The Headscarf Revolutionaries
If you are from Hull, Yorkshire, or any other fishing ports, you will have heard the stories of men lost at sea or experienced your own loss of a father, grandfather or brother never returning. The fishing industry was once classed as the most dangerous occupation in the world, with Hull alone losing thousands of men and hundreds of ships.
In the winter of 1968, three trawlers left St. Andrews Docks in Hull. They were the St. Romanus and Kinston Peridot, departing on the 10th of January, and the Ross Cleveland just a few weeks later. Fifty-eight men lost their lives. Some as young as 15 years old. From all three ships, there was only one survivor, a man named Harry Eddom who was on the Ross Cleveland.
Brian W Lavery, a writer and historian local to Hull, wrote a book titled “The Headscarf’s Revolutionaries’’ (Barbican Press 2017). It tells the story of Lillian Bilocca, and her colleagues Mary Denness, Yvonne Blenkinsop, and Christine Jensen. These women were known as The Headscarf Revolutionaries.
These fishwives from Hessle led a campaign for the safety for the fishing industry after the tragedy of 1968. The campaign was highly successful in establishing the Fisherman’s Charter by Harold Wilson’s Labour Government.
The Fishermen’s Charter
- Full crews, including radio operators for all ships.
- Twelve hourly radio contact while at sea.
- Improved safety equipment.
- A mother ship with medical facilities for all fleets.
- Better training for crews.
- Suspension of fishing in winter on the northern Icelandic coast.
- A Royal Commission.
Lillian Bilocca (Marshall) was born off Hessle Road, in ‘ull or (Hull for the non-local). The concern Lillian had for the fishing community was ingrained in her with her father, husband Charlie, and son Ernie all sea going men. She understood the dangers the men put themselves in to earn a living.
When Lillian heard of the missing ships, she wrote a letter to fishing bosses.
It said, “you men at the ‘top’, these lads spend three-quarters of their lives under conditions few of us can imagine or even stand. They live hard. They work hard. They die hard”.
When Lillian met with the fishing bosses she announced, “There’s only one way to make these people meet us and hear our case and that’s by taking action”.
The women organised protest, gathered signatures for petitions, and lobbied the government and industry leaders to improve the safety measures for all who worked on a fishing trawler. Their efforts led to significant changes.
The term “Headscarf Revolutionaries” comes from the fact that many of these women wore headscarves, a common accessory for working class women at the time.
Being from ‘ull, I have heard stories told many times about husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons who did not come home, becoming ‘missing at sea’. We owe Lillian Bilocca, and the women who worked alongside her, a great deal of gratitude for using their voices for the safety of others.
If you would like to read more about Lillian and The Headscarf Revolutionaries, then click the link to Brian W Lavery. It’s a very insightful and beautifully written book.
IMG credit: hull daily mail