Statue pays tribute to lost fishermen
SCULPTURE TO BE UNVEILED AT NORTH SHIELDS
A MEMORIAL to fishermen lost at sea will be unveiled to the public at a special ceremony this week.
The sculpture, named Fiddler’s Green, will be installed at Clifford’s Fort, on the Fish Quay in North Shields.
It is being created by sculptor Ray Lonsdale to honour fishermen who died doing their job after leaving the port.
Members of the public will be able to feast their eyes on the statue for the first time on Sunday, September 24.
To celebrate the official unveiling, a Fiddler’s Green Day has been organised and will run from 11am to 1pm.
It will include live music followed by a parade of fishermen before the grand reveal at 12.30pm.
The 10ft 6ins memorial will then be blessed and there will be a rendition of the song Fiddler’s Green.
The event will be rounded off with a toast and thanks before visitors will be able to take photographs next to the sculpture.
Among those due to speak at the event is Julie Myhill, whose partner James Noble was the last fisherman to lose his life after leaving the North Shields port.
James was the skipper of a fishing trawler which sank off the Northumberland coast in 2014, claiming his life as well two of his crew.
Henry Howard, vice chairman of the North Shields Fishermen’s Heritage Project (NSFHP), said: “North Shields was built on the fishing industry and is still the largest prawn landing port in England.
“A memorial to its lost fishermen is long overdue and we are delighted that with the help of the local community, businesses and North Tyneside Council, this is about to be put right.”
The NSFHP started a fundraising campaign for the memorial last year and managed to raise the £75,000 needed in less than 12 months.
Mr Lonsdale, the man behind the famous Tommy statue in Seaham, was chosen to create the new piece following a public vote.
In 19th Century maritime folklore, Fiddler’s Green was a kind of afterlife for sailors and was a place where there was never-ending merriment.