The History of the Gourdon Fishing Boat, The Trustful

Trustful ME 132 (sans wheelhouse) Pictured at the tiller, Alexander Craig my father with crew member Charlie Craig.

Family History: ME 262 Family history provides interesting background details. David Andrew who bought the boat was a Gourdon man who fished with the “Trustful” out of Gourdon Harbour around 1922 into the 1930s, with that Montrose registration – ME 262 which is shown in the Brown painting which also shows three figures at least one of them probably identifiable as John Mowatt – a Gourdon fisherman, father of Archie Mowat, who owned this painting, presently being donated to the Maggie Law Museum by his relative, Melvin Taylor. (Incidentally John Mowatt was also my grandmother’s brother). The man at the Tiller may be the then Skipper, David Andrew. His son, David moved to Stonehaven in 1940 and fished there with the boat.

His son, Robert Andrew, born in Gourdon, now a retired Stonehaven skipper maintains that the boat’s registration remained unchanged till late 1940s. During the War (World War II), the boat was kept moored on chains for most of the time. However, the appended note to the Registration mentions a move to Aberdeen in August 1947, indicating a gap of some 8 months before its passing into Craig family ownership. Thereafter Robert Andrew’s father skippered in turn, the “Trustful 3”, the “Scotch Lass” and finally another “Trustful”. Robert Andrew also remembers that his father sold the boat to my grandfather, William Adam Craig.

However, she was re-registered “Trustful” ME 132 to William and James Craig, his sons in April 1948. It may be that my grandfather bought the boat but cited his sons as owners. The boat may have had Aberdeen registration for those 8 months, requiring ME re-registration when back in Gourdon.

Family History: ME 132 Family history certainly tells that the boat passed next to my grandfather, William Adam Craig, Skipper of the “May Queen” ME 20 of which he was registered as owner in the 1948 Almanac. Fairly soon thereafter the “Trustful” passed into the Craig family. As stated it appears from the Registry of Sea Fishing Boats that she passed not to my grandfather as family story tells but to my uncles, Willie and Jeems. She was re-registered at Montrose as ME 132, in April 1948. There are some further interesting background details here. During the Second World War my father, Alexander Mowatt Craig served in the Royal Naval Reserve, on North Atlantic Convoy Escort duties, his brothers, Willie and Jeems and Joseph in various naval theatres of War. (Joseph, the youngest brother, an earlier Joseph than the painter Joseph Craig, was killed in action on the Royal Navy Destroyer HMS “Beverley” off Iceland where he was on convoy escort duties). My father notes in a poem that he and Willie 1

are no longer going to sea with the “May Queen” but are off fighting for their country, leaving their father, Adam to carry on the fishing. (At that time neither Jeems nor Joseph was going to the sea). After the War my father became Manager of Lindsay’s Fish Shop in Montrose and then some time around 1952/53 when my Uncle Willie irretrievably damaged his arm in the winch, my father joined the crew as Skipper of the “Trustful” which he later bought in April 1967 from his eldest brother, Jeems who had retired several years previously.

My father continued to skipper the “Trustful” thereafter with local men as crew. Eventually he sold the boat in 1974 to Peter Abernethy of Stonehaven when she may have received an Aberdeen registration. Our last sight of her showed her in a poor state, lying in Peterhead Harbour, un-named, I think. For a few years after he sold the “Trustful” my father worked at salmon fishing at the Rockhall and Inverbervie Stations. Finally retiring in 1977, he bought a small fibreglass boat for his retirement which he took to the sea for a number of years. He called the boat the “Celia Craig” (ME218) for me. She is still so named in Gourdon Harbour and worked by the Lownie family after I sold her to Gordon Lownie sometime after my father’s death in August 1993. 1

