Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 3888 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| GRIMSBY FISH | 1973-1974 | 1973-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: Super 8 Colour: Colour Sound: Silent Duration: 6 mins 40 secs Subject: Working Life Seaside Industry |
| Summary This film captures life on the docks of Grimsby during the 1970s. It includes footage of fishermen unloading their catch of the day, Bobbers and their swinging baskets, and an auction later on in the day to sell the fresh catch. |
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Description
This film captures life on the docks of Grimsby during the 1970s. It includes footage of fishermen unloading their catch of the day, Bobbers and their swinging baskets, and an auction later on in the day to sell the fresh catch.
Title - Grimsby Fish.
Tickets for Rossfish Limited, three yellow, two red and one blue, are laid on a cookbook open on the page Grimsby Fish. A fishing boat comes into the harbour, and a fisherman walks along the docks. The fisherman on the boat throws the ropes of...
This film captures life on the docks of Grimsby during the 1970s. It includes footage of fishermen unloading their catch of the day, Bobbers and their swinging baskets, and an auction later on in the day to sell the fresh catch.
Title - Grimsby Fish.
Tickets for Rossfish Limited, three yellow, two red and one blue, are laid on a cookbook open on the page Grimsby Fish. A fishing boat comes into the harbour, and a fisherman walks along the docks. The fisherman on the boat throws the ropes of the boat to the man walking on the harbour. The locks of the harbour are closed. The fishing boat leaves the harbour, and two men move baskets of fish into the sheds on the harbour. Lumpers (or Bobbers as they're called in Hull) load baskets of fish onto ropes and swing them to the men waiting on the docks. The men unload the fish into boxes. A wooden fish box floats in the water, and more baskets of fish are swung onto the docks with ropes. The men take the fish into the sheds on the docks. A man in white overalls looks at the boats in the harbour and large containers of fish. Men haul in large ropes on a reel. Fish boats sailing near the harbour have large containers of fish on the top deck. Men wearing white overalls wait for the fish sale.
Inside a large room the men in white overalls bid against each other for the fish. The auctioneers place tickets in the boxes of fish with the names of the people who have brought them. The men in white overalls gather around for another sale.
Outside a man moves a large pipe over the wooden barrels and fills them with hot water. Water flowing from a tap fills a barrel. The fish are moved around in the wear house by using trolleys. A fishmonger cuts a large plaice fish, and the large fish are weighed on scales. Several men cut and prepare the fish on workbenches. A fish is laid out on the top of a box (Stan Waddingham, Grims).
Context
This film is one of a sizeable collection of films made by amateur filmmaker Roger Hateley from Driffield in East Riding. Most of the films were made from 1970 onwards and go through to the early 1980s. Many are of Walkington, especially of Walkington School, just on the other side of Beverley, and recording many local events. Roger was a keen filmmaker who lived in Waltham at the time and taught in Grimsby at Wintringham Grammar (then) School. With his super 8 camera Roger took films of...
This film is one of a sizeable collection of films made by amateur filmmaker Roger Hateley from Driffield in East Riding. Most of the films were made from 1970 onwards and go through to the early 1980s. Many are of Walkington, especially of Walkington School, just on the other side of Beverley, and recording many local events. Roger was a keen filmmaker who lived in Waltham at the time and taught in Grimsby at Wintringham Grammar (then) School. With his super 8 camera Roger took films of local places the family found interesting: largely, he says, “to keep our two sons out of mischief”. The two sons make a brief appearance in this film, in red and green pullovers. Roger simply went into the docks and filmed without any special access permission. He made a similar film about the windmills in Lincolnshire called "Behold a Giant”.
Although Grimsby is now, and historically has been, a part of Lincolnshire, between 1974 and 1996 it was part of the new county of Humberside – now defunct. Founded by the Vikings, according to legend it takes its name from a Danish fisherman call ‘Grim’. From early on in the 12th century it was known as a fishing village, and this rapidly expanded in the 19th century, especially with the coming of the railway in 1848, which led on to the building of the Dock Tower in 1851, the Royal Dock in 1852, No.1 Fish Dock in 1856, and No.2 Fish Dock in 1877. Two more docks, Alexandra and Union followed in 1879. Many fishermen come up from the south east and Devon to here and to Hull for the fishing. A new fish dock was completed in 1934. The work being done in the docks captured in this film is very similar to that carried out just across the Humber in Hull – see St. Andrew's Fish Dockmade about ten years earlier. There too we see the bobbers unloading the ships, the fish being boxed up and auctioned. Although the two docks often adopted their own separate terms, the auctioneering, for example, followed very similar lines – see Harrison Compilation from the 1950s where the auctioneering is discussed more. By the time that this film came to be made the fishing industry was in the grip of the so-called ‘cod wars’ with Iceland over rights to fish in the North Sea. The result of this, together with that of over fishing, led to the decline in the fishing industry. The fishing docks themselves were also affected by the development of much larger fishing vessels which could do much of the processing of the fish on board – see the Contexts for the two films already mentioned for more background on this decline and alsoPot Luck (1962) and Record Films (2010), and the interviews there with David Harrison, Jim Williams and Robb Robinson. But Grimsby has fared better than Hull as far as the fishing industry is concerned. It is the main centre of the UK fish processing industry, and one of the largest in Europe. At one time Grimsby was the largest fishing port in the world with nearly 500 trawlers. This gave a big boost to other related industries, hence the forming of the Great Grimsby Coal and Tanning Company. The entry in Wikipedia reports that: ‘More than 100 local companies are involved in fresh and frozen fish production.’ Most people will have heard of the Findus Group, which also owns Young's Seafoods, which has its headquarters here. In fact Young's is one of the biggest local employers, with a global sourcing operation supplying 60 species from 30 countries. It is also the official club sponsor of Grimsby Town Football Club. The fish market is still recognisable today from this film of almost 40 years ago. The film shows the ‘Exchange’, which dates back to the 19th century. In earlier days it contained a floating pontoon which rose and fell with the tide and at which the sailing trawlers, or smacks, landed their catches. There was also a fish market and a smoke house. The Exchange has had various owners; soon after this film was made becoming Great Grimsby Smack Owners' Association Limited in 1978. Later it came under the ownership of the Grimsby Fishing Vessel Owners' Association. The film shows a woman taking pieces of filleted fish and lining them up in a tray for “Smethursts Grimsby – Quick chilled Fish”. Smethursts prepared fish for wholesalers around the country. One of those who worked as a fish filleter for Smethursts – one of the many family run businesses – Vy Bishop, interviewed for the Way We Were ITV programme, states that it took a bit of time to get used to handling the fish, but that they soon became quick at it. The larger cod were used for fish cakes, whilst haddock, plaice and sole were filleted elsewhere in the factory. Although the fishing industry remains a large local employer in Grimsby, the Birds Eye factory, which had been making fish fingers since 1929, closed in 2005 with the loss of 650 jobs. References Charles Eckberg, Grimsby fish: the story of the port and the decline and fall of the deep water industry, Barracuda, Buckingham, 1984. Grimsby's Fishing Industry Grimsby - Wikipedia |
