Saddened at passing of true ‘Bottom Ender’

I was saddened to hear of the passing of a legend of ‘Bottom Ender’ Major Clarke.

Major was an inspiration to me in my younger days.

He spent a lot of his early days I recall working for Leaf and Hawkes on the wood boats that used to frquent Scarborough harbour at the time, along with Bob Johnson, Tony Smally and others.

Indeed on of the many stories I heard, was of Major spotting someone training for the ‘coal hump’ and promptly sending a security guard scurrying after him, on the assumption that he’d pinched a bag of potatoes which of course he hadn’t.

My early memories of Major were of an affable and mischievous character, with a cheeky glint in his eye who would think nothing of sending us for a sky hook or a left handed screwdriver.

He had a charm about him did Major, a sort of easy going it’s good to be alive charm which was infectious. He had an aura about too, that many so called prominent fishermen have tried to emulate but failed.

Like a lot of the characters down the bottom end at the time, of which there were many, my eyes used to light up on seeing him coming around the corner, he was that kind of man, he was like a breath of fresh air. “What’s do up to Tommy Ward” he would say, “does thee uncle John know do’s doing that? Wait till I see him, bah do’ll get it.”

I recall as a pleasure boat owner, the splendid heady days I spent in the company of such fine men like Major, and I shall never forget how they influenced and shaped my life. Some people can’t be replaced and he was just such a person, and anybody considering themselves part of the bottom end fraternity, will know just what a big part of it has left us, rest in peace Ma’j.

The fine men and women who made Scarborough’s Bottom End, and their memories, should never be forgotten, living for today and ignoring the past is not an option, nor should it ever be. TW Ward Overdale, Scarborough