“Trustful” ME 132 : Driven Past Gourdon in a Gale I wrote the following poem (also in the Museum Anthology) about a serious incident involving the “Trustful” ME 132 when she was swept past Gourdon Harbour in a sudden gale, possibly in 1955. My father noted in his diary that they had to make for Johnshaven in a Northerly gale, possibly a force 10. The crew were Charles Dorward and Alister Donaldson who had to bale furiously. Another Gourdon boat, “The Boy Charlie” had to cut away their net and make for Johnshaven too. Other Gourdon boats headed for Catterline. I well remember coming home from school and being taken through to their bedroom by my mother to see my father safe and sound and fast asleep in bed after the ordeal. My mother said gravely, “We nearly lost him the day”. What a sense of joy and relief! Some of the boats with wireless had radio-ed home that Alex Craig had been “Blawn past Gurden”. Although tradition dictated that women in this situation might go down to the Harbour wall there to await news of their loved ones, my mother decided to continue baiting the long line with its

1

There is a photo of the “Celia Craig” in the Maggie Law Maritime Museum Poetry Anthology Website version accompanying the poem, “Celia’s Boat” by David Elder.

There are photos of Alex Craig, my father, and Joseph, his brother who was killed in action, also in the Website version to accompany the poems by my father about his brother, Joseph.

2

1200 hooks to keep herself busy and try not to be “ower thochtit”. Friends and relatives at Johnshaven gave the crew dry clothes and warm drinks.

Gurden Herber Fin I was a lassie in Gurden It wis doon at the herber we’d be The hale lang, glorious summer, Watchin the boats comin in fae the sea.

Harvester, Reaper and Happy Return, Star o’ Bethlehem, Quest an aa But the best o them aa wis the Trustful, My father, the Skipper sae braw.

Past the auld, curvin horse-shoe braakwater Syne landin their catch on the pier Then salesman, and merchants cam clusterin roond At the fish market, maakin a steer.

Yalla oilskins, blue een and a smile, My father wis in fae the sea.

The partans and labsters were landit Wi maybe a fry ti wir tea.

It wis gey cauld and dreich in the winter My mither wis baitin the line Fin a gale drove the Trustful past Gurden And she thoucht that my father she’d tine.

Soakin weet, they had made the next herber Then hame, safe and sound in his bed.

Eneuch o thae coorse, drublie winters Bring back glorious summers instead.

I append the final verse of my father’s poem about the purchase of the “May Queen” ME 20 and the loss of the “Craigielea” ME 221, my grandfather’s boat prior to the “May Queen” though the final word of the poem may be regarded as politically incorrect nowadays!

(Again the whole poems can be found in the Website version of the Maggie Law Poetry Anthology). The “Neig” was his brother, my uncle, Willie and the “Zander” was one of my father’s by-names, But for the Neig and Zander, For the present these days are done.

They are fighting for freedom and the ones they love.

They are boldly fighting the Hun. Conclusion I wish I knew even more of the life story of the “Trustful”, with all its dates exact and in order, even more than this researched article records. She was a beautiful, shapely Fifie, with excellent lines. I greatly enjoyed going to sea to the creels one summer with my father after 3

university. The Joseph Craig painting shows my father, Alex Craig and me on board the “Trustful” ME 132 There is no doubt that the two boats are one and the same boat, as Robert Andrew confirms.

I myself would recognise her anywhere as would Harbour Master, Jimmy Brown. Just why she was re-registered as ME 132 remains partly mysterious. It was certainly a registration of which my father was intensely proud. The Registry of Sea Fishing Boats suggests that a move to Aberdeen was involved in the 8 month time gap between the transfer and the registration to my uncles. I believe too that the choice of a different number may also have been a personal preference of my grandfather’s and his sons, for reasons unknown to me.

Celia Craig (May 2012) i

ii

Details for this article have been supplied by a number of sources: - by my father, Alexander Craig who crewed and then skippered the boat throughout the 50s, 60s and early 70s – via conversations with myself and with fellow skipper, James Brown, presently Harbour Master at Stonehaven, Gourdon and Johnshaven.

- by Robert Andrew, retired Stonehaven skipper and grandson /son of owners, David Andrew and his son, David, firstly of Gourdon, later of Stonehaven when the boat was “Trustful” ME 262 - by George Leiper, retired Stonehaven skipper - by helpful researchers at the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther - by a very helpful researcher at Dundee City Archive, Registry of Sea Fishing Boats in Scotland

4