{"id":5293,"date":"2009-02-25T17:29:03","date_gmt":"2009-02-25T17:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/?p=5293"},"modified":"2009-02-25T18:53:57","modified_gmt":"2009-02-25T18:53:57","slug":"george-judder-harrison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/2009\/02\/george-judder-harrison\/","title":{"rendered":"George “Judder” Harrison"},"content":{"rendered":"

Information courtesy of Louise Harrison, Chris Harrison & Jennifer Harrison<\/em><\/p>\n

Three poems written by Judder Harrison.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Devil’s Revenge <\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember, remember the fifth of November
\nIt’s quite an old fashioned rhyme
\nBut I’ll never forget the first of September
\nThat’s when Iceland claimed a new “line”.<\/p>\n

There’s also another reason
\nWhy it’s an outstanding date for me
\nI was fishing that night in Redsand Bay
\nJust a fraction inside of the “three”<\/p>\n

It was blowing quite hard from the NNE
\nI’d only gone there for a lee
\nIt was calm and peaceful under the land
\nAway from that stormy sea<\/p>\n

As evening fell and the sky grew dark
\nSomeone said “Shoot your gear”
\nAnd I listened once more to that Demon voice
\nTwas the devil, whispering in my ear<\/p>\n

“Get away from me you rogue” I cried
\nAs his influence I tried to retard
\n“Get thee behind me Satan”
\n“But please don’t push too hard”<\/p>\n

“Pay away, pay away”, he insisted
\nAnd I felt myself weaken and fall
\n“Please Satan, you’re pushing too hard”
\nAs I ordered the mate, “Down trawl”<\/p>\n

My heart fluttered like a sparrows
\nIn my mouth a taste like gall
\nBut I quickly forgot my conscience
\nWhen I saw what we’d caught that haul<\/p>\n

There was 60 or 70 baskets
\nBig haddocks, plaice and sprags
\n“Put the halving becket on mate” said I
\n“Next haul we’ll have 2 bags<\/p>\n

So pleased was I with the fishing
\nThat I quickly forgot my fear
\nAnd, much to my sorrow, the Devil
\nHe was whispering in another bloke’s ear<\/p>\n

Not far away under ‘Snowy’
\nWas the Iceland patrol ship Thor
\nTaking shelter from this stormy night
\nAs he’d done quite often before<\/p>\n

Capt. Christopherson took a last look round
\nAs he ‘yarned’ with his number one
\n“We’ll dodge to the corner tomorrow”, said he
\nBut by that time I’d be gone<\/p>\n

But I’d reckoned without the Devil
\nHe’d got me to shoot my gear
\nAnd right at that very moment
\nWas whispering in ‘Old Chris’ ear<\/p>\n

“Get across there tonight”, he said
\n“Don’t wait until break of day
\nGet across there as quick as you can
\nYou’ll catch a ship in Redsand Bay”<\/p>\n

“Not only is he inside of the ‘twelve’
\nBut he’s inside ‘four'”, said he
\n“And if you nip across there smartly tonight
\nyou’ll catch him inside of the ‘three'”<\/p>\n

Well, the rest of this sordid story
\nis history from the past
\nThe Thor came across that fatal night
\nAnd he came across mighty fast<\/p>\n

He caught me with my gear down
\nAnd also my pants, you might say
\nBut I’d have been far away from the scene of the crime
\nIf he’d waited till break of day<\/p>\n

Old captain ‘Chris’ got a pat on the back
\nAnd the Devil he got his wish
\nI got the ‘chop’ from the gaffer
\nfor pinching a bit of fish<\/p>\n

So take my tip you fishermen bold
\nDon’t be tempted by ‘Old Nick’
\nJust remember that he works for both sides
\nAnd he’ll serve you a dirty trick <\/p>\n

The Fisherman’s Lament <\/strong><\/p>\n

I remember the days, in the far distant past
\nWhen I served as a deckie before the mast
\nAye, and even long before my time
\nWhen fish were caught with hook and line<\/p>\n

Fishermen were known throughout the land
\nAs honest men with open hand
\nEach man at sea was like a brother
\nTwas unforgivable not to help one another<\/p>\n

Skippers those days were simple chaps
\nThey’d no posh radar, nor Decca maps
\nThe whole wide sea was his to roam
\nWhen his hold was full, he’d head for home<\/p>\n

Our fathers taught the Iceland Scrobs
\nHow to man their ships and do their jobs
\nThey taught them about their treacherous coast
\nWhere the cod and haddocks bred the most<\/p>\n

From Stokkanes up to Dyrohlaey
\nRound Staljberg into Raudisand Bay
\nFrom Ingolse Hoofde up to Stranda Flak
\nRound the cape down to Whaleyback<\/p>\n

But that was in the days of yore
\nWhen we fished just three miles from the shore
\nYou could catch a trip in seven or eight days
\nIn Faxe, Breidie or other bays<\/p>\n

