That Reminds Me: Milford's fishing industry between wars

So said my fellow Milfordian, and long time regular follower, Barry Thynne, when he rang me late last year.

It's always appreciated to receive feedback from readers, and if they happen to be positive comments... I'm even more grateful... so I'm grateful to Barry for his.

Hopefully, in 2024, there'll be a few more thoughts and recollections to share with you.

As regular readers will know, I do try to vary the themes for the content of these columns, from the local pop music scene to old shops and events of interest, but having played such an important role in the town's history, the major part of these memories tend to be based around the days of the fishing industry and the Docks.

Milford Countess M52 (Image: Jeff Dunn)

And this week I'm returning to them by looking back to the period between the First and Second World Wars.

During both conflicts, with many of the trawling fleet seconded for minesweeping duties, obviously the numbers reduced significantly. During the 1914-18 campaign, sixty of the seventy trawlers were requisitioned by the Admiralty for sweeping or patrol duties.

The numbers in the fishing fleet also fluctuated during the Roaring Twenties, one of the contributing factors being the General Strike of 1926, but by the latter part of the decade Milford could boast a fleet of in excess of 100 trawlers... including a large number of which were super modern. Around 1,300 Milford fishermen sailed out of the port, and a mouth watering 50 thousand tons of fish crossed the market floor each year.

Meanwhile, on the Docks, supporting the trawling industry, there were more than 1,500 men employed... including some who'd previously been working at the Royal Naval Dockyard, in Pembroke Dock, which closed in 1925.

These were heady days.

As a fishing port, Milford had become the best-in-the-west, famed for its hake and seasonal herrings/kippers; pubs and clubs were buoyant, shopkeepers tills clanged merrily, thriving, as the phrase of the week was: "every day was a pay day."

A super speedy fish train supplied wholesale markets in London, the Midlands and the South West, enabling fresh fish to be on sale the morning after being landed at the port.

Milford Fish Market (Image: Jeff Dunn)

Milford Docks continued to play their part by installing new equipment, renewing rail tracks, replacing the physically demanding barrows with Lister Trucks, and extending the trawler fish market by 200 feet... making it close to a quarter of a mile in length. 

But of course boom times don't last forever, and the depression of the early 1930's, plus the continuing coal strike, brought a dip to the glory days... landings suffered, and with unemployment levels at 15%... consequently fishing fleet numbers again fluctuated.

But by the end of the Thirties, despite all, and although there were ominous signs of troubled waters ahead, the fleet in Milford had steadied to 120 vessels.

One such trawler was the Milford Countess M52, also known as the Kenneth McCrae, Charles Legg, Roderigo, and Craigwood. A Castle Class trawler built in 1919 in South Shields landed at Milford from Feb 1930 to Aug 1949.

In May 1937 she represented the Milford fishing fleet at the Spithead Review (see photo).

Operated as a Minesweeper during the Second World War and was finally broken up in 1959.

My second snap is a reminder, once again, of the Market, in which fish was bought for, and despatched to, thousands of fishmongers and catering establishments throughout the length and breadth of the UK.

Well that's just about it for my first effort of the new year, but before I head out to dig a hole to bury my resolutions, I've just got time to share this with you.

An 80 year old man sentenced to 10 years in jail, said to the judge: "I'll never live that long." The judge replied: "Well, just do the best you can."

And that's all we can do.

Take care, please stay safe.