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YFOS EVENT REVIEW: 12 Silk Handkerchiefs

Tue, August 11, 2020 by Charles Tyrer

Yorkshire Festival of Story hosts a weekly Folk Thursday. This series begun with our Headliner, 12 Silk Handkerchiefs, and was brilliantly received by attendees. Read on to see what Gill O’Donnell, an independent reviewer, made of the performance.

By Gill O’Donnell

A deeply moving retelling of a horrific story “12 Silk Handkerchiefs” is based on Brian W. Lavery, The Headscarf Revolutionaries, and tells in a combination of spoken word, song and picture the aftermath of the winter of 1968 when Hull’s fishing community lost 3 ships in quick succession with a total loss of 58 men. This is a very powerful piece of storytelling with all 3 elements weaving together to create a compelling piece of theatre. The use of stark black and white footage from the time emphasises just how very different attitudes towards Health and Safety were in that period but also highlights the way in which the roles of men and women were so clearly defined at the time. The loss of the trawlers St Romanus, the Kingston Peridot and the Ross Cleveland led to a protest movement whose strength and determination led to a change in regulations which was responsible for saving thousands of lives. Performed by Reg Meuross, Mick McGarry and Sam Martyn the songs, composed by Reg Meuross, examine in more detail the life of the fishing community centred on Hessle road and the impact of the events of the triple disaster.

These are genuinely emotional and at the same time, strongly political in the way in which they capture the injustices of a world which has now gone. They are also very poetic, with strong imagery throughout. This aspect is particularly to the fore in “Fish House Woman” where there are references to a woman’s tongue being as sharp as a filleting knife and the white overalls which make the women appear like angels and the heavy outdoor coats which keeps them warm are likened to the warmth of the fellowship of this sisterhood. Similarly in “John Barry Rogers” the eerie repetition of key phrases adds to the haunting quality of the song as the sea calls “Come to me” and the fisherlad’s mother calls “please don’t go”.

This is not however just the story of the community as a whole, it is also the story of individuals within the community. The sole survivor of the tragedy was Harry Eddom, who not only survived the shipwreck and time at sea in a liferaft but then endured horrific hardship prior to his rescue and eventual hospitalisation. “The man the sea gave back” tells his story in graphic terms before audio visual footage tells of his family’s reaction. The song carries a dire warning that “that when you go fishing from the sea beware the sea does not fish thee!” – the idea that he was the one the sea threw back is typical of the dark superstitious side to fishing life which is also to the fore in songs such as “Wash her man away”. The piece also highlights the story of Lillian Billoca, a feisty fishwife who led the campaign for improved safety standards but died unregarded in 1988, feeling betrayed by both the women who she led and the media who turned on her at the height of her success. Big hearted and blunt speaking “Big Lill” took action to defend others, even when those she sought to help preferred not to support her. The final song in the cycle, which gives the piece it’s title, is a beautiful summation of the woman’s character and a fitting tribute to a woman of great spirit.

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