The Bosun's Watch

Harry Wright, Fisherman and Artist

Pictures and text courtesy of Maria Brown (nee Taylor).

Harry Wright (1905-1991)

Henry (Harry) Clifford Leadbetter Wright was brought to Fleetwood by his parents as an 11-year old. Most of his family were connected with the sea. His great grandparents were Richard and Margaret Leadbetter, who were amongst the original settlers who came to Fleetwood from North Meols in the mid-1840s.

Richard owned seven fishing smacks going to sea - Confidence, Prosperity, Onward, Surprise, Harriet, Margaret and White Rose . His family also used to run the shop known locally as "Fish Dick's" in North Albert Street. Above the shop, they kept all the tackle for the smacks - the sails, ropes and baskets. Harry is seen here with Seth Ball (later lost overboard from White Heather ) with the nobbie Prima Donna on the Ferry Beach.

After leaving Lord Street Testimonial School at 14, Harry started work in the grocery store of the trawler owning firm, Taylor & Tomlinson, on Dock Street. His father drove the cart which delivered all the groceries from the firm to the trawlers. At one time, he was errand-boy for butcher, Tommy Knowle, whose shop was next door to the Art Cinema.

At 16, he started his sea-going career as a "brassie", earning five shillings a week, aboard the Gava . He became Mate at the age of 26 and in over 20 years' fishing he sailed in some 40 ships. After serving with the Royal Navy in minesweepers during WW2, Mr Wright bought the Prima Donna , and sailed as an inshoreman for some time, but later gave up the sea because of ill-health. In 1947, Mr Wright and his wife bought a greengrocery shop on Poulton Road, which they ran for nine years before moving to Hull to run a grocery business there.

He had a remarkable memory for ships and their numbers. He used to regale his family with his very clear memories of what Fleetwood used to be like. He remembered people like Salvation Army Jack, Pepper Wright, Slippy Wright, Eyebrow Dick Wright, and also the names of the foreign skippers known by their nicknames - Dutch Harry, Russian George, and German Charlie. He would talk often about the old ships - the Arian, Angle, Agnes Wickfield, Alnmouth, Albatross, Dinas, Exmouth, Gaul, Hibernia, Lord George, Nancy Hague, Nellie Braddock, Sarba, Saxon, Urka ; also the old smacks - Blue Bell, Red Rose, Moss Rose, Reliance, Ada, Irene, Polly, William and John, Snowdrop, Merry Lass and Pansy , and also the bucket dredgers, hoppers and tugboats.

His fantastic memory for detail helped him in his hobby of drawing and colouring some 600 trawlers and smacks once based at Fleetwood or Hull. The drawings are executed in pen and pastel. Each vessel is depicted broadside on to allow details of decking and rigging to be shown to the best effect. He had an eye for colour which meant that the finished drawing was pleasant to look at as well as being exact in detail. During his lifetime, he drew every ship that sailed out of Fleetwood, and copies of his work were exhibited in offices and clubs throughout the town.