Peter Fairbairn
Peter belongs to: Cullercoats RNLI
Peter was born in Simpson Street in Cullercoats. From an early age he wanted to be a fisherman and lifeboatman. Peter fished from a coble, herring drifters and trawlers.
Peter was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 24 November 2005. The interview took place at the Interviewee's living room and lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes and 38 seconds.
Following the herring
"We landed them in Lerwick or whatever port you were fishing out of"
We landed them in Lerwick or whatever port you were fishing out of. Lerwick, used to be Lerwick, Peterhead, Fraserburgh around the west coast, Lochinver, what do you call that place? Scrabster. You’d see a little bit of scenery.
Now when you went down to, you worked the herring all the way down from North Shields, worked through to Grimsby for a while, couple of weeks, and then went and changed your nets for the winter fishing, and that was the fishing which was, in its hay day, the best fishing there is, like you know, they call it the home fishing. And worked there until Christmas and then you come home and you usually tied the boats up for three months. Some used to go around if they could get a crew, they used to go around to Newlyn or Padstow from Akrham but it was always bad weather in the winter there, and they couldn’t get a crew, and you couldn’t get, what can I say, your wage, a good wage of it. So, I used to just more or less live on my, on what I earned for three month and like everybody else they used to do the same.
Peter has 19 memories in the memorynet:
Peter's memories with a Living Conditions theme:
Peter's other memories:
Growing up in Cullercoats- The herring drifters
- Following the herring
- Being knocked overboard
- Sounds and smells
- Changes in equipment
- Changes at the Fish quay and the in the fishing community
- The RNLI
Photograph of Peter- The herring drifters
- Wheelhouse of the Faithful Star
- Photograph of Peter
- Peter on the Alpha
- The Akede
- Photograph of Peter
- Peter's father
- The Alpha
This memory has these themes:
Roles and Routines | Traditions | Travel | Work
Use this form to add your comment to the memorynet: