The Headscarf Revolutionaries: Lillian Bilocca and the Hull Triple-Trawler Disaster

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A third vessel, the Ross Cleveland was lost on 4 February 1968 with the loss of all bar one of her 19-man crew. One of those leading the protest was 27-year-old Yvonne whose father had died at sea only four years earlier. The book makes real the last days of the trawlermen, the terrible conditions they worked in, and the dramatic and energetic struggle of Lillian Bilocca for better conditions. The trawler owners had known of the probable loss since 13 January but had delayed raising the alarm for a whole ten days. But out of necessity there had grown strong social networks of solidarity amongst the women whose husbands, sons and fathers were out on the trawlers, and this existing culture within the community allowed many women to be quickly galvanised into action when a set of tragedies unfolded in January and February 1968.

Virginia obviously had significant input into the book; multiple conversations between her and her mother are included.That day, the Hull Daily Mail reported: “The wives, led by 39-year-old Lillian Bilocca, were laughed off at first by many in the fishing industry. There was little regard for the men's health and safety, making this by far the most dangerous job in Britain with 6,000 Hull men lost at sea.

He shouted back: “Keep her going full speed, Phil, and keep up with me,” but he knew it was too late. The tk_or is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack. Organising meetings with trawlermen, their families and local politicians and unions – she started a movement. The city of Hull owes Yvonne Blenkinsop and all of the Headscarf Revolutionaries a debt of gratitude.I recently moved to Hull in east Yorkshire, and one of the most famous episodes of protest in the city’s history took place in 1968. I heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in learning what life was like for fishermen and their families at the time; it is also an example of what can be achieved by very ordinary folk, gripped by a vision, standing up to powerful men and bureaucracy. It was harder still for the one man who battled the storms as the trawlers sank to be the lone survivor. deep sea trawlers were based at St Andrews Dock and every year they brought in up to a quarter of a million tons of fish - 25 per cent of Britain's total catch.

Lavery’s tale of how the Triple Trawler Tragedy unleashed the fury of the formidable women of the Hessle Road is an inspiration, Lily Bilocca personified the courage and determination of an entire community. Sometimes the cause of synchronicity is obvious, as in the World War that preceded uprisings and revolutions from Clydeside to Moscow, or the economic collapse that by 2011 had sparked revolts as diverse as the English riots and the Arab Spring. What enabled this friendly reception was the power of public feeling, but also, perhaps, the stridently apolitical nature of the women’s campaign.He did, along with the minister of the board of trade, TGWU officers and the fishing industry bosses. Bilocca and other fishermen's wives were incensed by the continuing loss of men in what was the world's most dangerous industry. Marge Proops ran a feature on ‘The Real Big Lil’ in the Daily Mirror, and even the Daily Mail carried a supportive front page lead.