty years. Among his many students was the actor John Hurt. (Grimsby Evening Telegraph, 2006)

1970: On this day, pop star Freddie Garrity, of Freddie and The Dreamers, underwent an emergency operation after a car crash in which a 19-year-old Grimsby girl was also injured. The girl was a passenger in his Lotus Elan sports car when it hit an unlit roundabout junction at South Mimms in Hertfordshire.

The 19 year old was described as quite comfortable in hospital despite suffering a head injury and some abrasions. Her mother said the pair had been friends for some time.

Recently, Freddie and his group had performed at The Beachcomber and The Flamingo, in Cleethorpes, and the girl had renewed her friendship with the singer at this time. On the night of the crash she had been to see him performing in Cinderella at the Odeon, Golders Green, London. Freddies role of Buttons was taken over by Peter Birrwell, the groups guitarist. (Grimsby Evening Telegraph, 1970)

1949: On this day, the Service Food Company was counting the cost of the biggest blaze Grimsby had seen since the Second World War. Four nights before, the sky had been lit up by flames, when fire engulfed the firms imposing premises in Victoria Street. The building was gutted, despite a huge fire-fighting operation which saw sailors and soldiers voluntarily join in. It was reminiscent, said the local newspaper, of the great air raids of 1943. The building, which adjoined Spillers Mill, was completely destroyed and at one stage, sparks were blown across the Alexandra Dock, threatening to set fire to wood yards in the area. Timber in JG Cuttings began to smolder as sparks ignited sawdust in the shaft of a lift. The company estimated the blaze had cost 14,000 4,000 for the building itself and the rest for the machinery and cattle food inside. (Grimsby Telegraph Bygones, 1996)

1976: On this day, flood warnings came too late to save towns along the Lincolnshire coast from Cleethorpes to Skegness from their worst night in years. Huge waves sent water and mud pouring through hundreds of properties. Within an hour, houses were engulfed in miniature tidal waves, the GrimsbyCleethorpes railway line washed away and offices at Grimsbys Royal Dock badly damaged. Cleethorpes Bathing Pool was also wrecked. (Grimsby Evening Telegraph, 1976)

2002: On this day, the stricken 3,000-ton oil tanker MV Willy was stranded on rocks near Cawsand, East Cornwall. The Cypriot-registered vessel had been chartered by Conoco in Grimsby and left Immingham on December 28th 2001, heading for Plymouth. The tanker ran aground on New Years Day and remained stranded.

Although the 21-year-old vessel had offloaded the petrol she was carrying for Conoco, because vapour was still in her tanks, officials were worried about the risk of explosion and 150 villagers from Kingsand and Cawsand were evacuated from their homes.

The vessels tanks still contained more than 80 tonnes of fuel, which could have been spilled if the vessel moved too violently on the rocks. Salvage workers removed as much of the fuel as they could, and absorbent booms were placed all around the vessel to ensure that any leakage was contained.

It wasnt until January 11th that the operation to refloat her, employing specialist teams, began. (Grimsby Telegraph, 2002)

1980: On this day, thousands of Grimsby Town Football Club fans packed into cars, coaches, vans and trains for the mass exodus to Merseyside for the FA Cup clash with League leaders Liverpool.

Every street corner in Grimsby and Cleethorpes became a meeting place for eager supporters waiting for transport to ferry them on the three-and-a-half hour journey. As things began to move, the main roads out of Grimsby became a one-way system full of cars and coaches with black-and-white scarves streaming from their windows. It was estimated that between 7,000 and 8,000 Mariners fans made the trip.

Among them were Mr and Mrs John Baker, who had been going to watch Grimsby Town since 1947. We go to all the home matches and, whenever we can, we go to the away games as well, said Mr Baker. We certainly were not going to miss this one.

He predicted that Grimsby could humble the mighty League champions if Town played in their usual style, predicting a score of 21.

Unfortunately for the black-and-white army, Liverpool won 50. (Grimsby Evening Telegraph, 1980)

1949: On this day, a record low landing of fish paralysed Grimsbys fish market and contributed to a fish famine throughout the country.

Bad weather at sea and a hold-up of trawlers over Christmas resulted in three North Sea trawlers landing only 393 kits. There were no deep-sea landings. Though an allocation of frozen fish alleviated the shortage to some extent, a large percentage of merchants were unable to fulfill their orders and Grimsby Fish Market was idle by 9 a.m.

Grimsby was not the only port where supplies were abnormally short. The eight major fishing ports in England totalled only 10,895 kits. Landings at Hull, for example, were 7,100 kits compared with over 19,000 the previous day.

Prospects for the following day were very bad; no deep-sea ships were expected to land. Landings had been lower in the past, but only when abnormal conditions, such as strikes, existed. (Grimsby Evening Telegraph, 1949)

1850: On this day, the freemen divided land in Grimsbys East Marsh pasture into paddocks. In 1849, the Pastures Act stated that the borough hath of late years increased in trade and resort, and such pastures have become very valuable for building purposes. That year, members of the freemens Pastures Committee were appointed, and they deliberated on the best scheme for making their pastures productive.

Although turning the East Marsh pasture into a building plot would generate large amounts of revenue, it was decided that laying out roads and installing drainage would be expensive and unprofitable that is, until the demand for building was great enough to take up a large plot of the pasture. The land was cut off by railway lines and the East Marsh Drain, so building was unlikely there at that time. So, in the meantime, the freemen divided most of their pastures into paddocks and allotment gardens. This yielded higher rents than pasture, and it also meant individual plots could be reclaimed for building when required.