Then some Scrob took it into his head
\nTo push out the limits, we all saw red
\nAnd instead of three miles from the shore
\nThey put the limit line out to four<\/p>\n

And they cut off all the fjords and bays
\nWhere you could catch a trip in seven or eight days
\nAnd to make this limit a permanent fix
\nThey increased their gunboat fleet to six<\/p>\n

But the fishermen of Grimsby, Fleetwood and Hull
\nSaid “To hell with his limits, and also his bull”
\nAnd they searched around as they’d done in the past
\nTo find fresh grounds that were bound to last<\/p>\n

For a trip or two the going was rough
\nAs they explored new ground and found new rough
\nAnd many a back was broken and bent
\nMending trawls that were badly rent<\/p>\n

But with determination and lots of skill
\nThey were able to swallow that bitter pill
\nAnd soon they returned to Britain’s shore
\nWith fishrooms full as they’d done before<\/p>\n

Then they laughed at Iceland’s limit
\nHe can stick his four miles and all that’s in it
\nHe can stuff his fjords and bays as well
\nFor all we care he can roast in hell<\/p>\n

But some Scrob sitting in comfort and ease
\nDidn’t like our mastering of his seas
\nSo into his head he had a delve
\nAnd decided to push us out to twelve<\/p>\n

By the shades of Nelson, Raleigh and Drake
\nThis is a pill that’s hard to take
\nBut you be inside twelve if you darest
\nWhen it comes into force on September the first<\/p>\n

But the Gaffer sat in his cosy room
\nIs expecting me to bring back the moon
\nFor my trials and troubles he cares not a jot
\nHe just wants to know how much fish I’ve got<\/p>\n

No use telling how we braved the storm
\nHe’ll just look down his nose with scorn
\nThen politely ask me to wait outside
\nWhile my humble future he decides<\/p>\n

As I stand there trembling almost in fits
\nHe’ll tear my reputation to bits
\nAnd I wonder what will be my fate
\nWill it be deckie? Will it be mate?<\/p>\n

But it’s not only from him that you have to take stick
\nThe ‘Old Woman’ thinks you’re a little bit thick
\nShe doesn’t think much of your hard endeavour
\nBack goes the fur coat that she bought on the ‘never’<\/p>\n

So when you hear of the money we earn
\nOf the fabulous sums that we have to burn
\nJust give a thought for the lads forlorn
\nAway off the cape in a north east storm. <\/p>\n

The Loss of the S.T. Barle <\/strong><\/p>\n

T’was a peaceful sea and a moonlit sky
\nA sleeping world and there was I
\nKeeping my lonely watch by night
\nOn a trawler’s bridge thinking all was right<\/p>\n

Quite unaware that my course was wrong
\nI was humming a tune as I steered along
\nBut if I’d only known what fate had in store
\nThat in a short while we’d be running ashore<\/p>\n

But fate never tells what is happening next
\nOr we’d never been on those rocks just a wreck
\nT’was three in the morn of April the first
\nWe ran into fog, ’tis a seaman’s curse<\/p>\n

The all of a sudden, I heard dead ahead
\nThe breaking of surf, it filled me with dread
\nI signalled the second for ‘full speed astern’
\nBut I was too late, I was soon to learn<\/p>\n

For she ran on the rocks with a deafening crash
\nAnd in a short while our decks were awash
\nThere was nought to be seen but rocks all around
\nAs those treacherous waves on our deck they did pound<\/p>\n

So we launched our small boat and we hoped for the best
\nAnd every man’s nerves were put to the test
\nBur British sailors are men every inch
\nAnd not for a second did anyone flinch<\/p>\n

From that tragic wreck we pulled away
\nand waited, impatient, for the breaking of day
\nAt half past five the dawn broke through
\nThe fog cleared up and the sun broke through<\/p>\n

So we landed our boat on a small strip of beach
\nAnd we climbed ashore out of danger’s reach
\nBut our troubles were not over, as time did tell
\nFor climbing that cliff was a living hell<\/p>\n

And by the time we got to the top
\nEvery man there was ready to drop
\nTwas only the fact that a farm was so near
\nThat prevented us from dropping, exhausted I fear<\/p>\n

And oh! What a welcome from such kindly folk
\nThey dried our clothes, we were all asoak
\nAnd as we could hear the lash of that foam
\nWe thought of our loved ones and longed for our home<\/p>\n

But now we are safe, from our hearts let us send
\nA prayer of thanks, to our ‘Unseen Friend’ <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Information courtesy of Louise Harrison, Chris Harrison & Jennifer Harrison Three poems written by Judder Harrison. The Devil’s Revenge Remember, remember the fifth of November It’s quite an old fashioned rhyme But I’ll never forget the first of September That’s when Iceland claimed a new “line”. There’s also another reason Why it’s an outstanding date […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":261,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trawler-tales"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/261"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5293\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fleetwood-trawlers.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}