"..The memorial may take the form of a life-sized statue looking out to sea. The cost is likely to exceed £50,000 and we are asking for you to assist us in this fundraising. It will be a permanent memorial, not only to those who fished from Newlyn but from all Cornish harbours. Please help as generously as you can”

There has already, at the beginning of October 2005, been a heartwarming response from the public to the appeal for funds towards the ‘Newlyn Memorial to Fishermen Lost at Sea’.

It was only two month or so ago that the fund was ‘launched’ with a packed public meeting at the Newlyn Mission.

This was a very encouraging occasion and from it came the enthusiasm from the steering committee members, support from those attending – plus a determination to succeed. The target is £50,000.

There is a splendid cross-section of the community on the committee including Andy Wheeler, Revd Julyan Drew, Deputy Mayor Frank Granger, Tony Woodhams, Janet Madron, Ruth Simpson, Peter Burton, Elizabeth Knowles, Malcom Pilcher, Michael Johnson and Nathan de Rozarieux. All will be well-known to most of you.

The secretary is Linda Hitchcox and the treasurer Shirley Stevenson to whom donations may be sent c/o the Newlyn Mission or paid into any branch or Barclays Bank. It was Shirley who first inspired the project following the loss of local fishermen in recent times.

She asked if a committee could be set up and said: “Members of families who have lost husbands, partners or sons at sea in fishing tragedies, some of whom have no known graves, have asked if a memorial can be established at the port.

“ They would like it to be in a prominent position and somewhere they could visit and place flowers. We all feel there would be tremendous support for this. Although it would be at Newlyn it would remember not only those who fished from the port but those from a wider area and other harbours in Cornwall whose interest are served by the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen at Newlyn”.

You will recall there is already a Remembrance Room at the Mission dedicated to those lost at sea. The names are inscribed in a book of remembrance and on plaques.

As vice-chairman of the Newlyn Harbour Commissioners and one whose fisherman father, Rodda Williams, died in a fishing tragedy in Mounts Bay 64 years ago, together with his uncle Ben Batten, I was asked to become Chairman of the Memorial Fund, and was proud to accept.

The industry has been behind the fund 100%. As Andy Wheeler, of the Cornwall Fish Producers Organisation commented: “We are fully supportive of the efforts currently being made to establish a permanent memorial.

“ The fishing industry has long been the lifeblood of the area and we believe this would be a fitting tribute from the Cornish community to those who have been tragically lost”.

So we have begun in great spirit. I believe the memorial is very close to the hearts of Cornish people. Newlyn is England’s most successful port for the values of its fishing landings. But years have brought considerable loss of life.

As the launch Rev Drew showed slides of many such sculptures in various parts of the country and overseas including the work by Cornish and Welsh artists who had already shown interest.

Several showed a life-sized figure, cast in bronze, of a fisherman – and there captured the imagination of the audience. Tony Woodhams (the Mission Chairman) answered the many question posed.

The audience included family members of fishermen lost at sea; their views were sought and there was a poignancy to the occasion.

I remarket we wanted the whole of the county to join this venture. We have already received great support from local councils and on the committee are representatives form a wide range of interest, including RNLI at Penlee, the Mission, Newlyn Association and Penzance Town Council, Penwith District Council, Seafood Cornwall and several others previously mentioned.

We believe we have the support of the Cornish people. So it has proved. Hundred of appeal letters have been sent out: to fishing organisations, merchants and fishermen, every council – from country to parish – and to all media groups and Newsletters of Cornish Parishes.

This pointed out: “The memorial may take the form of a life-sized statue looking out to sea. The cost is likely to exceed £50,000 and we are asking for you to assist us in this fundraising. It will be a permanent memorial, not only to those who fished from Newlyn but from all Cornish harbours. Please help as generously as you can”. To give it all a further public boost we staged a publicity stand at the Fish Festival.

There has been an exciting response and a milestone was reached on Monday 26 September 2005 when I attended a meeting for Penzance Town Council. The Mayor Councillor Dennis Axford presented a donation of £1,000 that took our total over the £10,000 mark.

Since the 1980 more than 20 fishermen who have set out from Newlyn have lost their lives in fishing tragedies – let alone the many from other Cornish harbours. In 1997 some 11 lives were lost including four from a local trawler.

I spoke to the council members of the hard work being put in towards the Memorial. Interestingly , two committee members where present, the Deputy Major and the Chaplain. I told of our mission and of how many had felt the trauma of loss. “We want something of which the families can be proud, where they can go when they wish to remember their loved ones”.

Since that presentation the total has continued to grow and the last reckoning was around 11,000. There has been help from many other quarters, including Penwith District Council which has given advice and assistance on the potential site.

This could be at the ‘Banjo’ are at the end of the Tolcarne Inn car park and opposite to the Art Gallery entrance.

Enthusiasm has been widespread and interest has been shown by many well known personalities in Cornwall and beyond who have given financial support and guidance.

Above all, however, strong backing has come from the fishermen and the fishing industry .

To all of you a sincere “THANK YOU’.

Douglas Williams MBE.
Chairman, ‘Newlyn Memorial to Fishermen Lost at Sea’.